Cure for a contracted quadriceps muscle?
 

We just got in a 3 month old yorkie puppy into our Rescue (Florida Yorkie Rescue.) One back leg is very stiff, the knee will not bend and when the puppy tries to walk the leg splays out to the side. When the puppy walks on a tile floor, both back legs spLay outwards and it is pitiful to see. But the other back leg bends and works normally.

Believe it or not, this puppy was being sold on Craig's list for $150.00 and had never been to a vet, not for x-rays, not for vaccinations, not for anything whatsoever. A Good Samaritan purchased the puppy and brought it to us.

I have been to several vets as well as an orthopedic surgeon, had tests done and xrays.. and they all say the same thing... surgery cannot repair what she has and that in the future she will probably need an amputation. My Vet has gone onto other Vet websites and asked around to see if anyone had heard of anything new that might work... but all she got was the same story.

I have been told to try to work with her leg, massage it, stretch her muscles very carefully and perhaps make her dance by holding her up by her front paws and making her use both back legs... which I will do but I have been told not to expect much.

We are so heartbroken that this little puppy might lose her leg. Has anyone heard of this? Anyone have any personal experience with this? Yorkie Talks is one of my last resorts... hoping someone out there might at least know what I am talking about. We had never heard of this before she arrived and we thought we had heard of everything.

Here is her youtube video showing how she walks. Hope it is o.k. to post it here... Peggy Sue... the yorkie puppy. - YouTube

Thanks..

Kit

What a sweet soul! I have no experience with this issue but wish the best for this puppy. It's so terrible that people get pets that they are not willing to provide even the most basic health care for.

I have no experience with this at all....that poor baby..hopefully someone here can help.

I hope miraculously with exercises she is cured, have you consulted an orthopedic or massage therapist?

If not we're so lucky to live in a day and age when doggy wheelchairs are an option to make a life enjoyable for poor pups like this.

What a lucky pup to be with you now!

We had a pup in our rescue with two straight legs. I went to three vets who told me nothing could be done. This was when I found a surgeon who I now use for all of my orthopedic cases. He was able to operate on one of the pup's legs and while it was never going to be perfect, it was much, much better and Teddy Bear could use that leg and bend it. He cut and released the muscle and also had to reconstruct the knee. In the end, I adopted Teddy and he is still doing well about 6 years after that surgery. His was much more of a mess because it involved both legs and hips.

I don't know if it is the same type of thing but, I would say that IF there is any hope at all for your puppy, he would be the vet to do it. Perhaps, since you are so far away, you could have his records sent to Dr. Beale for review.

His name is Dr. Brian Beale and he is at Gulf Coast Veterinary Surgeons in Houston. Home is their website. If you PM me, I will be happy to give you his client services coordinator's email.

He has done a few very complicated cases for YHR and I highly recommend him.

Here are a few videos of Teddy. In the end, he only had surgery on the one leg and he did very well...he did need months of PT after the surgery.

This pup almost looks like it could have been a swimmer pup. It looks as though she's having a bit of trouble with the other leg as well. I would keep looking for a better ortho for sure & also www.klaserusa.com you can find someone near you if you go to this site & K-Laser is miraculous & I would try it before surgery. In the site you can also find vets & animal PTs who use K-Laser in your area.

Let me add that if Dr. Beale felt that surgery would not help, he would say so! If there is another modality that would work, he would know it. Here is a recent article about him assisting with stem cell therapy in a couple of zoo cats:

Tiger and black leopard undergo stem cell treatment for pain - Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

I bet he has a K-Laser.

no....he is a surgeon

Perhaps someone there does it, but not him.

Will be praying for this poor baby. How sad to see this.

Louise

Poor baby. She is just precious! I wish I knew of something that could help her. The only thing I can think of is to take LadyJane up on her offer of the surgeon's contact info. In the meantime, maybe she can be put in a life jacket and have some water PT and then some massage.

Hope you'll update us on this sweet girl!

Did the vet say this was swimmers?

So glad you are connecting with ladyjanes surgeon on this.

The OP has not returned. I ended up posting on FB. Hopefully they will contact him...he is the best!

maybe you should consider the possibility of amputating her leg :(... I mean, if anything can be done for her to walk normally, it would be great, but from what I see right now she can't walk for more than a few steps :(, and I have seen cases of dogs in 3 legs who participate successfully at agility competitions. Look here: . Especially her being so young she can learn faster to cope with the handicap.

Maybe until you get a final diagnostic you can try to tie her leg close to her so it doesn't get in her way when she tries to walk... I don't know, this whole thing is so sad :(...

I would never amputate a pup's leg until I had exhausted ALL possibilities for a repair. If nothing could be done, yes, then the pup will do fine with an amputation...that is true.
The thing that people need to remember is a leg is amputated, the pup cannot afford to lose another...so, as I said, exhaust all possibilities first.

I read about a crippled dog a vet wanted to amputate the legs to put it in a doggy wheel chair and the owner built gis own custom chair so the legs didn't need to be amputated.

A friend of mine just took a pup witg swimmers in for surgeries hes doing great.
Marilyn can be contacted via Facebook through her rescue Pups Rescue (of Stockton ) and you can read about the pit pups miraculous story...5 vets later he was diagnosed and surgically treared for swimmers.

I had an appointment with Dr. Beale today and he said that what this pup has may be repairable. I do hope they will contact him. I have done all I can.
Everyone wants to believe their vets know best. They may think I am just a bunch of hot air...I don't know. *shrug*
I will pray for this precious pup. It is admirable that they want to help her.

Peggy Sue
 

Thanks to all who have made recommendations, comments or simply stated words of encouragement. We have been very busy the last two days with a tiny yorkie that came in with a dangling leg... fractured in two places... FOUR YEARS AGO...and nothing was ever done for him. We have been working on his care almost non-stop, seeking opinions from surgeons, etc. as his case seemed a bit more urgent. He is going in for surgery tomorrow and hopefully they can reattach the bones and he can use the leg again. The last thing we want is an amputation but it may be necessary... so pray for Riley... here is his video: Introducing Riley - June 2012 - YouTube

As for Peggy Sue... we have started several different methods and have already seen a very slight improvement. We will be calling the Vet that was recommended to us but have not had a chance to do so yet... hopefully tomorrow we will have a break in our day to make the call. It is not swimmers syndrome, as one person asked. We are not going to amputate the leg... unless absolutely neccessary and I doubt anyone could talk us into making that decision at this point.

And yes, many Rescues swear by the Vets that they have been using for years. They become part of our trusted inner circle and we use ours almost exclusively but when a special case comes along, we are never closed off enough not to seek another opinion and our Vets encourage this as well.

Again, no one is thinking you (Lady Jane) is a bunch of hot air... sheesh... If we did not want the opinions and referrals from others we would never have posted in the first place.

Thanks again to all.

Florida Yorkie Rescue

You would not be the first person to think it. :D Sometimes people ARE full of it....I guess I think so highly of Dr. Beale that I can get to be a pain. Not meant to be.

I hope both of your pups do well. As for the one with the old injury, Riley,...I had one of those a couple of years ago although his was about 6 months. The bone graft and plate did work! I hope it does for your pup! I will say a prayer for him tonight..

I will keep both of them in my thoughts and prayers. I have a special love for these pups with extreme stories....Thank you for taking care of them! I wish everyone would do it...it does take a lot of networking and begging for money; but in the end it is SO worth it. :)

Please come back here and keep us updated on these two precious babies!

Thanks
 

Thanks for the clarification Linda... as stated previously in private emails I always try to be respectful of others and I always try to listen to what others have to say... in the end I weigh all the pros and cons for us personally as a group, what is feasible and what is not, (such as flying to Houston for treatment) and then in the end we do what we can. And sometimes that means we are not able to fly to other parts of the country as our responsibilities at our home base are too great... but still, we ask questions, makes phone calls and that combined with our deep faith, we usually get the job done! So thanks to all who posted.

Florida Yorkie Rescue

Oh, I did not mean you must come to Houston. Often vets do consults in different pats of the country....reports and xrays faxed/emailed and calls made. I only suggested it since I had a pup with this and was told by three vets that nothing could be done. Someone suggested Dr. Beale...and he was able to help. When I saw your post, I felt compelled to share my experience with this condition.

Thank you for all you are doing for both Riley and Peggy Sue.

Much better article that was in the Hoston Chronicle today...complete with pics...very interesting:

Big cats get special treatment at the Houston Zoo - Houston Chronicle

Thanks for the article it was interesting.