[ABBIE]

Last week ago I took my 2.5 year old for a short walk where the road is hilly. He does fine going up but coming down always seems hard on him. It was the same with another Basset I had. He's about 48 pounds and very trim. He appeared to be slightly limping but then a few days later he had a "play date" with another Basset and they were running around in the grass together. Now he is hopping around on 3 legs or just limping. It's his rear right leg. I squeezed it all over, including his paw pad, but nothing seems to hurt. He doesn't even seem to be in pain. I took him to my vet who said he may have torn a ligament. He suggests keeping him completely quite (right!) for 4-6 weeks and see if it improves. Otherwise it would be a costly surgery. Has this happened to anyone else's Basset? I'd appreciate any advice.

Judy

 

[Betsy Iole]

Sounds like your vet thinks he may have a cranial cruciate injury.

Canine Knee Injuries

 

[ABBIE]

Betsy - thanks so much for the info. I printed it out and it does sound like what Homer has. I am hoping that my vet's recommendation of rest will help as it sounds like a very expensive undertaking. I am thinking of adding perhaps 1/2 adult aspirin for inflamation. Do you think that would be ok?

Judy

 

[Barbara Winters]

I'd certainly check with your vet before giving him any aspirin or other anti-inflammatories. One of the downsides to aspirin, besides risk of GI upset or bleeding, is that the dog feels less pain and therefore gets more active, causing more damage. Also giving pain meds may make keeping him quiet for 4-6 wks a more difficult task.

Again check with your vet. Keep us posted on how he's doing.

[ June 15, 2005, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: Barbara Winters ]

 

[Soundtrack]

I had this happen with Copper, I had to put her on crate rest for a few weeks(!). Fortunately, it did heal on it's own. The quote I had for surgery was major $$$$$$.

 

[ABBIE]

Barbara - That is very sound advice. I agree that if the pain wasn't there, he'd be running all around as usual and further injure himself. He really isn't acting like he's in pain at all - just limping badly and holding his leg up a lot. No moaning or acting differently. And Miriam, you have given me hope! I did read about another type of lameness that happens to Bassets up till they're about 2 years old, but we believe Homer is about 2.5. I don't think anyone knows exactly how old he is since he's been in at least 3 homes in his short life. And yes, it is very expensive to have the surgery, and I just can't afford it. I would have to go into debt, so it would have to be the absolute last resort. My vet doesn't do that kind of surgery but believes that the vet that would do it would charge at least $1,500, but it would probably run more with extras.

I am so grateful for this site and being able to get sound advice. As of this morning, Homer's leg is unchanged, but when I'm at work, and overnight, he's crated which is good.

Judy

 

[Anonymous]

Max has been limping on his right leg, also. After many x-rays, and expert opinions, the vets and consultants(plural) have decided that he has a torn ligament--we are now working on appropriate meds, etc. Max never seemed to have pain either.

Mike, Max;s daddy

 

[ABBIE]

Mike-was it his right back leg? What kind of appropriate meds? Did they mention surgery?

 

[Barbara Winters]

Just for the hec of it I asked the surgeon who does surgergy at my vets (in addition to the 4 vets in the practice) and she said $750 for a cruciate ligament repair. So you might want to ask around.

I notice some vets charge for every little thing, like IV catheters, fluids, IV administration sets, etc but my vet charges for preop blood work, (you can sign a waver saying you don't want preop blood work), and the surgery. I'm sure my vet factors all the extras into her costs but doesn't seem as bad when you don't get an itemized list that includes a several hundred dollar anesthesia charge.

[ June 17, 2005, 11:12 PM: Message edited by: Barbara Winters ]

 

[Mikey T]

Ligaments are sinew. Because of the relative small size an lack of blood flow ccl rarely heal. What does happen is they tear little by little one strand at a time. When a strand brakes it inflames the area. Prolonged rest can clear up the inflamation but does little to strengthen the ligament. If the dog is not highly active and you monitor and regulate his activities, such as jumping, surgery may not be required but dogs being dogs it often is just delaying the inevitiable. Secondly more than 50% of the dogs having CCL surgery on one leg require it eventually on the other.

Often lost in the discussions of the conserative no surgical approach is the pyschological effects of long term crate confinement on the dog. I have owned one and know of others that the required crate confinement (especial if the conserative approach does not work and is followed by surgery and more confinement) had a profound negative effect. I also had dog such confinement had no effect on. I think by judging the temperment of a particular dog an owner can resonably perdict the effect such confinement can have on the dog. Also factor in such confinement often exceed the original time-frame and if surgery is requires can easily approach 4-6 months. IMHO this fact is often overlooked in make the decision on surgery.


As for cost there are a number of ways to repair a ccl. The Best method varries for a particular dog based on the dogs size, weight activity level and the expertise of a particular surgeon.
TPLO surgery which is the superior method for larger active dogs, which changes bone angles of the knee so a ccl is no longer needed general runs between 1500 and 2000 dollars. More costly than synthetic ligament or suture repair but also stronger.

 

[ABBIE]

Hi! Just a little update on Homer. When he first started limping badly he seemed kind of depressed. Wasn't himself, as he is usually very hyper. It's been a week and a half now and I've made him rest a lot and haven't taken him out except for potty visits. I'm starting to notice that his mood has picked up and he's almost back to normal, which is not necessarily a good thing for me! He is limping less and it's only when he starts to run that his two hind legs go at the same time! It could be that it will heal oh it's own. I am going on vacation the end of the month for 5 days and he will be at the kennel. I've alerted them of his injury and they felt it will work out well since he will really have to rest. We are all keeping our fingers crossed!

Judy

 

[Anonymous]

We had a very similar situation with our Lab last fall, we even had her in for the surgery however they had 4 vets examine her knee while she was sedated and they determined that although the knee was VERY loose, it was not outside the normal guidelines. So, she was on a leash in the house and to go out--that prevented her from chasing a squirrel or Molly for that matter. I also noticed that she was not herself--quite grumpy, etc. She healed after MONTHS of little activity however now has arthritis in that knee so we use cosequin for her which helps.
Just some input. There were times where she would seem to have healed and then it would get worse again. I guess kind of like if you sprained your ankle--if you are not careful and overdo it, it can almost make it worse. Having her on a leash to go out potty and to manage the stairs made a world of difference in her recovery.
Good luck, I remember being quoted a large dollar figure for that surgery however our vet had set up a payment plan for us when we took her in--thankfully we did not have to do it.

 

[ABBIE]

I too have been keeping Homer on a leash both in the house and out. Actually, I always have Homer on a leash when I take him out - don't trust him not to wander off or take off! I did hear that if he heals it could become arthritic. It's too bad it happened at all, but at least I'm seeing some improvement so I don't want to put him through the ordeal of surgery. My regular vet is a good friend and I'm sure would let me pay the bill off, but he doesn't do this kind of surgery. I would have to go elsewhere where the vet is known to be very expensive. If his leg doesn't heal, I would have the surgery done anyway. How could I not?

 

[Daisy Mae's Mom]

I just went thru this last week with Zena. When my boys and I returned last Wed night from ball practice she was limping. It on Thursday she seemed no better BUT when you touched it she showed no pain. So Friday morning we went to the vet and they said she could have sprained or strained it. She has had hip problems in the past so he placed her on Cosequin (glucosamine and sodium chondrotin sulfate) to take daily. I'm happy to say that by yesterday she was walking and running on all fours like nothing had happened.

 

[exsqwid]

Just for giggles and grins, check into Panosteitis

http://www.vetinfo.com/dpano.html

My Basset has had spurts (couple days) of limping without evident reason. Xrays finding nothing. Vet suggested surgery anyway. I waited because of alot of $$$. Limping went away after the vet visit. She doesn't outwardly "show" pain so who knows how dogs really feel. Imagine carrying an 80 lb Basset down stairs for potty for a couple days - oh, my aching back. (haha)

 

[shermsmom]

I hope someone can help me....My dog,"Emilia" has been diagnosed with a knee problem. She is only a year old and the vet said she has a knee cap that doesn't set right in it's groove. The problem seems to be that the grooves are not deep enough to hold the knee cap in place and surgery is required to deepen them. Her knee goes out of joint when she tries to get up making her drag her hind end around. It has not seemed to hurt her in the past, but now she limps a bit and I am worried that if I do not get her surgery soon, the problem could get worse of cause other hip problems etc. I LOVE this dog and will do anything I can to make her better, but I have two problems. First I am not sure of how a surgery like this will work on a dog so young and still growing. Second, the cost of this is between $3,000.00 and $5,000.00 which I just do not have. Due to many personal issues my financial situation will not allow me to go ahead with surgery. Many times in the past I have taken horses that the owners could not afford the cost of needed surgery and paid for it. Now I can't even provide this for my own dog. She is really my heart and I can tell you this situation really is devestating to me. If anyone has an idea or can offer any suggestions I would be ever so gratefull. My little Emilia has brought so much joy to not only my life, but everyone she comes into contact with.

 

[Basset Momma]

I know others here are much more expert in this area- but you might want to consider a second opinion. Our dog, Willie had a hip that was just a little bit out of alignment (much like what you are describing)- but not enough to call hip dysplasia. The vet said it was actually pretty close to normal for a basset. He recommended anti-inflammatories for flare ups and rest- and to hold on the surgery. Willie used medication off and on for several months- and then seemed to outgrow the problem (around 15 months).

Also- if you don't get many responses on this thread you may want to start you a new one on knee problems- There are some awesome people here that might could steer you better- Good luck- Wendy

 

[Betsy Iole]

Welcome shermsmom. The condition your vet is describing is called patellar luxation. My Bugsie required surgery for this condition when she was a year old, too. Her vets said that when they got into the joint space, she already had early arthritic changes.

Emilia's symtoms are a bit different from Bugsie's...Bugsie didn't drag her hind end; she would just tuck up the rear leg and not use it when the knee cap was out of position. When the knee cap popped back into place, she was fine. A second opinion or a referral to an orthopedic expert couldn't hurt.

Here are some links that discuss this condition.

Medial and Lateral Patellar Luxation, VetCentric
Medial and Lateral Patellar Luxation, Working Dogs
OFA Patellar Luxation Information, OFA

 

[ABBIE]

I don't know anything about knee problems, but I know that Homer is doing a lot better with his leg problem and he just wants to run and run now. I restrain him from doing so until I feel he is fully healed, but I do let him run some. He is back to the "old" Homer now, although it was a lot more peaceful when he was being quiet!
I certainly sympathize with you about the cost of surgery. We love our pets and not to be able to afford the care they need is very depressing.
Lots of healing drool......