Hi everyone. It has been a while since I have been on the forum, but I hope everyone is doing well. My 1 year old lab Gabby started limping yesterday and has not been very active today which is very unusual for her. This morning, she was reluctant to put any weight on her leg and growls if I try to touch her foot. I am not sure if it is her leg or her foot, but we are going to the vet in the morning. My concern is that it may be a torn ligament in the knee. My cocker spaniel had surgery for this when she was 10, but I wasn't sure if this type of injury is common in such a young dog. Has anyone ever seen a torn knee ligament in a young dog? I am just very worried about this. When my cocker spaniel had the surgery for her torn ligament, her leg was never the same and she now has extremely bad arthritis in her knee that she takes daily medication for. I would hate to see my 1 year old have joint problems so early. I love my sweet girl Gabby and I hate to see her not bouncing around as usual.
Dont open the umbrella until it rains....a friend used to tell me. Dont think of the worst until the vet has checked Gabby out...she will probably have x-rays...and that will tell the story. Mine started to limp when he was about six months old and had x-rays and turned out to be nothing. Must say,though, fact that Gabby doesnt appreciate your touching her foot and leg may mean a sprain? You will know very soon ...when you say seeing the vet in the morning do you mean today or tomorrow?
I hope the vet is able to put your mind at rest, and it turns out to be something that will heal up very quickly. To answer your question though....yes. My Labrador tore his first knee ligament at 8.5 months old. And he tore his second when he was 2 - only six months after he was declared fit from the first surgery (we had to wait for surgery, because he was too young to have it before his grow plates had closed). I hope it turns out to be nothing serious for Gabby - there are many other reasons why she might be limping. But I can say that Charlie (with a very good surgeon and careful rehabilitation) has returned to being as good as new. Of course arthritis is a worry for the future, but the odds are that's a long way off. What I'd say is that I honestly believe speed of treatment, and not having them run round for months with part tears (before they develop into full tears) and unstable knees, is critical to a good outcome and results in much, much better healing time and return to fitness.
Thanks for the replies, I do tend to expect the worst! Yvonne, I will be going to the vet on Friday morning, sorry, I live in the US and forget about time differences! Julie, do you know how Charlie tore the ligament? Keeping my fingers crossed it is nothing serious! Anna
Charlie suffered a part rupture of his second cruciate playing with a Springer Spaniel - but that's not the whole story, at all. Torn knee ligaments in dogs are the result of a weakness in the ligament - the ligament suffers micro tears and so a part or full tear can be accelerated by either a very high impact exercise event, or just wear and tear day to day. It's rightly seen as a disease. Although a trauma can cause a ligament to tear, it mostly wouldn't if there weren't an underlying genetically inherited weakness - this weakness takes the form of many, many micro tears which end up in a weak ligament which then ruptures. It used to be viewed as something that was always due to traumatic injury, but this isn't the case. And then it was thought that it was something to do with the conformation of the knee bones, but this also isn't the case (confusingly, some breeds do need different treatment because of the slope of their knees but this isn't the underlying cause of the problem). So it's a straightforward inherited fault and unfortunately there isn't a test for it to avoid using parents that may pass the problem onto their offspring (and most dogs themselves suffer after breeding age). Although there is some progress towards developing a genetic test (in Newfoundlands) there isn't one at the moment.
Just now got a chance to write. Gabby is fine, thank goodness! No broken bones and no torn ligaments, she is now walking normally! She had been playing pretty hard off leash the day prior with her neighborhood doggie friend so may have just strained something. So happy, she had me so worried!! Thanks everyone!
We've had this as well this week, but without the good news ending... Our little 4-month old, Lola, was walking in the forest across the way from our house, and, according to our daughter, got spooked by something, did a wild run, and started limping. Trip to the vet, she said let her rest, see how it goes. I let her rest for a few days, didn't see any improvement, so I took her in for x-rays, and all ligaments in one of her rear legs have been ruptured. Poor Lola. So, the x-rays have been sent off to an orthopaedic surgeon, and we are waiting to hear what the next step is, with Lola staying mostly in her crate, or on the floor playing with us, and lead out to the garden to toilet. Very challenging for a 4-month old puppy (and for me, but I, at least, am not in pain). I read up on Charlie the Chocolate Lab's ligament saga, and had to stop, as it was making me too depressed. I'm guessing that I will be told that she is far too young to have the surgery that is needed, as she has a great deal of growing yet to do. She is very much at an age where she loves being outdoors & playing, but, most importantly, is in the midst of being properly socialised, something that becomes impossible if confined to crate w/no exercise &/or walking options. And continuing her training is an issue. Really, it's very discouraging to think of all of the implications associated with waiting several months for the surgery (distinctly possible), then waiting the long months associated with the recovery from the surgery when it does happen. So, last night I thought of one of the Walkin Wheels devices for her -- she'd be able to go out & about to get some exercise, fresh air, socialise, and some training as well. I'd of course run that by the ortho surgeon and vet before going ahead with it, but wondered if anyone has had experience with using such a device as a stop-gap measure when mobility is limited but not for the long-term.
I'm really, really sorry to hear this. I know only too well what a blow it is, and quite a journey ahead of you now. On the bright side though, I now have a dog that is as good as new after two cruciate repairs. He is running around, enjoying life, and you would never know there had been anything wrong. It is quite something to get through, but you will get through it - and the good thing is it is just about "fixable", unlike some other things. Most dogs return to full, unrestricted exercise after successful operations. I too agonised over the lack of socialisation, the confinement, and lack of training - it was a big, big, worry. But we managed ok. Even though he was confined completely throughout all of his teenage months, we came out of it really ok. He doesn't have any issues at all (apart from being a bit crazy, but he always was). Sure, we are not where we should be in terms of his training, but we are working hard to catch up. You'll have to speak with your vet about whether she can have the op now or wait. The manufacturers of the TTA said that it would have been fine for Charlie to have the op at 8 months, but my vet and surgeon decided it was better to wait. You might find that she is fine to be out and about on lead - walking is ok pre op, but no running or rough stuff because with an unstable knee you risk damage to the meniscus cartilage, and the long term outlook is better if that doesn't happen.
astyers so glad it's good news. ukwren really sorry to hear this. My 9 month old girl is on the last two weeks of 12 weeks restricted exercise, I can relate to your pain. She is bi lateral lame with severe eblow dysplasia. You'll get through it, use the forum even if it's just for reading others stories and advice, it has been a great source of comfort and help to me.
Thank you for the feedback. I am very encouraged to hear that lead walks may be possible. The vet has not been particularly forthcoming with information. I basically got a "we're not qualified to do it, here are a few who are" and a technical explanation re: torn ligaments, neither of which really helped ease my mind at all, and left me searching the internet for information. Given that we've just got through the house-bound first few weeks, then a torn dewclaw the first week out, which necessitated a week without much walking, and now this after really only having been able to do good walks 2-3 weeks, I'm feeling like a shut-in dog-nurse who is about to lose her mind. I am trying to be optimistic, and searching out brace &/or wheeled device options, while I wait to hear from the surgeon (or his office).
I don't want to discourage you, but I think you are on the wrong track thinking about either braces or wheels. The internet is stuffed full of devices for sale like that and my own view of them (and that of Charlie's vets) are that they are sold only because people are looking for a solution, sometimes to avoid surgery (I know that doesn't apply to you). Braces are useless in terms of stabilising a knee, and I really can't see that any sort of wheeled device is fair on the dog, really. Perhaps wait until you can have a consultation with a surgeon, and get to speak to someone who can advise you properly on how best to manage.
Sorry to hear your news but restricted exercise is not the end of the world. Like Pilatelover my girl, now nearly 15 months old, had her first limping incidence at 5 months and spent 2 weeks on restricted exercise, she had the next incidence at 7.5 months and was diagnosed with Elbow dysplasia at 8 months. Following surgery and recovery we had been fine for around 4 months but we're on restricted exercise again after a limp recurring. Restricted exercise need not mean not going out, it just means short controlled walks on lead with, normally, no play with other dogs. Both Pilatelover and myself have coped with our girls with the support of the forum members, who always lend support and suggestions. You may find the thread on coping with dogs on restricted exercise helpful - there's some very good ideas there. There is also a very useful book called 'No walks? No worries!' by Sian Ryan and Helen Zurich helpful as well.
I don't have anything to add as I haven't had to deal with this but I just wanted to show my support. You are getting great advise from people on this forum that have dealt with and are dealing with this issue. xx
I'm going for a second opinion -- veterinary, not surgeon -- on Wednesday in hopes that I can get more information than "it's not something that we do, we'll refer you to someone (hundreds of miles away)." This vet comes highly recommended for orthopod issues. I've also asked around and got some feedback from others who've had to use an orthopaedic surgeon. We're mostly keeping Lola inside & as quiet as we are able, though we took her to the village green with us yesterday (we had committed to a family game of rounders with other families) and let her watch from her little doggie tent that we use for her in the car. Unfortunately, she lost her nut when my friend walked by, I had just taken her off the lead, and she went running around like a bat out of hades, so just in that one moment she must have undone every bit of good that's been done keeping her in for over a week. Feeling very one-step-forward-two-steps-back. It will be interesting to speak with the other vet on Wednesday, as I am very much feeling like I have no control &/or knowledge re: this situation other than keeping her calm as I can, and endless interaction to keep her happy. Which is seriously draining for me, mentally. I hope that he'll be a bit more forthcoming with constructive information. I did see the information about the book on the other thread, so received that via post today. Thanks for the advice & support. Will update after speaking to 2nd vet on Wednesday.
Best wishes for your appointment on Wednesday. My little bit of advice for the appointment is to make a list of all the questions you can think off, as when you get there you nearly always forget half of what you wanted to ask . Also check that it is OK to call back or email with questions after the appointment - it seems that part way through the appointment the brain shuts down and you can't remember some of what you have been told. I was emailing backwards and forwards with my orthopaedic surgeon for several days and speaking to him on the phone
Forgot to add that another book that is quite useful is "Brain games for dogs" by Claire Arrowsmith. Some of the games are no use if you are on restricted exercise but there are some useful suggestions
