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Ligament damage

JoanneF said:
So, today T saw a cat, started to run then screamed in pain. We have been to the vet, ligament damage in his knee. On painkillers, anti-inflammatories and strict rest for at least 10 days. Oh, and we are in Spain, which means I’m not quite as confident in my understanding of what the vet told us.

His knee twisted and has damaged, but not torn the ligament.

If anyone is good at reading x-rays, please feel free to jump in. Right knee, shown on the left of this photo.

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It looks to me as if the upper leg bones are in different positions? Indicating, I think that there is a problem in the shoulder? Could you find a vet who speaks English? I know some very good ones here in Portugal.
 
JoanneF said:
Thank you. I feel awful, if I could take his pain, I'd have it ten fold.

My immediate concern is that he hasn't figured out how to do a poo on three legs. If anyone has words of wisdom that don't involve holding him up with a towel or something (because that would put him off even more) I'm all ears :(
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Nappies.
 
Update.

We have had a little breakthrough. Up to now, he has been hopping on three legs. The vet said that small dogs are particularly good at this, and in his mind, since he is managing fine on three there's little incentive to use the injured one in case it hurts.

But yesterday he started walking on it! Not all the time, but definitely doing it deliberately. I'm very pleased to see some progress at last.
 
Oh, that is good news. How far is he allowed to walk now? is there any way of encouraging dogs to use all four legs? I'm wondering if practising 'paw' while standing, so he has to use the 'bad' leg for stability, might work. Or even work on a 'wounded soldier walk' where he holds up a good leg...

But if he is now weight-bearing, it may well be best to let him get on with it at his own pace.
 
JoanneF said:
Update.

We have had a little breakthrough. Up to now, he has been hopping on three legs. The vet said that small dogs are particularly good at this, and in his mind, since he is managing fine on three there's little incentive to use the injured one in case it hurts.

But yesterday he started walking on it! Not all the time, but definitely doing it deliberately. I'm very pleased to see some progress at last.
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Yayy! That IS good news indeed. Sounds like he is testing the waters with his 'new' leg. You'll be running after him in no time...get your spike shoes ready :D
 
JudyN said:
is there any way of encouraging dogs to use all four legs?
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He uses it more if he is made to walk very slowly - if he is in a hurry he just reverts back to three legs. He is supposed to be walking up to 10 minutes at a time now, but I'm scaling it back to five because he has only just started using the leg, and it is weak from not being used for over two months. I tried walking him on the beach one time, thinking that the sand moving under his good leg would make him need to use his injured one, but that felt wrong so we have stayed on firm surfaces since.

Baby steps - literally!
 
That is good to hear! Has your vet suggested any hydrotherapy for him? A couple of my dogs I work with have used it after the same or similar surgery as Timber, with good effect. Though can't remember at what stage of their recovery it was used...
 
Flobo said:
Has your vet suggested any hydrotherapy for him?
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Yes, we have had a referral and had hoped to have started by now but we are still waiting to hear from the facility that does it. He will not enjoy it, he doesn’t like water, but sometimes we need to do things for his own good.
 
good thing he doesnt need to undergo a surgery at all. hope he recover soon
 
Evee Martin said:
good thing he doesnt need to undergo a surgery at all. hope he recover soon
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He did have surgery - Cranial Closing Wedge Osteotomy on the 23rd November. But I'm seeing steady improvement in his leg strength now. He had his first hydrotherapy on Monday and apparently was a little superstar.
 
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Hmmm. I don't think we are quite there yet, but he certainly wasn't too upset by it all.
 
Out of interest, was there a discussion about whether you would go in with him or not? Do dogs tend to do better without their owners, or was it a covid thing?
 
I wasn't allowed in, it was a Covid issue and I think they would normally base it on what the dog wants. They were very clear about the emphasis they put on going at his pace, keeping him happy, stopping if he needed a break, lots of treats and toys. I really liked the practice.
 
This thread started on the 22nd of October when Timber had his accident. Today, 23rd February, four months and a day later, he had his final sign off appointment with the vet. She is really pleased with him, he is showing no discernible stiffness in the leg, his range of movement is virtually back to normal, as is his muscle tone; however he has six more hydrotherapy sessions planned so these should take care of any remaining weakness. It has been a long haul, but we can now treat him as a normal dog.
 
Ah that is such good news!
I was going to ask how he was doing the other day, then forgot or got distracted or something:confused::D
It is the most lovely thing when they are fully recovered and you see them running off lead after so long:)...(though also it is a hold your breath moment too!:eek:)
 
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