Help! J-Russell suddenly v lame.

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Milanesa

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Hi all, having been away for a few days I left my jr with parents (8yr old bitch) and have come back to her unable to put right hind on ground.

Took her to vets yesterday whom have given painkillers and we are re-examining on Friday for X-ray if she hasn't improved at all.

However it seems to be in her stifle joint, and I can hear and feel a "clicking" in this leg/joint which was not present before and isn't in the other leg either. The vet suggested cruciat ligament damage perhaps, she isn't crying or yelping, even on palapating it, does/ has anyone's dog had this or could you suggest if it is more likely to be ligament damage/ patella issues??

Just thought the symptoms may jump out at someone that has had similar. She is on "box rest" for now which she seems quite happy about as it must be pretty sore. Thanks in advance.
 
sounds like cruciate-strict rest, even on a lead to toilet/and in house if she is a bouncy dog, crate if she is used to it, if it is cruciate strict rest can be curative in most cases but is particularly successful in smaller dogs
 
Hi twiggy, ok thanks for the advice, she is a quiet dog so is being v quiet. The vet said it would need surgery - but I am hoping with rest she will improve. How long do they take to recover do u know?
 
depends on the dog for recovery time but if a vet was saying surgery was needed without giving time and having xrays I would be looking for a second opinion. with or without surgery you get a degree of arthritis in the joint after recovery and surgery is painful and expensive and more and more vets are stating surgery is only needed in heavy dogs and extreme cases. I wish I had never had the surgery on my lurcher and her recovery time was 8 months before she was off lead again and she is still lame/on pain killers but happy-she is 6yrs and surgery was just over a year ago.
my jack russel cross never had surgery and he is a wimp so was left to self regulate his excersise, his cruciate was blown by the lurcher crashing into him 5yrs ago and he is now 13, no pain killers and completely sound.

good luck but I would try and avoid surgery at all costs especially in a smaller dog
 
I haven't experienced this in one of my dogs, but slipping patella came to mind when I read your post, esp with a JRT type? That is just another possible option, I would suggest a second opinion if your vet isn't too sure
 
Hi, ok many thanks for your input; I thought the same to be honest - common sense says give it some time to recover on pain relief before surgery etc- mine is also a wimp terrified of vets so surgery is not a route I want to go down anyway unless no option. Thank you for your advice, much appreciated- what time frame did your jr recover in on his own?
 
Our jrt had an operation a few years ago for a cruciate ligament problem which cured her problem. However a couple of years later her other back leg went. As she was no longer covered by insurance we were advised to give her strict rest. After speaking to vet he said that the outcome would be the same if she had op or if we rested her. We gave her strict rest and touch wood she has recovered and has been fine for a couple of years now. Good luck with yours x
 
Milanesa said:
Does slipping patella cause pain and 'clicking' noises also? :( poor dog she isn't in for a happy Xmas this year.
Click to expand...

Yes it does cause both of those - if she were a horse I would be saying bute and box rest, so I guess rimadyl and limited exercise would be the canine alternative :)
 
Hi Charlie- thanks for your input it's reassuring. I have no insurance for my dog. She does seen abit better today (less sad) so I am hoping with rest she will improve.

Cave and levrier thx for input re this, it definately seems to be the patella as I can feel something there moving when it clicks. She is also going on a strict diet as she could do with losing a few kg to aid recovery. :)
 
UPDATE- have been bak to vet, she has improved slightly but the clicking is more audible and frequent - is this air trapping in the knee joint I wonder? When it clicks she isn't fussed by it, but still 4/5ths lame on it. Vet has suggested wait another week with pain killers which I am happy with, so fingers crossed she will improve with more rest.
 
It was a good few weeks. We made sure she couldn't jump on the sofa, carried her upstairs. We also had her on the lead even in the garden. It was an absolute pain as we had to always be aware. Was well worth it though. Once rested a sound she was back to normal very quickly. We still don't allow her to run after balls told much as we think it may be the twisting and turning that did it. How is yours? X
 
Ah ok, mine did it a week ago and is still not really putting any weight on it, preffering to hop on three. Bet wants to X-ray on Friday but I am tempted to wait abit longer and give her some time to heal. Ya the sofa jumping is impossible to control isn't it! Great to hear yors improved fairly quickly though, hopefully this week she will improve more.
 
I thought of it as if she were a horse!! A vet would probably say give the horse 6 weeks off and go from there!!! The injury is still very new so best not to rush things. Ours preferred three legs to begin with. Our worry was that she was overloading her other previously operated on leg!! Bloody animals!!!
 
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