Ongoing lab lameness !! Any suggestions

P

Polos Mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 September 2012
Messages
6,368
Location
West Yorkshire
Visit site
I have a typical lab x who's injured his back leg. He can be hopping on three legs then 12 hours later almost better. I've tried poking and squeezing the leg but can't get any pain response (just my face licked!) and here is no heat/ swelling/ external injury at all.
I took him to the vet about a month ago and they had the same lack of response to feeling it as I did.
They suggested rest then if that didn't work sedation/ xrays etc. but confirmed my suspicion it is soft tissue.

He's now had another month stuck in the garden and it's no better - I can't 100% rest him (without a tiny crate which he would hate) and he is well and happy in himself but this seems to be really dragging on now. It does seem to get better with rest then he bounces around barking at the postman and back to square one.

Any good suggestions before I take him back to the vets.
Thanks
 
Our Lab showed symptoms identical to this, and in the end ruptured the cruciate ligament in that leg. The vet couldn't find anything conclusive on investigation. After the total ruptured he said he thought the initial symptoms were of a partial tear, which eventually went completely. Since the leg has been repaired all the symptoms have disappeared, and she's back to enjoying life to the full.
 
Ask for x-rays of hips and spine. Then at least you can rule it in/out. Make sure that the hips are positioned properly, IE in the same position as for a BVA hip scoring x-ray.
My dog had rear hind lameness and it was actually a back issue.
 
Many thanks both some useful things to point the vet at. My guess would be that it's up high in his hip / back area from how he holds it out to the side at the knee when standing still.
I will do xrays to be on the safe side - but I'm not sure how it could come and go so dramatically if it was bone?

Vets weren't much help as they couldn't get him to react to prodding (other than wagging and trying to lick them!)
 
Hiya, I think by knee you probably mean his stifle joint? If it is I would be looking at cruciate too, the cruciate ligament helps to stabilise the stifle joint (2 ligaments that cross across) in a cruciate injury the stability of the stifle is compromised which could explain the posture I think you are describing of the holding it out to the side. Just FYI cruciate ligaments respond better the sooner they are treated, it may be worth suggesting this to your vet?

Good luck with him :-)
 
Holding out to one side,and after rest just using the tip of the toe to walk on do indicate a stifle problem.I am afraid by "rest" it has to be total CAGE rest,otherwise it is a waste of time.
It takes three weeks of this,with only brief outs for toilet on a lead three times a day,called tough love!After that a very gradual return to mobility over a six week period may do the trick.
 
Agree with the others here that posture sounds like cruciate to me. Most dogs need to be sedated in order to correctly do the drawer tests to check for cruciate injury so its very possible that she could show no pain on normal exam but still have a cruciate issue.Did you mention or show the way she sits to you vets by any chance?
this link shows the classic warning posture http://www.torringtonorthopaedics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC00045.jpg

If xrays are being considered the cruciate testing should be done at the same time. If it a cruciate injury due to the size and weight of labs even total rest is unlikely to solve the problem completely I am afraid so at this stage I would be looking into more investigations to rule that issue in or out. Rest will provide time for the joint to stabilise using scar tissue but arthritis, ongoing lamenes and limited mobility of the joint in later years tends to be the result.

P.s like east kent I am afraid that the garden does not count as rest. Rest is strictly resting the legs and giving them a chance to heal without strain so crated and short lead walks to the toilet...the freedom to move around the garden unless its completely flat and the size of a poststamp is not rest in the medical sense at all. This could be a very important point if it is the cruciate thats damaged as full on caged rest would be needed after surgery or theres a high chance it will fail!
 
Many thanks all - I do agree that he isn't really resting in the garden - probably why it's coming and going! But he would really really hate being in a cage, that would have to be an absolute last resort for me.
Yesterday he was 90% sound again,better than he's been in weeks and actually weight bearing on it when stood still. He seems to sit normally it's when he's stood that his knee hangs out to the side, not quite like that photo.
When I take him back I'll ask them to look at cruciate certainly - is there an op to fix it that reduces the cage rest time a little?
 
Polos Mum said:
When I take him back I'll ask them to look at cruciate certainly - is there an op to fix it that reduces the cage rest time a little?
Click to expand...

There's three or four different procedures that can be done, TPLO or TTA are usually suitable for a large dog. Both involve creating a bone fracture that takes 6-8 weeks to heal though on-lead exercise can start 10-14 days post-op.

My dog showed no pain and barely 1/10 lameness with her partial cruciate injury but under sedation there was a significant drawer movement and totaly laxity in the joint (it had only partially ruptured but stretched a lot).
 
Sounds cruciate to me too i am afraid. My boy had op a few years ago, seem to recall total rest 10 days (carried out into garden to pee), then only in garden on lead for another 10 days, then 3 weeks gradually building up to short lead exercise, and eventually back to normal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top