Yorkie Injury - possible ACL Tear Hi I would love some opinions/insight/ advice for our yorkie with a ACL tear. He is 7yo, weighs 5lbs & injured his leg the first week of November & unfortunately it has not gotten better. When his symptoms first began they included trouble walking (limping, back legs falling out from under him), hiding, occasional whimper, reclusive, not very playful & an increase (more than his typical itchy rub) with head/body rubbing on floor/furniture. When we 1st brought him in to the vet hospital they thought something neurological may be wrong & advised we see a vet neurologist & observe him for a couple more days. Following observation I brought him back to the vet hospital & asked to see an ortho vet who did an exam & x-ray & believed he had a partial ACL tear on his right hind leg. We were advised to give him pain & anti-inflammatory meds for 2wks & to restrict activity. We did that & have continued to restrict activity but he is still not much better - still has trouble walking (legs slip/fall out from under him) & is still kind of reclusive/not very playful. I would greatly appreciate anyone's opinion/insight/advice! Thanks Erica |
Hi. My dog tore his ligament when he was 11.5. He had surgery (lateral suture repair). He is now 15.5 and still doing great. He has no pain and no limitations to his physical activity. I would definitely have a surgical repair done if I was you. I see you are in Boston. I had my dog's surgery done at cape cod vet specialists but I love Angell and go there all the time so I would go there. |
Poor guy. That's a long time to be in pain! I would be getting a second opinion at this point. I hope you find out what's ailing him soon. |
My chi, Arthur, just had ACL surgery a few weeks ago. I'd highly recommend you go ahead with the surgery. |
I have dealt with torn cruciate ligaments in quite a few pups....mine and fosters. I had the surgery done on each of them and they were fine aftewards. This is a painful injury and leads to very painful arthritis. This article was written by the surgeon I use in Houston: Yorkie Haven Rescue - Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tear Info |
My Jezebel tore her CCL (same as ACL in humans) three years ago and underwent TPLO surgery to correct the problem. Her surgeon is the same as LadyJane's. We got it done very quickly because I was afraid if we waited, in instability would cause damage to the meniscus and then the surgery wouldn't be as successful. I was VERY happy when they called after the surgery and said that the meniscus was still perfect. Two weeks ago we went in to our regular vet for annual exams and vaccinations. I talked with her about the surgery, and she said that sometimes even with that repair, the dog will still develop arthritis. She was so impressed with Dr Beall's work and said that both knees felt exactly the same, she couldn't tell a difference and there was no arthritis. Given his change in personality, he is in pain. I would definitely look into getting it fixed, the sooner the better because the longer you wait it can cause damage that the surgery can't fix. |
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I fortunately have not ever had this in any of my dogs, but it is painful and should be repaired.....the arthritis that results from the injury is also very painful....but that arthritis usually does not occur until later in life. |
107barney - Could you please tell me why you chose the cape cod vet specialists over Angell? Also are you recommending the Angell location in Boston or Waltham? |
Gemy- We actually have not seen a neurologist (yet anyways). The ortho vet seemed confident he had an ACL tear & his actions were due to pain from the injury. We were also advised that neurological testing is very expensive & many conditions are not treatable which is why we chose to hold off & hoped symptoms would resolve with healing of the ACL injury. It's mostly his injured leg that slips out from under him, but sometimes (esp in the morning) both legs do which I assume is caused by his non-injured hind leg not being able to compensate for his injured leg? I appreciate your insights & any other advice you may have. |
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And for sure neuro testing is expensive this I do know. But there are options you could explore such as conservative medical management - ask if he is a candidate = many small breeds can ideally be suitable for this. And yes TPLO surgery comes with attended risks of all surgery including infection after surgery and there are a couple of studies which show about a 40% effective rate of return to normal function and well arthritis still sets in the joint..... Now by the way conservative medical management is not cheaper well at least in my experience to surgery = but it did work in our case - as an owner you need to get the dog out to and for physio = do the exercises at home and support the joints with the proper supplements. |
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