Concussion

What doesn't mix well with a 6-year old boy and a bat and a ball?

Well, that's an easy answer. A ball-crazed australian shepherd.

I probably don't need to go any further in my explanation. You can infer what happens when a small child throws the ball in the air and attempts to hit it with a metal bat. And at the same time, the dog goes after the ball.

And all I heard was this loud, ringing thud. Followed by a very painful "yelp". And as I ran around the corner of the garage, there was Farley, blood dripping from his mouth, with a tooth laying on his back, looking very dazed. I waited a few minutes to see how he was. Shock must have set in, because he started weaving back and forth and shaking.

Ed wrapped him in a blanket while I called the emergency vet. Away we went to sit in the veterinary emergency room for a couple hours. All in all, Farley is a tough old boy. He had a concussion, and one tooth missing and another one cracked, some bruising on his jaw and mouth.

The vet recommend getting the remaining tooth removed, feeding him canned food for a few days, and watching him for signs of sluggishness from the concussion.

Funny thing is, by the time we got home. He seemed fine. He even grabbed a cookie from Don Juan and ate it on the sore side of his mouth. So much for needing to feed him the canned food. If he's able to eat a cookie, he's able to eat kibble... oh, well. Maybe he'll get a canned food treat just for being a good old tough dog.