Bell's Leg

The other day I took the girls to run a tennis court at one of the High Schools in town. It cools off around dusk so that's when we went...there is never anyone around. They had a blast running until they were exhausted. When we got home both dogs were limping slightly. I thought...that's odd...both of them doing it at the same time.

I gave them both a children's aspirin and they crashed on the floor while we watched a movie. Before bed they were better but still had some limping going on. I gave them each another children's aspirin and they went to bed. The next day Nicki was fine but Bell was still a little stiff walking. I figured they had just out done themselves while running. Plus they are running on a hard surface and they've had this happen before.

It wasn't until a day later that KC noticed a cut on Bell's leg....and it was a big one! She had a gash that was somewhat splayed open..almost looked like it needed stitches...and a scrape mark trailing under that. It looked like Nicki must have caught her just right on the leg with her toe nail. There certainly was nothing at the tennis courts that could have caused this and I always walk the courts looking for garbage before letting them run loose. Although the cut was large and open it wasn't bleeding. I'm betting Bell had licked it clean herself when it happened.
I put some organic herbal healing salve on it with a bandage...knowing full well that bandage wasn't going to stay on long. Bell is sneakier than I give her credit for however and after walking like her leg was broken for 10 mins (I was laughing at her the whole time) she settled down and completely ignored it. Problem solved.

That night I stupidly left the bandage on her leg when she went to bed. I actually figured she was going to be the one dog in a million that isn't going to mess around with her bandage! Well, come morning that bandage was gone...completely gone...not a trace of it or the tape I used was there. She had decided to eat the entire thing during the night! What was I thinking! Or course she would do something to it during the night. She's a dog!
I had to keep an eye out for the exit of that bandage material for the next day and I wasn't disappointed. It showed up eventually. Bell and I never discussed it again.

Since then I've been putting gobs of the herbal salve on her cut and she licks it off at night...never in front of me...but she's doing it. None the less the cut is healing well anyway. It only has one spot that is still open looking now but I think she may still end up with a scar. It looks like the hair may not grow there anymore. Only time will tell.
I think it's time to clip both their nails again, don't you?