06/19/2025
On Sunday night Marek injured himself playing, after jumping on a stationary ball in the yard. I don’t know if something was already bothering him and that little thing was the straw that broke the camels back, or if it really just was a fluke thing. As soon as he turned back towards me I could tell something was wrong, I have never seen this dog move the way he was moving. I can’t even lie, I started crying immediately, I just knew that I might’ve just watched his career end.
We took him to the vet and there was visible swelling and irritation in his Xrays, and we were referred to an orthopedic specialist. The soonest appointment we could find with anyone was July 10th, so until then we’re on a crate rest and carprofen regimen. The good news is that the limping has improved greatly, so I’m at least happy that he’s not in extreme pain while we wait to know for sure.
I’m not ready to say I’m retiring him, I know that’s denial and a small sliver of hope that maybe he will be okay and this was a one time thing. I have to be realistic though, as he will be 7 in December, and I’m not willing to risk his health and happiness just to compete.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t insanely depressed about everything. We qualified for nationals this year, we were going to our regional, I had plans for a PDC, a BT, and lots of fun things next year. We were finally showing the way I knew we could, I felt great about training and excited to trial. It just feels so unfair that instead of prepping for a fun fall and spring next year, our summer has turned into potentially nothing except rest and rehab. No dock diving, no hikes, no club days…
I’m just so sad. It hurts me when he hurts, and this isn’t what I wanted for him ever. He deserves to be able to run, and jump, and play. Im hopeful that he’ll keep improving as we wait for the specialist appointment, and we’ll go from there. Please send us all the good vibes and positive thoughts, we greatly appreciate it.
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