We have a five-year old German shorthair, Jigsaw.
Jigs loves to run, as this breed is prone to do.
If we hike 6 miles, he covers thirty.
If we jog 4 miles, he is bound to have put in ten.
When he bird hunts with my husband, he heels, points, and does all those birddog types of things, but he also puts in his mileage as well.
In February of this year, after many happy bird trips and much success - often times more birds pointed than his master can shoot, my husband tells me - Jigs began to favor his right, hind leg.
While he would run with the wind when set free, once home he would carry his hind leg, working hard not to put too much weight on it.
We thought it odd, but since he never indicated any pain, we were not too worried.
We tried to guess what was going on.
He had cut the interior pad on that foot on a sharp rock when he was a pup and we wondered if the scar tissue was bugging him.
A trip to the vet came up with a negative as that being the problem.
She thought he might have arthritis and so we adjusted his diet and added some pills.
Some days he seemed on the way to healing.
On other days he appeared tired and unwilling to really put his leg to work.
Unwilling, that is, until, we put on our jogging shoes or headed out the back door.
Then he returned to his running nature, ready to run wherever we wanted to go or to display his antics as he raced around the yard like a puppy, lunging up and over the deck, around the trees, through the garden, and back for a pat on the head.
When we set out on a hike last week, he was excited to join us.
We put him on a leash to limit his mileage and to keep him form wandering as we topped the summit.
Ordinarily a delighted climber, I was surprised when I had to push him up the final mile of steep, granite pebbles.
Where usually he'd be dragging me, I had to force him onward.
Back at the pickup he drank a little, ate a few bites, and then did his three-legged act around the picnic table.
Once he entered the truck he sank to the floorboard and slept until we reached home.
All of this was very strange for our active dog.
We had heard about a surgical vet clinic and so determined it was time to get his leg checked by a specialist.
After listening to our descriptions the veterinarian asked us whether Jigsaw most favored his hind leg during a run, right after a run, or after the run followed by some rest.
We had never lined his pattern up quite like this but both remarked that after a run and rest Jigs seemed far worse.
After more questions and a physical exam she confirmed our worst thoughts: a torn CCL, cranial cruciate ligament.
A CCL in dogs is like an ACL in humans.
The CCL prevents the tibia from sliding back and forth relative to the femur.
It also stops hyperextension and excessive internal rotation.
If Jigs were old or not in love with running and hunting, we could probably ignore this condition and turn him into a homebody.
As he is young and very active, surgery is the next step as we are afraid that leaving him lame in one leg will eventually lead to lameness in the other leg and finally total immobility.
Next week Jigs will have a semicircular cut made on the top portion of the tibia and then have it rotated to reduce the slope that creates the instability problem plus have a stainless steel plate installed to keep things in place as he heals.
After 2-3 months of gentle care and restricted action, he should be back to his wild, running self.
The hardest part for us will be keeping him quiet for 60-90 days.
Running and jumping will be put on hold and that may drive his owners crazy.
I never dreamed that I would be willing to make such an investment in a dog.
Not that I wouldn't do it but there were many years when finances would not have allowed this expenditure.
While I love animals, this procedure is relatively costly but vitally important.
But then again, Jigsaw is no conventional dog.
We love him as much as he loves us and as our last "child" still at home we just want him whole again.