Any armchair vets? Dog won't put weight on her leg??

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

I have golden retriever named Katy. She will be 3 next Monday. Never had any health issues with her and she's at a healthy weight for her height. She weighs about 75 lbs. Last night she came in from outside and wouldn't put any weight on her back right leg. She is hopping around on 3 legs. We have pushed, prodded and checked every square inch of her paw and leg up to the hip and there is no injury that we can find. The is no place that seems to hurt her. She doesn't appear to be in any pain with the exception of refusing to put any weight on her leg. Dh carried her up to bed and we thought maybe a good night of sleep would help but she's the same today. I am trying to keep her quiet and she's cooperating with that but doesn't seem sick or in pain other than refusing to use her leg. Any ideas? I have done some googling and keep finding ACL injuries but wouldn't she show pain?? Also stressing because that would mean $$ surgery!! I have a vet appt scheduled for my 2 cats tomorrow (yearly exam) and I am thinking if Katy is the same tomorrow I will call and ask to bring her instead of the cats. Anybody have any ideas,advice or experiences to share??

Also another worry is we are leaving for vacation in 12 days so that will complicate everything.

 

[Marionnette]

I have golden retriever named Katy. She will be 3 next Monday. Never had any health issues with her and she's at a healthy weight for her height. She weighs about 75 lbs. Last night she came in from outside and wouldn't put any weight on her back right leg. She is hopping around on 3 legs. We have pushed, prodded and checked every square inch of her paw and leg up to the hip and there is no injury that we can find. The is no place that seems to hurt her. She doesn't appear to be in any pain with the exception of refusing to put any weight on her leg. Dh carried her up to bed and we thought maybe a good night of sleep would help but she's the same today. I am trying to keep her quiet and she's cooperating with that but doesn't seem sick or in pain other than refusing to use her leg. Any ideas? I have done some googling and keep finding ACL injuries but wouldn't she show pain?? Also stressing because that would mean $$ surgery!! I have a vet appt scheduled for my 2 cats tomorrow (yearly exam) and I am thinking if Katy is the same tomorrow I will call and ask to bring her instead of the cats. Anybody have any ideas,advice or experiences to share??

Also another worry is we are leaving for vacation in 12 days so that will complicate everything.

She sounds like my dog. We had her at the vet just before Christmas because of the same symptoms. The vet extended her leg and felt a popping that she thinks is the cruciate ligaments. Those are the ones that support the dog's knees. Who knew that dogs have "knees"? Anyway, her recommendation was to keep her at rest as much as possible, no sprinting or rapid turns. In fact we need to take her out on a leash whenever she goes outside so that she doen't take off after a squirrel or rabbit.

The vet gave us some pain medicine to help her deal with the pain. She did say that if the limping persists for a couple of weeks then we should bring her in for more testing under anesthesia. Surgery is a possibility but from what I have read, the success rate is in the 15% range. Most of what I've seen is that keeping her weight down and resting the leg is the most effective means of treatment. It could take up to 6 months to heal. She's having some good days and some bad ones. The snow and ice are not the best thing for her. But she is putting weight on it and is limping a lot less now.

I'm not saying that this is definitely the case with your dog. Sometimes my dogs come up limping one day and then they are fine after a day or two or rest. I would definitely take her to see the vet if the limp persists for a week or if she begins to struggle with getting up and walking at any point.

Good luck with your fur baby. I hope she is well soon!

 

[AmongMadPeople]

At the very least, you need to get her into the vet as soon as you can. It could be her hip, a toe/nail injury you can't see (we've dealt with those), or a ligament injury. Do you live somewhere with snow? She could have slipped on some ice while she was outside and hurt herself. That is how my husband's childhood dog tore her ACL the first time (tore the second one compensating for the first injury, but she was also overweight).

Who will be watching your dog while you are on vacation? If you're boarding her, I would definitely call the kennel after you meet with the vet and find out what is going on. If she is going to need special care, I don't know if boarding facilities will accommodate her. (I really have no idea, we don't board our dogs.)

Good luck

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I would get your dog to the vet as soon as possible. At least give the vet a call. Some injuries have a greater chance of recovery if treated quickly. I would not take a week to wait and see.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

She sounds like my dog. We had her at the vet just before Christmas because of the same symptoms. The vet extended her leg and felt a popping that she thinks is the cruciate ligaments. Those are the ones that support the dog's knees. Who knew that dogs have "knees"? Anyway, her recommendation was to keep her at rest as much as possible, no sprinting or rapid turns. In fact we need to take her out on a leash whenever she goes outside so that she doen't take off after a squirrel or rabbit.

The vet gave us some pain medicine to help her deal with the pain. She did say that if the limping persists for a couple of weeks then we should bring her in for more testing under anesthesia. Surgery is a possibility but from what I have read, the success rate is in the 15% range. Most of what I've seen is that keeping her weight down and resting the leg is the most effective means of treatment. It could take up to 6 months to heal. She's having some good days and some bad ones. The snow and ice are not the best thing for her. But she is putting weight on it and is limping a lot less now.

I'm not saying that this is definitely the case with your dog. Sometimes my dogs come up limping one day and then they are fine after a day or two or rest. I would definitely take her to see the vet if the limp persists for a week or if she begins to struggle with getting up and walking at any point.

Good luck with your fur baby. I hope she is well soon!

How much does your dog weigh? In my google searches I am seeing a lot of smaller dogs take the wait and see approach but larger dogs need surgery.

Katy does seem to struggle with getting up but it appears because she trying to put all her weight on her left rear leg and avoiding having her right leg touch the ground at all.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

At the very least, you need to get her into the vet as soon as you can. It could be her hip, a toe/nail injury you can't see (we've dealt with those), or a ligament injury. Do you live somewhere with snow? She could have slipped on some ice while she was outside and hurt herself. That is how my husband's childhood dog tore her ACL the first time (tore the second one compensating for the first injury, but she was also overweight).

Who will be watching your dog while you are on vacation? If you're boarding her, I would definitely call the kennel after you meet with the vet and find out what is going on. If she is going to need special care, I don't know if boarding facilities will accommodate her. (I really have no idea, we don't board our dogs.)

Good luck

Yes we do have snow/ice and we are wondering if she slipped on the deck stairs somehow.

We plan to take her to my parents house while we are gone. They are not huge fans of big dogs and aren't thrilled to be watching her. I don't know if they will take kindly to having to do anything special which is why I am worried because I doubt I could get a kennel.

 

[momto2inKC]

I would definitely get her to the vet ASAP to get it checked. Like someone else mentioned, it could be an injury that will only get worse/more expensive the longer you wait.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Our 75 lb lab mix had the same issue about a year ago. This was after he brought us a bunny He tore his ACL and needed surgery. He still has issues when he overdoes it and probably will deal with arthritis when he's old. But it's much better than a 3 legged dog. Good luck, from what I read this is more common than I would have ever thought.

 

[Marionnette]

How much does your dog weigh? In my google searches I am seeing a lot of smaller dogs take the wait and see approach but larger dogs need surgery.

Katy does seem to struggle with getting up but it appears because she trying to put all her weight on her left rear leg and avoiding having her right leg touch the ground at all.

Cricket is about 45 lbs. She never slowed down following the injury. She just wouldn't put her full weight on the leg. She's an alpha dog and it's not in her nature to let our other dog go out a door and down the stairs ahead of her. She is still jumping up on the sofa which tells me that it can't terribly bad.

I go with my gut when it comes to my dogs. If they "wipe out" and come up limping I try to watch them for appetite changes and whether the injury improves. If they whimper or seem "off" then they get to see Dr. Cindy. But if Katie is really struggling just to stand, then you might want to get her to the vet just to make sure that there isn't anything that should be done right away to help her with the pain.

 

[AmongMadPeople]

Yes we do have snow/ice and we are wondering if she slipped on the deck stairs somehow.

We plan to take her to my parents house while we are gone. They are not huge fans of big dogs and aren't thrilled to be watching her. I don't know if they will take kindly to having to do anything special which is why I am worried because I doubt I could get a kennel.

Does your vet board? Ours does. If they don't, ask if they can give a recommendation appropriate for your dog's situation in case you need to use one. Otherwise, make sure you get a good treatment description to give to your parents and they have the number for your vet. I'll cross my fingers for you that they take kindly to it

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

I was able to get her into the vet tonight at 6. We shall see! I am really wishing I would have gotten pet insurance now! I am scared that this will cost a fortune and she's a huge part of our family so you know!

 

[jakoky]

Hi! This happened to our dog in august, she is a lab/bordie collie and are guessing her age to be around 8 (adopted her from the spca almost 2 years ago)...My husband was playing ball with her, and she acted like she hurt her leg, but then all she seemed fine...next day absolutely NO weight on leg, she hobbled everywhere, only touching toe down..we held off til the next day and took her to the vet...they were pretty sure she tore her acl, and asked us to come in a few days later to put her out and xray her! Found out the price and went ...

went home and researched and researched...learned that without surgery, probably would get arthritis in leg, with surgery, still probably would...would have to keep her crated for up to 6 weeks and not allow her to do anything...first, she isnt crated (our puppy is) and second, she does like to be lazy, but also loves to play....Knowing the surgery could work, but might not...hmmmm..

Long story short, 2 days later was walking on leg with only a slight limp...1 week later, limp is gone...6 months later, she is still good to go...we know she has a bad back leg to begin with, and if she was to hurt it again, knowing about odds and recovery, i dont believe i would go with surgery....but it is a very personal decision...Vet was pretty positive our dog had torn her acl, but time proved her wrong...just putting her under for exrays would have ran us 400 dollars Hope your baby is feeling better quickly

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

i was told golden retriever had hip issues but i am not sure. Should like the dog might of pulled something.

 

[pooh17]

This happened to our goldie when she was 7 years old (about 4 years ago). She tore her ACL and needed surgery.

Our vet at the time wanted to charge $2500 for some 'new' method of surgery. We shopped around and had it done the 'old' way (whatever that is!) for $1500. She has been fine ever since. And, we now have a new vet!

Good luck at your appointment!

 

[Shagley]

She sounds like my dog. We had her at the vet just before Christmas because of the same symptoms. The vet extended her leg and felt a popping that she thinks is the cruciate ligaments. Those are the ones that support the dog's knees. Who knew that dogs have "knees"? Anyway, her recommendation was to keep her at rest as much as possible, no sprinting or rapid turns.

This is the same problem that my dog has. He has loose criciate ligaments in his knee which makes him limp. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but sometimes he won't put much weight on his right leg. He is about 12 years old and about 50 pounds, so now we just make sure he doesn't jump much (I built him a set of steps so he can get into my bed without jumping). It is getting much better - plus we give him part of a Rimadyl tablet twice a day if we notice him limping at all.

 

[doggydoc]

Surgery is a possibility but from what I have read, the success rate is in the 15% range.

I'm not sure where your getting those figures, considering there are at least half a dozen different procedures for cruciate ligament repair in dogs I don't see how a general % sucess rate could be considered valid anyway.

As everyone has noted it does indeed sound like a possible tear or rupture of the cranial cruiate ligament (CCL.) This is analogous to the common football injury ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear. The difference is in directional terms.

The CCL is a ligament inside the "knee" and provides stability. Many dogs, usually smaller, do OK with medical management which includes anti-inflammatories and strict cage rest of 6 weeks or more. The reason I say OK is that, as mentioned, if the ligament is ruptured the increased instability of the "knee" does eventually lead to arthritis. Also unlike humans this injury in dogs is often more related to confirmation than exercise. So if it happens once, even if the ligament mends it is likely to happen again. Also at least 40% of dogs that recieve CCL repair surgery end up rupturing the other side at some point, again this is because it's usually a problem with how the dog is built not in how it acts.

Depending on where you are and what type of repair is done costs can range up to $5k for a single knee. Some procedures involve expensive implants and radically altering the geometry of the knee to prevent future injury. There is a less expensive form of surgery called extracapsular repair which stabilizes the knee with a high tensile strength material (think high tech, antimicrobial fishing line.) depending on the skill of the physician and the size and demeanor of the dog this can be a reasonable lower cost alternative. And by lower cost I mean 10-20% of the above figure ($500-$1000.) For a large, high energy, young dog I'm afraid the more expensive procedures are most likely to provide a positive outcome. You can google Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) and Tibial Tubercle Advancement (TTA) these are two popular advanced repair operations.

I feel your pain and wish I had a better budget-friendly suggestion for you. I don't do advanced ortho and have spent over $6k on my own dog. She has blown both knees and is less than 3 yo. She's a 145 lb English Mastiff though so there's not a fishing line in the world that would hold up.

 

[Order66]

Actually they do. We get braided nylon cruciate line in 250 and 500lb strength. Our clinic recently did the extracapsular repair on an English Mastiff. So far so good.

I do agree that the TTA or TPLO are the better choices for large dogs, most owners at our practice cannot afford it. We do at least 100 dogs a year with the old method and have very few failures. Good news is that those owners can still go and have the specialist do one of the other procedures. Doing the extracapsular repair won't impede that.

regards

 

[SunnyP4Disney]

If your dog was a small dog, I would say it's a luxating patella. My Pomeranian occasionally keeps her right hind leg off the ground when her knee "pops out". Right now, the surgery to correct it is not necessary, but if she continues to deteriorate, it will. I wonder if bigger dogs can suffer from it.

But definitely see the vet! If it's the patella, the vet can actually feel it and x-rays aren't necessary. Good luck!

 

[wdwaholic]

I feel your pain!!!I also just came back tonite from my vet where I found out my 7yo lab mix has a ruptured ACL and will probably need surgery-anywhere from $1000-3000 depending on the type right now she is on restricted activity and steroids for 10 days and then we wil re-evaluate-my vet doesn't do this surgery so need to go to a specialist-hopefully we can get away with the extracapsular repair since she's only 50lbs and very laid-back.Love my furbabies but this is gonna be a budget-buster
Good luck
trish

 

[vsimeone]

Wow! What's in the water??? My dog went to the vet at 5pm tonight for - yup, you guessed it - a torn ACL. Luckily, the vet says it's only a partial tear. She said if it was completely ruptured that he wouldn't even touch his foot to the ground. He's limping pretty badly.

He's on bed rest (ok, no playing or jogging with me :-( ) for a month. Anti inflammatories and some pain meds. We're trying to prevent a full blown tear because that would mean a $3000 surgery

He's a lab/border collie mix and I think he got this injury when my kids were both home at Christmas and they were all rough housing. Luckily, the house is quiet right now. I just put up all the toys that make him get crazy and we'll try to keep him resting as much as possible!

Best wishes for your fur baby!