English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

I could really use some vet advice or any advice from someone who has had experience with this.

My dog has actually had three surgeries for torn ligaments. One on his left leg, which turned out fine, and TWO on his right leg. After the FIRST surgery on his problem (right) leg, after 3 weeks he tore 2 inner stitches out, then he had the 2nd (re-do) surgery. The surgeon put an extra inner stitch in (for extra support) during the second surgery. We were very careful with him and kept him kenneled for the prescribed amount of time, and he seemed OK, even though it seemed that the recooperation time took longer that time. Seven months later, he started limping on that leg again, so we had him x-rayed. The vet said his stitches were still intact and looking good and that perhaps he had some arthiritus. He has now been taking rhemidil for a month, but his leg is getting worse. He is now holding that leg completely off the ground approx. 50 to 75 percent of the time.

2006-09-08 07:35:39 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets Dogs

I seriously don't know what to do any more. It hurts me to see that he is in pain. I don't want to put him down, but I will if that is the only alternative to his having to live in pain the rest of his life.

He is about 7 and one half years old, weighs about 20-25# and is a mixed breed with short legs and a stocky body. His name is Skipper. I am really very concerned about him. I don't know if we have reached the end of the road or if there is something else we can do. I also wonder if he is in constant pain, or if he is fine (and relatively pain free) unless he puts weight on that leg.

2006-09-08 07:39:49 · update #1

5 answers

Sounds like you did everything possible and everything right for him. My guess is that he's not in pain unless he tries to use the leg. Dogs - especially small dogs - can get along fine only using three legs. You can try some rehabilitation using a warm tub or swimming pool to let him exercise the leg without causing further injury. Arthritis is made worse by not moving the joint and allowing it to stiffen up. Make sure you keep him as lean as you can.

Rimadyl is a great drug, but there have been dogs that had very serious and even fatal reactions to it.
This site had some interesting info.
http://www.srdogs.com/pages/rimadylfr.html

Make sure you're giving him glucosamine/chondroitin every day. That and a lot of rest and therapy allowed my old terrier to recover from a torn ACL without surgery.

2006-09-08 08:22:40 · answer #1 · answered by Danger, Will Robinson! 7 · 2 0

Did you have an orthopedic surgeon do the surgery or your general vet? With so many surgeries, opening up and messing with those joints, it is definitely possible that some arthritis is now popping up. Also, there are a couple of different methods for repairing cruciate ligament tears so a different method may be needed. She should be on a glucosamine supplement like Cosequin or GlycoFlex for life. Our orthopedic surgeon recommends it for all of his surgeries. If Rimadyl isn't working well for your dog, ask your docter to switch you to something else like Metacam or Previcox. It may be more expensive, but there's nothing more expensive than a medication that doesn't work! All of the pain meds should be used for as short a time as possible and bloodowork should be run on a regular basis if he is going to be on them a long time to check for liver problems that sometimes develop. You may also consider looking for a canine physical therapist in your area that can do water therapy, or take him swimming as much as possible (I know it's getting cooler so it might be hard to do soon). You definitely need to talk with an orthopedic surgeon about your options and what may be going wrong, if you haven't already.
He is in pain if he's holding up the leg even if he doesn't whimper. For his size, he shouldn't be having such issues. Also remember that cruciate problems are genetic, so it's nothing to do with what you are doing, he just didn't develop right so now we have to work with what we have.

2006-09-08 14:48:58 · answer #2 · answered by Lauren M 4 · 3 0

You need to have an orthopedic specialist exam your dog. (Unless you have all the faith and trust in the world in your present vet) If your dog were a large, active breed, I might understand him experiencing so many orthopedic injuries, but his size doesn't seem to be a factor. Is he a fence jumper or does he do any extreme jumping...bouncing....? I've seen a few fox hounds who have suffered multiple joint and tendon injuries, but these are dogs who run and jump for hours at a time. A second opinion would not hurt.

2006-09-08 15:07:04 · answer #3 · answered by Free Bird 4 · 2 0

I would say to listen to the ppl who are suggesting other treatments, but if nothing works, and you get to the point where you are ready to put him down, I have one suggestion. It might sound cruel, but talk to the vet about amputating the leg. It doesn't seem to bother dogs after a short healing period, and is infinitely more humane than just putting him down when there is another option, cruel though it seems.

Best of luck, hope you never have to make the hardest decision.

2006-09-09 03:36:16 · answer #4 · answered by dj_serene80 2 · 2 0

I would go with a Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement at a high dose and see what happens. A dog that size should do alright. I would not have it done again either.
Adequan injections given for a few months can jump start the effectivness of the Gluco/Chon and help speen the recovery.
Rimadyl has side effects of it's own and is pretty expensive. The Gluco/Chon can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any drug store...use the human stuff..it is cheaper.

2006-09-08 14:44:15 · answer #5 · answered by ARE YOUR NEWFS GELLIN'? 7 · 2 1

fedest.com, questions and answers