Nov
4
She did it!!!
I can’t believe it. My baby girl blue monster is qualified for AKC Nationals in Tulsa. We had a lot of ups and downs, but in the end, she came through. And she did it all with a partial CCL tear. As you may (or may not) know, I have been managing this injury for several months, while seeing if Ticket could qualify for Tulsa. I almost gave up a couple of times, and if she had become lame or was obviously hurting, I would have stopped. But Ticket is all heart, and you would never know she was injured when you watched her run. But the fact of the matter is I’ve had to manage her VERY closely in terms of her training and showing to keep her sound, and no amount of management in the world is going to fix the problem. So sadly, she earned QQ #6 on Saturday, and will be having TPLO surgery on her right stifle on Monday. Extra sad–that’s her birthday, she will be turning 3.
Despite my winning the award for “worst birthday present ever,” I know it’s the right thing to do. And hopefully, with a good rehab plan and a little luck, she will be back at full strength in time for Nationals. I am cutting it a little close and taking a chance, and she might not be ready in time if we have any setbacks. But I decided awhile ago that I was willing to take that chance–at least this way we have a shot of competing. I have no problem scratching her if necessary.
With Nationals looming, I’m more determined then ever to be diligent about Ticket’s rehab, and even though we did a lot of things well the first time around, I want to do even better. Fitness/cardio once she reaches that point is definitely going to be a priority–I feel like I let her “work herself” into shape a bit with TPLO #1. Like before, I will be blogging each step of the way, and hopefully will find some new things to help others in the future.
