Well it's been quite a rollercoaster week for Epic and I. Sunday I was sitting on the floor and she came over for a cuddle....when I noticed a lump on her front right leg, a rather hard boney lump.So Monday she was taken to work for some xrays and there was definate boney changes. So the xrays were popped on a disc and sent through to Rebecca Lonsdale (a radiologist) and I very impatiently waited for a phone call.
I received the call later that evening (the bonus of being a vet nurse). Rebecca was certain it wasn't anything like a bone tumour...PHEW!!! But she wondered if there was anyway she could be continually hitting/traumatising the area.....Hmmmmm no???It's kind of in a weird spot to hit.... She does pounce into her 2o2o with alot of gusto in training though.....AND she has a running A-frame where she jumps off from quite high up. Now if this is the case.....it would be an impact injury where she is continually hyperextending her carpus :-( Thats not good news.....and Rebecca diagnosed Degenerative Joint Disease.... NO!!!!!!!!!!
DJD is a progressive disease......how progressive we're not sure yet and so I now wait 4 weeks before we take more xrays to see if there are any changes. So her agility career hangs in the balance at the tender age of 4.
The interesting thing is that she's not painful and there is no obvious lameness.
On Wednesday I took her to see Deb Nook (a vet who practises in accupunture and chiropractic) and we started treating her with needles....Epic goes back in two weeks for followup treatment.
On Thursday after work I got Clint to video me playing with Epic doing a 2o2o on a plank of wood..........OMG......did she just hit her leg on the corner........Okay so here's where slow motion is GREAT. When running on the plank itself she is definately hyperextending her carpus when trying to slow down into her 2o2o.....but I think she's also hitting her leg on the side of the plank when going into her position. (why didn't I put rails on either side to prevent her peeling off to the side???)
Friday I took the video to work and got Louise to look at them. And she also agreed it looked suspiciously like she was hitting just below her carpus. Rebecca rang to see how she was and I mentioned that maybe she IS hitting her carpus....GOOD NEWS......if it's trauma related......take the trauma away ie the plank....AND the bone should remodel and as long as it doesn't involve the joint the prognosis is SOOOOO much better.
Today I've been in contact with Charlotte Steed (physiotherapist) and Epic is booked in to see if we can strengthen her muscles to help with the hyperextension and put plans into place to slow the progression of DJD..... JUST in case this is what it is.
Epic has been given the all clear to still able to train and compete at this stage...it will be re-evaluated once the next xrays are taken.
And all my thoughts, are being put into BELIEVING it's trauma related.
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