Now we know why I've been limping.

I'm hurt.

For the past couple of months I've had this embarrassing limp in my back leg. It first started bothering me, I think, after the big blizzard in Chicago. Lizzie and I were hanging out at Dave's house - we were stuck there because the snow was too deep to get the car out! - and Dave took me out to play in the snow. It was over my head! But I had a great time tramping through the snow drifts and burying myself in the snow. I didn't feel so hot the next day. I was limping a little because my leg was sore.

I tried to walk it off. And it worked pretty well - I only limped once in awhile, especially after a big day of walking or playing. Everybody thought it was probably my hips bothering me because that's typical in lab breeds like me. It's called hip dysplasia and it means that your leg bone doesn't quite fit into your hip socket and the rubbing causes pain and arthritis. It seemed to make sense because it's not like I got in a big accident and injured myself, my leg just seemed to be a little stiff.

So in February - against my wishes - Lizzie and Dave took me to the Vet in Burbank. I needed to get some booster shots before our big trip out west and they could also find out what was going on with my hips. The Vet confirmed it for us - I probably had early onset of hip dysplasia. He suggested taking glucosamine vitamins, loosing 7-10 pounds, exercising regularly but the only real solution was a very expensive hip replacement surgery.

We opted for the preventive medicine approach and if I was still hurt in a few months, we would consider surgery. Now Lizzie practically starves me everyday with just two cups of food and my snacks cut in half, just so I can shed some pounds, and I'm taking chewable vitamins that I love.

But last week, the three of us went for a long walk at the park near Jess and Julia's place in Fort Collins and the next day, I held my whole leg up. It was too painful to put pressure on it. I was sad.

While Liz and Dave jet set to Chicago, my brother Einstein's dad Marc made a vet appointment for me to get checked out. I stayed with Marc all week and he took good care of me. He even gave me a bath.

Then yesterday, Marc and Liz took me and my brother to the vet.

That's when we got the news. I hurt my knee - not my hip - pretty bad. I was so happy that the Vet was able to tell them what's going on with my leg because, you know, I can't tell them myself. It turns out I've torn the cruciate ligament in my knee. The Vet told us it's like a rope that can fray bit by bit and so there may not have been a big event - like the blizzard - that busted my knee. It could've been hurt little by little until now.

The worst part: the only answer is surgery. It's like knee replacement surgery in people. They cut up the top of my tibia and then screw it together in place so that the muscles and cartilage can grow to repair the injured ligament. The Vet told us that this kind of surgery is fairly common because lots of big dogs like me bust their knees.

The Vet said if I don't get the surgery, it'll never heal and because I put so much weight on my other leg, it's just a matter of time that I'll injure that knee and hip. Then I'll need surgery on both legs. On the bright side, she said it absolutely makes dogs feel better right away - so much so that I'll want to go run and play. That'll make it hard for me to sit around for the six to eights weeks I'll need to be calm and relaxed to recover. Good thing I really like laying on the couch.

Lizzie, Dave and I sat down and had a heart to heart about it. The best thing we can do is have the surgery as soon as possible and then we can have as much time as possible to recover here in Colorado before they have to start work at the farm in Montana.

So it looks like we're going to skip our plan to get on the road all through May in Wyoming and Montana and stay here in Fort Collins for me to get the surgery and start the recovery. Lizzie and Dave are going to look for some short time work to cover the cost.

So now I've got some pain meds and Lizzie is going to call around for the best deal to get surgery. I'm not looking forward to it but I'll be happier when I feel better and can run and play like a young dog like me should.