Hazel on the way home, her leg extended straight out |
In March 2015, my fiancé and I brought home Hazel, a 10-week-old Saint-Bernese puppy. It was apparent right away that something was wrong when I discovered that Hazel couldn't bend her right, hind leg. When I tried to do a basic mobility test with her leg she growled and snapped at me. The next morning I rushed her to the Pembroke Animal Hospital and was shocked to discover that she had a broken femur very early on in life that had gone undiagnosed. The bone had callused together incorrectly, making one leg shorter than the other. Her leg no longer had a natural bend at the knee, and her hips were displaced. This was the beginning of our long walk down the road to puppy pain management. It has been more than a year since that bitter-sweet day, and I have learned a lot. Here are my top seven tips for a pet owner who is dealing with a pet with chronic pain.