Dog with cruciate injury
Discussion
Poor little Sweep, came in from bedtime wee hardly able to walk, I thought he had done a hip or his back, he was just wobbly :-(
12 year old fella with a little arthritis, really doesn’t appreciate how old he is and runs about like a maniac, prat
Vet suspects he has snapped it, there is loads of movement in the joint and his kneecap is very loose and moveable. She reckoned he won’t be in too much pain though.
X-ray booked for Thursday, vet explained it really well and thinks an op on it would be the best option despite his age. He is a pretty fit lad otherwise.
Any similar experiences or words of advice for him?
12 year old fella with a little arthritis, really doesn’t appreciate how old he is and runs about like a maniac, prat
Vet suspects he has snapped it, there is loads of movement in the joint and his kneecap is very loose and moveable. She reckoned he won’t be in too much pain though.
X-ray booked for Thursday, vet explained it really well and thinks an op on it would be the best option despite his age. He is a pretty fit lad otherwise.
Any similar experiences or words of advice for him?
Had the same with our Labrador, snapped it playing with another dog.
Luckily we had Insurance albeit with a £3k claim limit. The vet we were using at the time did the one leg for £1.5k saying the other leg would probably need doing as well.
It did, about 9 months later, so we got both done for the £3k limit.
What he didn't say was that it could possibly to lead to arthritis.
We have since changed vets and she is now on a monthly injection with a newish drug for arthritis, which seems to be helping, although it is early days and costs about £65 per injection.
It would be worth asking the question if yours is already suffering from arthritis. They might prescribe Inflacam for pain relief, which we also used after her first OP, but apparently long term use of this can also cause kidney issues. It is cheaper to buy this online with a prescription it seems.
We also give ours a joint supplement supplied by a company called Wagmore. You can buy this online with no prescription. It costs about £15 per month and also seems to help.
Our current vet has also recommended Glucosamine and paracetamol for pain relief, which again you can buy without a prescription and is very cheap. I would ask your vet about this and dosage levels, it varies depending on the size of dog.
Luckily we had Insurance albeit with a £3k claim limit. The vet we were using at the time did the one leg for £1.5k saying the other leg would probably need doing as well.
It did, about 9 months later, so we got both done for the £3k limit.
What he didn't say was that it could possibly to lead to arthritis.
We have since changed vets and she is now on a monthly injection with a newish drug for arthritis, which seems to be helping, although it is early days and costs about £65 per injection.
It would be worth asking the question if yours is already suffering from arthritis. They might prescribe Inflacam for pain relief, which we also used after her first OP, but apparently long term use of this can also cause kidney issues. It is cheaper to buy this online with a prescription it seems.
We also give ours a joint supplement supplied by a company called Wagmore. You can buy this online with no prescription. It costs about £15 per month and also seems to help.
Our current vet has also recommended Glucosamine and paracetamol for pain relief, which again you can buy without a prescription and is very cheap. I would ask your vet about this and dosage levels, it varies depending on the size of dog.
Our 11yr old Westie ruptured his cruciate ligament quite badly 18 months ago. He needed an op and a small metal plate fitted which cost approx £3.5k (insurance covered £1k) and further follow up treatment, physio etc which cost another £1k. The hardest part is stopping them doing too much too soon and causing further damage. He still has massage therapy once a month, as well as a Yumove tablet every day to help with the inevitable arthritis, which flared up recently. Another wierd thing that seems to have helped his recovery, which as an arthritis sufferer myself I have always dismissed as rubbish, is a magnetic collar. There was a noticeable difference in him the same day I put it on him, which may have just been coincidence, but I daren't take it off him now. Good luck with it, it is a long road to full recovery, but worth it all to see them trotting round as normal again.
Hi, sorry to hear about Sweep - cruciate ligament rupture is the most common cause of hind limb lameness in a dog.
The only real way to make it better is surgery. Strict rest may help but it is likely that the joint will remain unstable. I get very irked when professionals say that something isn’t painful - it will be. The fact sweep is limping indicates pain.
Surgery - a very controversial topic in the veterinary profession about which is ‘best’. Given there are so many potential procedures that are still used suggests that they are all similar. I personally carry out two different techniques. One is mainly used for dogs under 15kg and is called a lateral suture. This is the least technically challenging. Costs therefore are lower at around £1k. I also do something called a TTA which involves cutting the front of the tibia and inserting a titanium wedge. Cost £2.2kish. Usually for dogs 10-35kg. Specialists usually use a TPLO which is a little more challenging but is arguable ‘gold standard’ and has been shown to result in the best use of the leg after surgery (cost £3.5m) compared to the others previously listed. Personally any one surgery will suffice.
Sadly this condition will result in osteoarthritis however this is easily managed with pain relief.
Hope this helps somewhat, feel free to message me with any specific questions.
Tom (vet with orthopaedic interest but not a ‘specialist’)
The only real way to make it better is surgery. Strict rest may help but it is likely that the joint will remain unstable. I get very irked when professionals say that something isn’t painful - it will be. The fact sweep is limping indicates pain.
Surgery - a very controversial topic in the veterinary profession about which is ‘best’. Given there are so many potential procedures that are still used suggests that they are all similar. I personally carry out two different techniques. One is mainly used for dogs under 15kg and is called a lateral suture. This is the least technically challenging. Costs therefore are lower at around £1k. I also do something called a TTA which involves cutting the front of the tibia and inserting a titanium wedge. Cost £2.2kish. Usually for dogs 10-35kg. Specialists usually use a TPLO which is a little more challenging but is arguable ‘gold standard’ and has been shown to result in the best use of the leg after surgery (cost £3.5m) compared to the others previously listed. Personally any one surgery will suffice.
Sadly this condition will result in osteoarthritis however this is easily managed with pain relief.
Hope this helps somewhat, feel free to message me with any specific questions.
Tom (vet with orthopaedic interest but not a ‘specialist’)
We had it with our old Chocolate Lab when she was 8 years old, running and playing with another dog. I had to carry her back to the car !!!
McQueens in Devizes did the op, split the bone into a V , insert a sponge triangle and the bone grows back over making it stronger. Only you have to watch your dog for weeks, especially if they try to scratch after toileting. My wife missed one moment with cadbury a couple of weeks after the op and she broke the bone at the weak spot of the V, so it put back her recovery time.
So cost of all the op etc, plus a year of physio, swimming, tredmill etc was way beyond what the insurance covered. The good news is that once recovered she was absolutely fine.
I can however swear by green lipped mussel powder on her food after that to help her joints
McQueens in Devizes did the op, split the bone into a V , insert a sponge triangle and the bone grows back over making it stronger. Only you have to watch your dog for weeks, especially if they try to scratch after toileting. My wife missed one moment with cadbury a couple of weeks after the op and she broke the bone at the weak spot of the V, so it put back her recovery time.
So cost of all the op etc, plus a year of physio, swimming, tredmill etc was way beyond what the insurance covered. The good news is that once recovered she was absolutely fine.
I can however swear by green lipped mussel powder on her food after that to help her joints
Edited by Byker28i on Tuesday 5th April 10:51
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