Jack Russells are very hoppity little critters and Mrs B is no exception. Hopping around on 3 legs is a multifunctional act, that of party trick, sympathy act and also a hallmark of being a proper Jack.
Jack Russell hopping is often due to a congenital weakness in the knee joints, causing the knee to briefly dislocate then relocate. It doesn’t hurt and is very common, the technical term is ‘luxating patella’ fact fans.
But what to do when the hopping gets worse? Mrs B became very hoppy last year and often would not weight bear on one of her back legs. The hopping changed as she started to hold her paw up more and more. I began to doubt my diagnostic prowess of terrier orthopaedics and started to think that something else was going on.
Half of me guessed it was nothing sinister- the evidence of Mrs B tearing around the park like a pocket rocket seemed to prove that- but that soppy daft side took over and I found myself racked with guilt at the thought of Mrs B being in pain and not being able to tell me. It was a struggle between common sense and emotional ‘what ifs’ which left me unsure what to do.
In the end, I gave in and took her to the vet to be checked out. I think that it was the numerous well meaning passers by commenting on my ‘poor’ lame wee doggy that tipped me over the edge.
The local vet practice are extremely good, which is just as well as we spend half of our lives there for Mrs B to be patched up after fox fights, ripped claws and have the occasional indignity involving a rubber glove and her anal glands…. They are very good in terms of care and also flexible with paying off bills when I’m brassic.
Mrs B was checked out systematically. Assessment was difficult as Bitey steadfastly refused to demonstrate her new ‘hold the paw up’ hop and indeed seemed miracle cured Lourdes style each time she went back to the vet.
Nothing was unusual under examination and interestingly her patella would not luxate on demand when examined. A vet student learnt how to not to distract an uncooperative terrier with treats- he left the treat pot unattended for a nano second giving a golden opportunity for the Bitey snout to get in and scoff the lot and as it was the beginning of the exam, the blushing student had to repeatedly run and get more treats. Mrs B had a field day- and for once declined her dinner afterwards.
Rest was prescribed then anti inflamatories. Then a different anti inflamatory. Then the dreaded X ray under general anaesthetic. Then a specialist orthopaedic opinion of the X rays and presentation.
The result was an emphatic NAD- nothing abnormal detected- and a large bill which the insurance company briefly baulked at paying but did so eventually after a force nine strop from me.
And I am no nearer to understanding why Mrs Bitey hops. I think if I asked her, her answer would be “Because I can”.
