I love autumn – the crisp mornings, beautiful leaves and clear blue skies make it a special time of year, particularly here in the Cotswolds where I live. My pets, Jack and collie cross and Lilly our new kitten are also enjoying autumn to the full, with Jack having lots of fun chasing me around on my mountainbike through the autumn leaves, and Lilly’s been learning the art of catching mice before they head off into their burrows for the winter.
Not all pets are having quite such a relaxing time of it at the moment though, with the various surgeries where I’m working seeming to be busier than ever, with a particular rise in the number of lame and injured pets coming through the doors. I don’t have any firm evidence to back this up, but from my own experience over the years, I think that this tends to happen every year at about this time and it coincides with that last burst of outdoor activity before winter sets in. I saw a case this week which illustrates my point pretty well. It involved a young German Shepherd dog called Rex who I saw at the Coventry branch of the Pet Vaccination Clinic group where I’m working at the moment, and there was little doubt about why his owner had brought him in to see me – he was holding his front left paw up and trotted in to the consulting room on three legs.
‘He was chasing a squirrel last night,’ explained Rex’s owner, ‘and I heard a yelp and then he came back on three legs – could the squirrel have bitten him do you think?’
Rex was very mild mannered and easy to examine, so I had a good thorough look at his leg, feeling for puncture wounds that might indicate a bite, swellings over the joints, or specific areas that were particularly painful. There was nothing out of the ordinary until I reached Rex’s shoulder, at which point he let out a loud yelp and looked at me with accusing eyes. I gave him a couple of moments to relax and then felt the area again, trying to work out exactly what he’d done to himself – without causing him any unnecessary discomfort during my examination. Finally, after a few more yelps and miserable glances from Rex, I had reached my diagnosis, and I straightened up to give the verdict to Rex’s owner.
‘It’s nothing to worry about, just a sprained joint,’ I explained, ‘I’ll give Rex some pain killers and you need to rest him as much as possible for the next week or so, and he should be absolutely fine.’
‘That’s great,’ replied Rex’s owner, obviously relieved, ‘but resting him won’t be easy – he loves this time of year and I just can’t stop him chasing after squirrels!’
I could sympathise with this problem as Jack is the same and I could understand how hard it would be if I had to restrict his freedom and keep him on a lead at this time of year – but rest really is the best cure for this kind of injury, and Rex will just have to watch the squirrels from the comfort of his bed for a little while until he’s back to full strength! As for me, after an early finish in the surgery, I’m about to head out on my bike for a blast through the autumn leaves, with Jack not far behind – I just hope he keeps out of trouble!
