No buts about head-butts
That small altercation with Thong sets back Wan-Wan's recovery from knee surgery
Now that some members in my mini-zoo are in their senior years, I find that I have to watch them more carefully than when they were younger.
Are they drinking enough water? Are they eating properly? Are they cleaning themselves, pee-ing and poo-ing properly? Have I remembered to give them any medication they need?
Elderly creatures, human or otherwise, take a lot of work.
At the same time, especially if you have a multi-animal household, you have to watch everyone else too.
I mentioned, a few weeks ago, how soi cat Thong tried to teach Wan-Wan, my poodle pup, not to annoy him. The dog just wouldn’t stop chasing the boy around.
Finally, Thong had had enough. With a mighty push, he butted Wan on her side.
Thong weighs more than four kilos, while the dog weighs less than three. That head-butt sent the dog flying. She landed on her side.
Bruised by the experience, poor Wan was in pain for a few days. She didn’t even try to chase Thong, and I thought that the boy had finally solved the problem.
Gradually, the pain reduced, and Wan seemed better. She even forgot the lesson that Thong had tried to teach her and began chasing him again. The dog isn’t stupid, though. If Thong began to lower his head, she would dance away.
With the pain gone, Wan even began begging to go out for walks again, her favourite pastime. Wan always begins her walk with a burst of energy, a run that gradually slows down to a trot. She’s a tiny dog, but she could continue that rapid pace for at least a half-hour.
Now, however, I notice that Wan still has that happy burst of speed, but after a few metres, she slows down. The walk is no longer a trot but a slow march. She even walks behind me, not bothering to catch up.
She never complains, never cries or whimpers. She just slows down.
I begin to worry. She had surgery on her knee four or five months ago. Could the ligaments have popped out again? Would she have to have another surgery?
X-rays confirm that the bones in her two back legs are fine, but because her behaviour has changed so much, I schedule a meeting with the veterinary surgeon anyway.
He presses Wan's knee gently, she screams in pain, and he knows what’s wrong. It’s not bad news, but not good news either. With that head-butt, the ligaments in Wan’s knee have twisted. No surgery is necessary, but Wan is going to need a few more months to recover full mobility.
For Wan, no more long walks, no more dancing on her hind legs, and, if I can help it, no more playing with Thong - at least for awhile.
