No! No! No! No more!

Mum and I have had it. I am still not feeling well from the trial three weeks ago, three weeks!!! And Mum is getting really concerned. She hates seeing me in pain.

We called our Vet, but she's on vacation until the 14th. So Mum took me to see a friend of ours who does Reiki and massage on Saturday. It felt good, but I still hurt.

Mum called a soft tissue specialist this morning and we're waiting on a return call, we just can't let this go on, we need information.

Our friend thinks it's the iliopsoas (pronunciation: il-e-o-SO-us) muscle. So what does Mum do when we get home? Starts Googleing, and emailing a wonderful agility friend who has been doing agility for years. She found out that this iliopsoas muscle is a toughie. It's a key muscle for agility (which most are anyway), but that injuries are occurring with this muscle in agility dogs more frequently lately.

For those of you who don't know where this muscle is, here's a pic.

According to Deborah Saunders great article (link below)...

The iliopsoas muscle flexes the hip and the lumbar spine. This and the other sacropelvic muscles are subject to stressors induced by speed, endurance, strength, isometrics, and trauma. Any of these stressors can alter the biomechanics of the region and place the involved and surrounding musculature in a state of hypertonicity.

That sure would explain why my back hurt, my thigh hurts, why I don't want to extend my back legs during stretching, and I'm walking oddly. I am progressing because the pain is much more isolated now, which is good. And Mum is keeping up the stretching (not too much) and Traumeel.

What else did we read? That a minor pull would take min. 6 weeks of healing, a severe pull could take up to three months, a strain could take up to 6 months and a tear could take up to a year - all with daily physical therapy, perhaps light therapy, no jumping/weaving of course, no zoomies, no wrestling with my sis, leash walks only....all those most favorite things

Here are a couple of really good articles on the subject if you'd like to read up on the issue:

Questionable Hindlimb Lameness - Deborah Gross Saunders, MSPT, CCRP, Diplomate ABPTS (Orthopedics),Wizard of Paws Physical Rehabilitation for Animals, LLC, Colchester, Connecticut

Non-responsive Hind-limb Lameness in Agility Dogs: Iliopsoas Strains from Clean Run, March 2007- Sherman O. Canapp, Jr., D.V.M., M.S., Diplomate ACVS

The Dangers of Winter Injuries Resulting in Hip Flexor Strains - By Sherman O. Canapp Jr., DVM., MS., Diplomate ACVS & Debra A. Canapp DVM., CCRT (Available in the April 2008 issue of Clean Run

We still aren't certain that's what's going on. Hopefully we can get in soon and see the soft tissue specialist to get more answers, and figure out a plan of treatment.

Sad thing is that we had to pull out of the USDAA trial this coming weekend, and we have the Silvia Trkman seminar coming up on the 20th and 21st. This seminar is nearly a once in a lifetime op (well a dog's life anyway) and we most surely don't want to have to miss it. But of course my health comes first, so that's are concentration now.

But I have to tell ya...another injury is just about to make both Mum and I lose it! Every year of my three short years, it has been something big, no agility for up to six months, we are tired of it. We really miss agility when we can't do it - it's the most fun thing we do!

We'll keep you posted, and paws crossed for us, K?

Oh, and if you have any additional information on this injury especially in agility dogs, or have any knowledgeable persons that you think would be good for Mum to talk with or contact, leave a comment, K? We could use all the help we can get.