Kenzo’s health scare.
Golden retrievers have a predisposition hip dysplasia, and Kenzo hurt himself while we were playing fetch.
He rarely cries out in pain, so his yelp told me everything I needed to know.
It didn’t take long for him to become withdrawn.
I think the hardest part with having an injured pet is that they don’t display or complain about hurting.
It was only from palpation did we learn he had pain in his right hip area.
Kenzo just kept to himself and laid down in one spot throughout the day. He barely moved at all, and didn’t respond to any activities that would normally excite him.
The energy inside our home seemed to change overnight, and it weighed heavily on me.
He also didn’t get up to greet us at the front door anymore when we returned home.
I felt helpless since time was the only factor to see how his healing goes.
My sweet boy who loved to follow me around the house, go on walks, and play fetch was now incapacitated.
I massaged his hip several times a day to relieve tension on the surrounding muscle and help to alleviate his pain. I was fixated on his recovery.
We have cameras set up, and one morning Kenzo was back to his old self.
I replayed the recordings, and saw him exploring around the house like he used to.
He got excited again when I asked if he wanted to go on a walk. His spunky personality was back, and it felt so joyful in our home again.
I was worried that his injury would affect his quality of life and limit his mobility. I feel lucky that it wasn’t related to hip dysplasia, and was only a pulled muscle.
It reminded me that when things are good, having a pet can be so fun and easy.
But when shit hits the fan, that’s when the constant worry and fatigue comes out.
Those moments were when I truly felt like a dog “parent.” It wasn’t about cost of care or time expended. It was about wanting to do everything in my power to ensure his full recovery for a life to be well-lived.
As he continued healing and was back into his dinosaur phase, I told my husband “I forgot that he was a lot.”
All jokes aside, I am beyond grateful to have my T-rex back.
Our home feels full again.