Bad day for the Border Collie

[sheimer]

The other day I was out changing irritation water and had to run up to the headgate at the river to send some more water into the ditch. As always I had my border collie "Gary" running along with me. As we turned onto the county road he headed up the borrow ditch as he always does. We hadn't made it a couple hundred yards when we went past an approach on the side of the road and he clipped the end of the steel culvert with his stiffle joint on his left leg and he biffed it bad! That is something verry rare. He is very agile and doesn't miss a step very often. Well I went back and picked him up and looked him over and noticed how bad he was cut up and how he was obviously hurting. I took him to the vet and they worked on him for a couple hours and ended up taking out the broken off piece of tibia where the tendon was supposed to be attached. They then sewed the tendon back together and covered it up with the hide that was left. He is now in a full length splint holding his leg straight and is on enough antibiotics to choke a horse trying to keep the infection out of the joint.

Just thought that I'd share the incident so we all might be a little more careful when roading out dogs up a road. I'd hate to see this happen again....and I havn't even seen the vet bill yet! I'd immagine it will be rather large.

Scott

[hounddude]

Hope Gary makes a full recovery.

[sheimer]

The vet felt that he would be sound, but his 30+ MPH days are probably over. He was fascinating to watch run. I watched him daily run along with the 4-wheeler at speeds unreal for a dog to run. 25 or more was effortless for him. Sad to see those days gone.

Thanks for the kind words.

Scott

[bryan]

Border collies are a really neat breed, my old dog was probabaly the best dog I will ever have, just like you on a routine day he slipped up, which like you said is a rare deal and it cost him his life. That dog went to work with me and everywhere else almost every day, in the back of truck, he probably had at least 50000 miles back there, one day going 25 mph he went to barking at a dog on the side walk, slipped, fell out and my trailer got him. That dog could fly and was a gritty little booger too! Been over 3 years and I still miss that turd head, finially got a pup a few months ago, we'll see how she does.

[sheimer]

Took Gary back to the vet today for a checkup. Bad news.....he tore the tendon apart. Guess we will see if confinment and time will scar it back together and make it useable. If not, guess I'll have a three legger. The vet though that 6 months or so he should be able to get out and use it a little

Scott