This afternoon (12-6) I was volunteering at my favorite Nat'l Public Radio's semi-annual pledge drive**, answering phones, taking pledges. Puff accompanies me as usual, resting in the car, waiting for me to come out 2X every hour to let her out to pee or potty & play; the side windows are cracked, the moonroof is slanted open to provide chimney venting, and a pan with water is inside. If it's too sunny, we park in the shade.
On my visits, we do about 5 minutes fetching to take away her bordeom. I throw (or more usually "bowl") a softball in various directions across the paved parking lot which she chases and brings back. When it hits a curb, the ball either bounces straight up in the air, or up and over and down hills, or back towards me. Great excitement, fast reactions are needed. Puff enjoys this and enjoys her sleeps inbetween my visits. We've done this twice a year for over 6 years.
This afternoon, after about 6 visits, Puff made a quick turn and came back limping and much subdued. I thought she'd sprained a joint at first but, after she started licking a rear paw pad, saw that a small area of the skin (maybe half the size of a dime) was torn away.
Puff's been a different dog ever since -- quiet, subdued; she hasn't even eaten her supper. Right now we're having a thunder/lightning storm which doesn't improve her attitude -- she alternates between going into the nearby bathroom that has reinforced concrete walls, floor, ceiling that's also a tornado shelter, and coming back to lay down next to me.
Poor girl.
Tomorrow we have the same schedule but I'll skip the 5 minute periods of exercise and just visit her.
If she doesn't improve markedly by Wednesday, we'll visit K-State's CollVetMed Tchng Hospl and get her fitted for an Elizabethan collar and a dressing for her paw.
_____________
** In the USA, we have NPR (National Public Radio) a non-profit, government founded radio (primarily FM) provider of a choice of programs [news, current events, music (e.g., classical/jazz), magazine & interest features] to individual member stations. See www.npr.org or also http://kansaspublicradio.org/index.php
The member stations are mainly run by universities (in our case, KPR/KANU is run by the U of Kansas) although occasionally other entities may run them. Funding come from many sources: grants from foundations, corporations, local businesses, and very slightly from the universities, but over half of their operating budgets come from listeners like me during their semi-annual pledge drives.
On my visits, we do about 5 minutes fetching to take away her bordeom. I throw (or more usually "bowl") a softball in various directions across the paved parking lot which she chases and brings back. When it hits a curb, the ball either bounces straight up in the air, or up and over and down hills, or back towards me. Great excitement, fast reactions are needed. Puff enjoys this and enjoys her sleeps inbetween my visits. We've done this twice a year for over 6 years.
This afternoon, after about 6 visits, Puff made a quick turn and came back limping and much subdued. I thought she'd sprained a joint at first but, after she started licking a rear paw pad, saw that a small area of the skin (maybe half the size of a dime) was torn away.
Puff's been a different dog ever since -- quiet, subdued; she hasn't even eaten her supper. Right now we're having a thunder/lightning storm which doesn't improve her attitude -- she alternates between going into the nearby bathroom that has reinforced concrete walls, floor, ceiling that's also a tornado shelter, and coming back to lay down next to me.
Poor girl.
Tomorrow we have the same schedule but I'll skip the 5 minute periods of exercise and just visit her.
If she doesn't improve markedly by Wednesday, we'll visit K-State's CollVetMed Tchng Hospl and get her fitted for an Elizabethan collar and a dressing for her paw.
_____________
** In the USA, we have NPR (National Public Radio) a non-profit, government founded radio (primarily FM) provider of a choice of programs [news, current events, music (e.g., classical/jazz), magazine & interest features] to individual member stations. See www.npr.org or also http://kansaspublicradio.org/index.php
The member stations are mainly run by universities (in our case, KPR/KANU is run by the U of Kansas) although occasionally other entities may run them. Funding come from many sources: grants from foundations, corporations, local businesses, and very slightly from the universities, but over half of their operating budgets come from listeners like me during their semi-annual pledge drives.
