Is there anything a vet might do for this leg issue? Last Tuesday night Maggie was running and playing, she ran into the family room chasing something and of course has to stop short or turn before she hits a chair. I don't know if she twisted or what she did, but she suddenly was walking with her left rear leg held up. She did this for about 15 minutes, gradually putting more weight on it. She never yelped, whined or shaked. We rubbed it a bit and no more running that night. She was fine until Saturday when we don't know if she stepped on something near the edge of the woods or what, but she started limping a bit again, for a very short time, about 20 feet? I picked her up and rubbed her foot in case she stepped on something. She might have limped a couple steps, but then was fine. Last night (sun) we were playing again and she did it again, for a moment. It sounds like it could be lp. But just last fall the vet said her knees were good. She turns 5 this month. Is it possible she just twisted in playing last week and is still just tweaking it now and then? She is not in pain, I know how she acts in pain and she is fine. She hurt her back last year and acted very strange. When the vet touched it she nipped. She has no reaction when I rub this leg. I don't want to put her through the vet because she hates it, it costs $, and I hate taking non-sick people or pets to places where there are more germs. If it is lp there is nothing they can do anyway at this point right? She is fine right now. Her boyfriend has mild lp and often when he walks I see him sort of skip on the one side. He does it almost every walk. She has only done this these 3 times, all during or immediately after a run/sprint. I have 2 rimadyl pills left from her back pain but I didn't give her them. I understand them to be aniti-inflammatory (nsaids) |
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LP comes in grades and not every LP requires surgical intervention. Until it gets to a Grade 4 or the pup is experiencing continious pain with the LP, my vets treat this with anti-inflamatory medication, their favorite is Gly-co Flex...it comes in I, II, or III, depending on the severity of the issue... I would take my pup to the vet and get the LP graded, then watch it...do not allow jumping from furniture and running with wild and crazy abandon....it will pop out again....and the more times it pops in and out, it wears the joint grooves down and the LP progresses to the next grade......this is so common with toy breeds, because of those tiny little joints. |
Limping means pain so whether she is in pain now or not there was pain. In my opinion she needs to be seen by a vet especially when this has happened more then once. |
Vet visit get the LP if indeed it is LP graded, Until your visit rest you can do a cold pack for 5 min on the joint. No off lead running and leaping etc Small walks are fine. Swimming is fine. |
Dinky has had LP for years and from time to time would have some pop outs, some pain, and always got better, until... he didn't. Dinky is quite the stoic. When he tore his ligament, after the initial yelp, he did not whimper or cry. I hope yours is fine, but do get the LP evaluated. good luck! |
On her walk today she seemed fine and wanted to keep going, then she limped for a few steps....so I came home and made the vet appt. for tomorrow. She is seeing the vet who has gone through knee issues with his own dog. (I asked to see whichever dr. has experience in small dog knee issues) |
Took her today. Her knee was lose, he was able to pop it out he said. He says it's possible she has a small acl tear, but he has seen these small breeds sometimes are able to heal themselves. Gave her rimadyl and said not to let her do running and playing. I didn't clarify whether she can take walks or not. She has been fine today though he didn't think she was putting all her weight in it. If she doesn't improve he would suggest x-rays next. He did mention he had just done a femur procedure today, I forget what he said it was called. I think he mentioned it along with the X-ray conversation when I asked what he could see in the x-rays. So, he does seem to have some experience with leg issues. She got her shots (no rabies) and is fine tonight. She is a little sad because daddy has been away and I am not playing ball and stuff with her. She came in from potty and I think she wanted to play chase me...she is a tough one to keep low key. Someone asked me if they had wrapped her knee. Is that a good Idea? I think sometimes it is bad to immobilize a joint if it doesn't really need it. |
If she tore her CCL it needs to be repaired. Yes, she might start walking on it again, but she will end up with horrible arthritis in the joint if it is not repaired. Here is a link to an article written by the board certified surgeon I use: Yorkie Haven Rescue - Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tear Info My suggestion is to find a boarded surgeon in your area who does surgery on knees and get his/her opinion on this. And, no, you don't wrap them. |
ladyjane, I appreciate the info, but how do you decide when anything is really needed. She seems to be doing quite fine, she never really stopped walking on it she first showed signs last Tuesday and since then there have been 3 brief instances where she seemed to favor it for few moments. Couldn't it just be a sprain/strain that needs some time to clear up? It's only been a week. It seems like overkill to go to an ortho dr when she is fine 95% or more of the time. In your experience is her current situation often indicating a real problem, or could it just be a strain/spr? I'd like to monitor her for a week or two and see where she is. If she still does it after that point I would follow up. Is that ok, or do you think it is really necessary to follow up now? |
Tried to edit, but I was too late. I just read the link ladyjane posted (she was probably reading my last post thinking "read the article you idiot!" I have read other articles that say too many vets recommend surgery when they should recommend conservative treatment. After all, surgeries are $makers. How does an owner decide? I guess the main take away is that an x-ray is probably in order, presumably best done by an ortho vet. How do I locate a good one? (assuming mine thinks he could do it, he would be insulted if I asked) My vet did seem to know what to look for in the x-rays. Should I Just get an x-ray at the local vet, and if it's not normal go to ortho? |
You can't see a torn ligament with an x-ray. An experienced ortho can tell based on the way that the bones are aligned and whether they are able to manipulate the joint in a certain way. After Jezebel tore her CCL, she did not limp all of the time. During her exam with the ortho, she even got loose out of the back door of the exam room and ran around the vet clinic. Yet, the pictures from the little orthroscopic camera used during the repair surgery just a few days later showed broken strands from the ligament floating free in the synovial fluid in the joint. Those specialists are VERY busy. I mean really, really busy. They have no need to recommend surgery that is not needed just to get extra cha-ching, there are plenty of animals with legitimate injuries to keep them booked up. That being said, you may find out that there is no tear and that all the problems are due to LP, and at that age a surgeon probably wouldn't recommend surgery unless the LP was at stage IV. No jumping, etc. But you really need to know. LP only with no tear, good news. CCL tear, not so good but it does need intervention or it will tear further and eventually wear down the meniscus (in as little as 6 months) and cause lameness. If it is a tear, you really want to take care of it before it starts to wear down that cushioning between the femur and tibia/fibula. Knowledge is power. By not knowing you could be taking a big risk. |
https://www.acvs.org/ <--- find a board certified ortho |
It is rare a vet or orthopedic surgeon is just doing surgery for money. I have been told in small dogs ACL tears almost always result in needing surgery. I was also told by my orthopedic surgeon it's better when they come in walking and a better recovery then when they come in not using the leg at all. I would not wait to go see an orthopedic surgeon. An X-ray isn't going to show you anything unless it's bone related. |
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Xrays won't tell you anything really. I would spend my money with a boarded vet and let him decide if an xray is in order. Usually and xray is not necessary ... You can find one at: www.acvs.org |
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