Update on Tess's recovery

Tess has been home since Monday and each day she gets better and better.  She was very hurt and in much pain on Monday but was getting better on Tuesday. Her tail was tucked between her legs and her eyes looked miserable.  She had a tiny bit of appetite so I tempted her with all sort of treats plus canned dog food. She ate some but not lots.

Walking was painful for her and her back legs were stiff. Her back was hunched and she was hesitant. One of her back legs was full of fluid and we massage it frequently. I put her on the couch next to me, would talk to her,  pet her head and often her head would be on my lap and she would sleep for hours.

It was on Thursday when I saw a real change in her. She gave me some tentative wags and her eyes were more focused.  She would track my movement and occasionally I would her smile at me. Her back leg was almost normal now and she went to the bathroom with no issues. A couple of times, she started to trot after me but then would slow down after a few steps.

Janet and Kendall came over and we worked dog. Janet bought pizza and we retreated to the house to eat it. Tess woke up,  sniffed the air and looked at me. She loves pizza and I only give her a small piece of the crust. This time I tore my crust in piece and she ate it. Janet fed her some pepperoni and salami and she ate more crust. I also made her a cup of canned dog food, raw dried dog food and probiotics. She ate it all. Her tail was wagging more but when was done, she tucked it between her legs.

She slept off and on during the night, restless and panting due to the heat. She would put her head next to me and I would caress her head and talk of the wonderful times we had together. We both drifted off to sleep together.

Friday rolled around and Tess was left to her own devices with a cone on her head. She was not amused and gave me a look of contempt when I put it on. Getty scurried away before he got this task.

She managed to survive her embarrassment to greet me with a furious wagging of her tail She tail was out in full force and not tucked between her legs. She was feeling much better and even forgave me for the cone head incident. I gave her a piece of my roast chicken and she inhaled it. Then I made her her dinner, canned dog food with her kibble, smothered in the roast chicken drippings. She ate slowly but ate it all.

we went out for a walk and she did her business and sniffed about. She looked to see what was happening down at the barn and was aware of her surrounding. I put her back in and fed her some more. I put her on the couch and paid attention to her and then decided to work Rainey. I took the whistle off the keyring and put it on my neck. Her ears perked up and she started to come off the couch, as it was the signal that someone was going to work...I told her to stay and winced inside at the hurt in her eyes.

I took her daughter to sort the lambs. When I came in, her eyes accused me of betrayal.

I guess I did.