Angel3

Hi Clemevi, I month ago my vet "thought' my 4 yr old BC had Cruciate Ligament Injury. I didn't have x-ray done as Ii found out the reason why they like to give them Anesthetic is because they do the "Draw Test" & it does hurt them. X-rays do show other things like Arthritis & bones. After many soul searching for my boy I did take him back for a check-up & had him on Metacam chewables for 2 weeks as he was holding his back leg up. I also put him on 2 fishoil capsules a day & He was restricted to a small pen I made in the yard. But that was well after 3 weeks of complete crate rest & leashed short toilet trips. I also had to put a ramp on my 4 back steps for him, Everything was a go slow for 3weeks. Mind you my boy is a VERY active boy just like a big puppy. He knew in himself he had to rest.. He continued on Metacam chewables for another 2 weeks but I slowly pulled back on them as he was getting stronger. Mind you my vet wanted $ to give him a pain injection I also put a warm wheat pack on his knee with a blanket over him. It actually pacifiied him. I did some massaging on all legs so he wouldn't favour the bad leg. But make sure you learn how to massage properly 1st & gentle. I now have some 'ODZON' Embrocation. it is used for horses & greyhounds. great stuff & he is no longer on Metacam & currently stronger on his leg & doing well. But on saying all the above I had to seriously stick to Rest for 1 month for him, but on saying that, this is just his good outcome. It will be different for every dog. It really comes down to complete crate rest or confined small area with leashed always on leash for toilet trips. we only had two setbacks with a yelp because he is so active. They can "Appear Strong" but not ready yet. you have to guage on you own observations. I went for "Conservative Management". I didn't rush in to vets as they are not always your friend.Also heres a great link I was put on to. http://pets.groups.y...tiveManagement/

Thanks Quickasyoucan I know anti-inflammatories are no good long term.It's early days for my boy. Thanks for your great Input. Iknow the internet can be scary too. It's great to hear the good & the bad, It's a real way it up for me. It's a bit tricky sticky situation also that makes it even harder for me. Finding a "GOOD" human to attend to your loved one is also a big issue. Thanks Again :)

I just want to send you a big thank you for pointing me in a positive direction.Great Option to look into.

Thank You Kindly Ness, Yes people do try to sway you to what 'They' want you to do. But yes I do only want the best for my boy. I will look into the link.:)

I,m sick of people JUDGING........& CRITICISING, .. My Vet knows & has looked at him & told me he will see him in a week. Look forget it I have NOTHING TO PROVE. How the hell do some of you Critics know EXACTLY what the EXACT situation IS?????????? I am asking for OPTIONS LIfe is very hard, ENOUGH already. How in the hell you do that to people when you don't even know I have taken advice from SOME!!!!!! HUH????? PLEASE I DON'T NEED EXTRA STRESS FOR ME & MY BOY. I am so sick of repeating myself. If you want to join this post then READ THE WHOLE DAM POST enough said.So sick of wasting my time typing this even, I am on here to help my boy. & if you don't know & realize my loving Bond I have with my K9'S SHUT THE HELL UP Sure there will be NEGATIVE VIEWS, POSITIVE VIEWS, The Pros the cons, Many Variables for K9's thats why I,m Looking for Options, But hey come on there is no need to 'Get off Track" & be Nasty about it. Vets say rest for a week, vets say don't do this or do that. there will & always will be, way up whats best. At the end of the day you have to take some & leave the rest. that's the whole purpose of "Looking for Options" Now what was the subject??????

Thanks guys for all your comments & advice. It's always good to hear what others think & have your opinions. I hear you all & thank you. "Only I know my own kid (dog)" & I know how he is responding atm. He's a very loving member of my family he's my "kid". I am observing him very closely & surely complete rest with just short toilet trips with slow & caution can't be bad for him.

perhaps he is just too sore to do anything else ?. Hopefully you will get a definite diagnosis very soon , and then work on whatever the problem is . I agree with the previous poster ... in her points , esp about nailing down some carpet . A little slip on another leg could well see damage done elsewhere - and that would be just awful . He's actually doing better each day as he has really rested & confined for 6 days now. With slow & caution we are getting there. The heavy duty ramp is on it's way.Vets are just too dam easy in telling you they need an op or they need to do the "draw" test. ah ah not me, He ain't touching his joint to further injure when he is doing ok for now. I am quite committed to my K9's to look after them 24/7. & be there for them. There is rubber on the ramp I have made for now.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are not pain killers. I'm not so sure. You can really overdo heat packs. If you want to reduce swelling, you'd be better off using an icepack in limited doses. If grip on the current ramp is an issue, go and get a carpet offcut and nail it on. When's the ultrasound? Frankly, the level of immobility you describe sounds like something more serious than an ACL rupture. I gather there's been no x-rays? Yes I know NSAIDS aren't pain killers. He's on Metacam chewables as said in my 1st post & it did ease his pain on the 1st night he had it.

Google can be dangerous sometimes. That's one TPLO op. Hardly a reason to write off a proceedure that's tried, tested and successful. If it worries you that much, get a referral to an veterinary othopedic surgeon. Until you know precisely what you are dealing with, it's all speculation anyway. I'd be pushing for the ultrasound now. If this is a sports dog, I'd also be considering the TPLO. If not, then more conservative/management approaches may (I repeat may) work. You might also wish to consider the level of pain your dog is in. If he won't walk at all, my guess is its significant. Is he on pain meds? Another factor is that the longer the other leg is taking the brunt of carrying the dog's weight, the more likely that it will also rupture. A second rupture within 12 months is not unusual. And trim your dog down. Weight is a significant factor in predisposing dogs to ACL rupture. If he's going to be wearing a brace, then you need to get him as thin as possible. Yes thanks Haredown, I started pulling back on his food from day 1, I was fully aware that that's what I should be doing for his recoverery. Yes in my 1st post I said he was on NSAIDS from day one.I have also started him on Glucosomine & will be giving him Glucosamine & Chondroitin Gel Capsules shortly. I have upped his Omega 3 foods from day 1 also. He has a warm wheet pack over his knee continually, that is every time it gets cold or when he comes back in from assissted toileting. it sure helps him in many ways. He has rested from day one it is now day 6. Day 6 he is 'sitting' from a down position occassionally. I made a ramp for him which he now likes, it's a bit of a slippery dip. but he knows now & I assisst with holding his back end up with the lead as he comes back up & he seems to doing better since now from day one. A heavy duty proper dog ramp with better grip is on it's way. I just can't do everything at once. I have 3 other K9's to look after also. I have read about weight bearing on the 'good' leg & what it can lead to & I dare say my boy has been an exceptioally good rester considering.

Thank You Ness for your kind reply with very helpful info.I will read further into the Link. I really like this website it gets to the REAL truth. Below is just an exsert from it. I am confident I am on the RIGHT track. It seems to me too many people take advice from Vets & run with it. My boy is supervised & monitored extremely closely 24/7 currently. Thanks Heaps Again.X Are you considering another exam of your dog who is improving because you want to get a vet's opinion of the progress of the recovery? Don't do it! More manipulation of the joint is NOT a good idea. Unless there are special circumstances I would not allow any more exams. Manipulation of the joint trying to elicit 'Drawer' movement serves little or no purpose after the original diagnosis, and there is considerable risk to an improving dog that the vet will damage the vulnerable partial re-stabilization. If Fido is improving, don't let anyone manipulate the injured joint. I get emails regularly from people whose dogs were improving nicely until a vet manipulated the recovering joint causing damage to the developing fibrous scar tissue and setting back the dog's recovery or worse.

oSoSwift can I please ask you were you happy with your TPLO & did you have an A Plate put in also? I am just worried for an op with my boy. Thanks x So far, yes but it is a little soon to tell 100%. She is the smallest dog they have done it on but she is no more lame now at 3 weeks post op than she was before going in, she was pretty much on three legs, now she is on four with a slight limp. Rommi had a T-shaped plate in her leg. Her cruciate wasn't completely ruptured but we were sure it would. I didn't want that to happen as there was the risk or more injury with cartlidge etc. When they opened her up her cruciate was damaged and very close to snapping. She originally injured it around 2 years ago, recovered has been trialling and gained some passes in agility etc. Her 'episodes" were gettign more frequent and harder to get her sound until she came up lame, I rested her, she came sound, then went lame, then got her sound, went very lame while standing on her bed in a 5 minute window! I am very glad I went the surgery as it meant the least potential damage to her joint, a far better odds of return to soundness and function. Thanks oSoSwift, I,m glad to hear that from you. Best of Luck in the future with her. On that note I just want to let you know I did read about an op done in Colorado where a vet hadn't used the right surgical plate & therefore the poor dog got infection & the worst thing happened.I Don't mean to worry you but I am just letting anyone know who reads this also as I wouldn't wish this on any Animal or their owners.I am VERY Picky on Vets as I want to know & see the WHOLE of it all. :) I am not worried, they showed me what they were going to use and exactly what they were going to do. The vet that did it, while not a specialist, has a talent for and special interest in orthopedics and has done extra study. The plate he used is the correct plate for the procedure. My girl has healed up well and there is no sign of infection. I fully trust my vet or I would not have let them do it. This is the plate they used and it is a TPLO plate. I am thinking you do need to relax a little bit here. Yes snapping a cruciate is a big deal but surgery isn't the worst thing that could happen. Look at it from the dogs point of view, what is the BEST option for him to be pain free and have a good return to function??? I chose what I did becasue it gave my dog the best chance of returning to normal and have a long painfree life. That is also why I did not wait until it snapped to do the surgery. Whippets are renowned for being bad anaesthetic patients - especially if the vet is not sighthound savy, but I still put her needs first and my vets are sighthound savy. Thanks. I have a fatal experience with a vet thats why it's so hard for me. & oh you have nice websites too.

oSoSwift can I please ask you were you happy with your TPLO & did you have an A Plate put in also? I am just worried for an op with my boy. Thanks x So far, yes but it is a little soon to tell 100%. She is the smallest dog they have done it on but she is no more lame now at 3 weeks post op than she was before going in, she was pretty much on three legs, now she is on four with a slight limp. Rommi had a T-shaped plate in her leg. Her cruciate wasn't completely ruptured but we were sure it would. I didn't want that to happen as there was the risk or more injury with cartlidge etc. When they opened her up her cruciate was damaged and very close to snapping. She originally injured it around 2 years ago, recovered has been trialling and gained some passes in agility etc. Her 'episodes" were gettign more frequent and harder to get her sound until she came up lame, I rested her, she came sound, then went lame, then got her sound, went very lame while standing on her bed in a 5 minute window! I am very glad I went the surgery as it meant the least potential damage to her joint, a far better odds of return to soundness and function. Thanks oSoSwift, I,m glad to hear that from you. Best of Luck in the future with her. On that note I just want to let you know I did read about an op done in Colorado where a vet hadn't used the right surgical plate & therefore the poor dog got infection & the worst thing happened.I Don't mean to worry you but I am just letting anyone know who reads this also as I wouldn't wish this on any Animal or their owners.I am VERY Picky on Vets as I want to know & see the WHOLE of it all. :) I am not worried, they showed me what they were going to use and exactly what they were going to do. The vet that did it, while not a specialist, has a talent for and special interest in orthopedics and has done extra study. The plate he used is the correct plate for the procedure. My girl has healed up well and there is no sign of infection. I fully trust my vet or I would not have let them do it. This is the plate they used and it is a TPLO plate Thanks oSoSwift, That's really great to know people like you who are vigilant of their surroundings. So very glad you have a good Vet. I wish Rommi & you well for the future Xx

I,m sorry you feel this way but I really have NO TIME for this. I am one person & solely one person. I am NO COMPANY. The Ultrasound will be getting done in a few days time. Until then we can see just how much damage there is if any. I am not JUMPING into the Brace but as this topic is titled 'LOOKING FOR OPTIONS" please folks read before you criticise. I seriously don't have time for time wasters. Here's two Links a dog using the Brace. My linkMy linkMy link My link

I,m sorry you feel this way but I really have NO TIME for this. I am one person & solely one person. I am NO COMPANY.

oSoSwift can I please ask you were you happy with your TPLO & did you have an A Plate put in also? I am just worried for an op with my boy. Thanks x So far, yes but it is a little soon to tell 100%. She is the smallest dog they have done it on but she is no more lame now at 3 weeks post op than she was before going in, she was pretty much on three legs, now she is on four with a slight limp. Rommi had a T-shaped plate in her leg. Her cruciate wasn't completely ruptured but we were sure it would. I didn't want that to happen as there was the risk or more injury with cartlidge etc. When they opened her up her cruciate was damaged and very close to snapping. She originally injured it around 2 years ago, recovered has been trialling and gained some passes in agility etc. Her 'episodes" were gettign more frequent and harder to get her sound until she came up lame, I rested her, she came sound, then went lame, then got her sound, went very lame while standing on her bed in a 5 minute window! I am very glad I went the surgery as it meant the least potential damage to her joint, a far better odds of return to soundness and function. Thanks oSoSwift, I,m glad to hear that from you. Best of Luck in the future with her. On that note I just want to let you know I did read about an op done in Colorado where a vet hadn't used the right surgical plate & therefore the poor dog got infection & the worst thing happened.I Don't mean to worry you but I am just letting anyone know who reads this also as I wouldn't wish this on any Animal or their owners.I am VERY Picky on Vets as I want to know & see the WHOLE of it all. :)