The vet has confirmed that Claire has a torn CCL (like the ACL in a human).
Claire at the veterinary clinic
This happened on Christmas Eve when she and Sparkle were bounding up the stairs from the lower level of the house. Claire fell/tripped/something up the stairs — it was immediately clear something terrible had happened because she was crying and struggling to finish the stairs.
It was awful, as you can likely imagine.
She quickly settled down but would not put any weight on her left rear leg.
I had so many hopes and dreams for Claire in 2020 — I was going to campaign her as a Special and I expected her to do exceptionally well in obedience. The pandemic landed with a thud on top of my dreams.
Take Note, Claire…
I am not unique — 2020 has been a year of exploded dreams and shattered lives. Every single loss is griefworthy — we get to decide what has broken our hearts.
But there is also an element of choice about which aspect of a reality to fix our focus. This is the part I find interesting about 2020 ending with my pregnant dog blowing her knee out.
I acknowledge the additional lost things that were generated when Claire’s pregnancy hormones and a misstep caused her ligament to do something it should not have done; the already packed 2020 Land of the Losses got more crowded.
But we are not required to park ourselves in the 2020 Land of the Losses, counting and reliving each of the heartbreaking losses. We have lived them already — they do not need to be lived and experienced again and again.
Claire will have a custom brace made by OrthoPets to help keep that joint stable and reduce pain. In addition, she will have cold laser twice a week, with her abdomen covered by a protective apron although the laser is centralized to her knee and there is no evidence that laser therapy is problematic during pregnancy (Source: Wilkerson, Eric C, Van Acker, Monica M, Bloom, Bradley S, & Goldberg, David J. (2019). Utilization of Laser Therapy During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of the Maternal and Fetal Effects Reported From 1960 to 2017. Dermatologic Surgery, 45(6), 818-828).
The unfortunate parts of the stair incident are acknowledged and handled — I do not need to sit vigil.
Two inches and 2+ pounds gained with 22 days to go.
Inside Claire right this minute are small puppy miracles — they exist in the Land of Hopes and Dreams. Why would I want to be anywhere that doesn’t include them?