FOR DOG’S SAKE

It has been four months since Yogi (my terrier-its) ruptured her cruciate ligament and, as I have diarised through my column, she was healing nicely, especially with the help of her Doggy Buggy.

Well, last week whilst off the lead for just 10 minutes, she chased a squirrel and ruptured the cruciate ligament on the other back leg.

Apparently it is common for the second one to go within months of the first because if the one is weak then the other one is likely to be too, and also she will have been putting more pressure onto the (then) healthy leg.

At least I am familiar with the recovery process now, but her mood is low again and I am worried that she is now out of sorts, not only emotionally but bio-mechanically too.

With her back legs being weak, she is bound to be overcompensating for that physically which will put undue stress on other parts of her body. As well as just feeling miserable that she can’t tear about as usual.

It has made me realise that although Yogi is my complete world and I would do anything for her, I sometimes just don’t know what to do, and buckets of TLC isn’t enough.

There is no substitute for knowledge, so I did some research and have found an amazing two-day workshop being held in Tredegar at the end of August.

Called “From the Hound Up”, and run by Gemma Hodson of All About the Dog, the workshop will enable you to “read” your dog and use the non-verbal indicators, including movement, posture, behaviour and even coat patterns, to understand what is going on with your best friend.

Did you know, for example, that if your dog were panting, his tongue would provide all sorts of information, with a curled tongue indicating stress of some sort?

There is so much in the media about the importance of optimum mental and physical health for humans but it’s exactly the same for our four-legged friends too. Yogi brings me an unsurpassed amount of joy and I want to reciprocate that.

I believe workshops like this should be mandatory before you