Limp

Riley has had this intermittent limp in one of his front legs that appears after long, hard romps around the dog park or exhaustive hikes but does not seem to linger or slow him down much. Usually, the limp disappears in a day, and Steve & I attribute it to sore muscles. Well, the limp reappeared about a week ago and has stuck around. He has been consistently limping even with lots of rest and little to no activity :( so I felt I had to take him to the vet. This is what I learned:

1. A single office visit is really expensive! I guess I already knew this but always go in hopeful and come out baffled by the amount of money I just paid.

2. Riley is over-weight by about 10lbs. I also knew this but was able to explain to the doctor that he eats light food, receives very few treats and no table food, exercises regularly, and has been trying to lose wait for over a year yet still has not shed the pounds! So she suggested a few new action steps to take including mixing part of his high-carb kibble with some low-carb/high-protein canned food. Hopefully, this will help as his metabolism is being rather stubborn!

3. The limp seems to be associated with some spinal discomfort, which could be early signs of arthritis :( Apparently, arthritis is common especially among large dogs as they age. This can be alleviated with the prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs AND most importantly, weight loss!

4. According to their records, Riley is actually 4 years-old (not 3 like we thought), and will turn 5 this summer! Who knew?

Needless to say, Operation: Skinny Dog is in effect starting TODAY! Our hope and prayer is that less weight will cause less pressure on the back and joints, and in turn, will mean more activity and many more years for Riley boy! We'll keep you updated on his progress. Maybe we should take some before and after photos :)