Border collies are notoriously stoic, but Red was hurting yesterday, unable to put any pressure on his left rear leg. I thought it was a ligament or tendon injury, it seemed so severe, but there were no signs of that when we took Red to the Cambridge Valley Veterinary Service. Before he took X-rays, Dr. Tom Wolski comforted Red in one of the examining rooms, whispering to him that he was sorry to be making him uncomfortable, and that he would be okay.

The x-rays did not find the cause of Red’s pain, and we ended up realizing it was in his foot, not his leg, somewhere in the paw pad. We found no burrs, thorns, or cuts so we’ll watch Red closely for the next few days to see if there is any infection or discharge and if not, more tests and X-rays later. No work for Red for awhile. I’m relieved it’s not a tendon or ligament tear, those are tough on dogs like Red – any dogs. He keeps the leg off of the ground and is very uncomfortable, poor guy. I have a feeling it’s not serious, just painful. I also took some photos I really liked of this wonderful vet and the caring people in the practice. I couldn’t be more comfortable taking Red anywhere. Putting up an album on Facebook, including the X-rays.