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Bart's Mom · 12-06-2005, 02:56 PM

It's a tough decision to make. I mentioned above in an earlier posting, that one of my other dogs, a Lhasa, had a cranial cruciate ligament injury to her left rear leg about 18 months ago. Her left leg is as strong as it was before the injury and her muscle mass is back to normal. However, about a week ago she was rough-housing with Bart, our Yorkie, and she is limping again - but it's her right rear leg now! At the time of her initial injury, the orthopedic surgeon suggested surgery to fix her left leg. The surgery would have fixed the tear and he also would have made grooves into her leg bone so that the ligament would be more secure in the future. Apparently, the way she's built, the ligament is not secure. However, that surgery would not have prevented her current injury in the right leg. Apparently, it's the way she's built. She's always going to be prone to this type of problem. So, if you are trying to make a decision, my recommendation is to find out a) whether your dog can successfully heal without an invasive treatment like suregery; and b) is your dog predisposed to this type of injury because he/she is built a certain way. I know some dogs may have only one bad knee or leg. My Yorkie, Bart, has one loose knee, according to the vet - so I may very well consider surgery should he need it some day. However, with Ginger, the Lhasa, we could end up having surgery multiple times! With this new injury, I gave her Metacam for 3 days to reduce any swelling and I doubled her Cosequin to two capsules a day (she weighs about 15lbs.) Within a few days, she started putting weight back on the leg and she's now jumping back up onto the sofa and going down the stairs again. (she's not yet going up the stairs - probably too much weight on the leg.) In a nutshell, I would recommend talking to an orthopedic vet AND a regular vet not associated with the surgeon's practice. Just as with humans and their doctors, many surgeons believe wholeheartedly in surgery as the answer, while general pracitioners and internists may not.

Good luck!

12-06-2005, 02:56 PM	#13
Bart's Mom YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 9	It's a tough decision to make. I mentioned above in an earlier posting, that one of my other dogs, a Lhasa, had a cranial cruciate ligament injury to her left rear leg about 18 months ago. Her left leg is as strong as it was before the injury and her muscle mass is back to normal. However, about a week ago she was rough-housing with Bart, our Yorkie, and she is limping again - but it's her right rear leg now! At the time of her initial injury, the orthopedic surgeon suggested surgery to fix her left leg. The surgery would have fixed the tear and he also would have made grooves into her leg bone so that the ligament would be more secure in the future. Apparently, the way she's built, the ligament is not secure. However, that surgery would not have prevented her current injury in the right leg. Apparently, it's the way she's built. She's always going to be prone to this type of problem. So, if you are trying to make a decision, my recommendation is to find out a) whether your dog can successfully heal without an invasive treatment like suregery; and b) is your dog predisposed to this type of injury because he/she is built a certain way. I know some dogs may have only one bad knee or leg. My Yorkie, Bart, has one loose knee, according to the vet - so I may very well consider surgery should he need it some day. However, with Ginger, the Lhasa, we could end up having surgery multiple times! With this new injury, I gave her Metacam for 3 days to reduce any swelling and I doubled her Cosequin to two capsules a day (she weighs about 15lbs.) Within a few days, she started putting weight back on the leg and she's now jumping back up onto the sofa and going down the stairs again. (she's not yet going up the stairs - probably too much weight on the leg.) In a nutshell, I would recommend talking to an orthopedic vet AND a regular vet not associated with the surgeon's practice. Just as with humans and their doctors, many surgeons believe wholeheartedly in surgery as the answer, while general pracitioners and internists may not. Good luck!