Since the day we brought her home, Tesla has always taken to puppying around the house at least once a day. Puppying refers to the act of racing from room to room at breakneck speed, jumping onto and off of the bed, and occasionally incorporating a toy into the action.
Monday morning this week, Tesla was busy puppying. Teddy and I were playing in his bassinet. We were enjoying Tesla running around because we thought it was pretty funny. Then, on a jump up to the bed, Tesla suddenly yelped in pain and the fun instantly stopped.
She couldn't put weight on her back left leg, that much I could see. She's an extremely stoic dog, so if she is showing signs of pain, it has to be pretty severe.
I, being the responsible adult at home at the time, immediately commenced freaking right the fuck out.
We ended up taking her to the vet that afternoon, and found out she had torn her cranial cruciate ligament, the equivalent of the ACL in humans. The treatment is typically surgery and restricted movement. Currently she is resting at home, so we can see if we can tell how severe the tear was.
She is not a dog that likes rest. Despite our best efforts, she has twice jumped onto the bed, and twice tried to pounce on a toy to play. This is despite being unable to use one of her legs. She's a fucking rockstar, but she's going to hurt herself even more. Andrew slept on the couch last night to keep her downstairs (and off the bed), but we may end up needing to crate her overnight.
I feel terrible for her. No matter the treatment we choose, she can't run or jump or play at all, for months. And she may never regain full function of her leg. I'm so sad for her. Her favourite things to do are run and jump and play.
My poor, poor Tesla Bear.
