Another long post by Melynda ... I have a wonderful 10 yr old, 114 lb Rottweiler, Radar. Radar really isn't overweight - he is a fit, trim, muscular, big baby. Until now, he's never had any big health issues - most people who met him thought he was much younger than he really is because he still behaves like a youngster. Radar seemed fine when he went to bed Saturday night - but he woke up he seemed to be having trouble with his rear right leg. After he got moving his leg seemed better so we assumed that maybe he had just slept on his leg wrong & it went to sleep. Last night he started limping again. This morning he didn't even stand up to eat breakfast - which is really unusual for him :cry: I took him to the vet and was told that the problem could be a ruptured cruciate ligament. Unfortunately, I had already fed Radar so they asked that I bring him back later today so he could be sedated for x-rays to see if they could positively determine the cause of his pain. Because of Radar's size regular knee surgery would probably not work - so the vet said he would have to refer Radar to a specialist if a cruciate ligament rupture is the problem. He also mentioned that it is very common for the "good" rear knee's cruciate ligament to rupture within the same year as the the first rupture. Has anyone else's dog had a similar injury? If so, how much pain did your dog seem to be in following treatment? What type of treatement did you opt for? How long did it take for him/her to feel better? I hope this is a repairable injury that won't cause Radar any substantial pain. Although it sounds bad - a torn ligament is far better than any aiment with "sarcoma" as part of the name. It would crush my other son (and the rest of the family) if anything bad happened to Radar. My 1st grader considers Radar to be his brother. In fact, he was sooooo proud when we signed Radar up for the PTA this year (we were trying to when the snowcone party for the class - so we signed up everyone in the family). I'd love to hear from others whose pets have had similar injuries. Although this is not my biggest concern - I would also like to know if I need to refinance the house in order to pay for the surgery. So far the cost of treatment hasn't been mentioned - other than to say that Radar's size will mean that he will probably need to be treated by a specialist. If your dog was diagnosed with a similar condition, what did it end up costing to make your dog feel better? Is your dog doing better now?
Sorry to hear about Radar Mylenda. I know how easily they can become an honorary member of the family. I hope the surgery isn't too expensive.
I just got back from the vet's office. It looks like it wasn't Radar's knee after all - it was his hips Apparently he's been having trouble for a while with arthritis & his hips - but he never let on in any way that he wasn't feeling well. I have some vitimans that will hopefully help - and some pain medicine for him. The folks at the vets office were wonderful with him. They let me stay in the back with him. They treated him & the other pets extremely well.
^^^ I can't tell if that's good news or bad news. Just vitamins and pain meds? That's better than surgery, right? Is he feeling better? Hope so. :?
This is a wonderful product that I see work! Ultimutt Joint Relief Vitamins are chewable chicken flavored joint support supplements that help prevent and relieve pain associated with arthritis, hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. These vitamins will strengthen bones and move blood flow, while reducing pain and joint swelling. [/url]www.toysrmel.com
I'm still not sure which was worse. Either way it sounds bad. If it had been Radar's knees - it was possibly fixable - but because of his size and age success with surgery was questionable. Even though surgery isn't really an option now I still had to shed a few tears when they diagnosed him with hip dysplaysia, bone splints & arthritis because these things have probably been going on for a while and I feel like I should have noticed or done something to help him before now. The vet gave him Glycoflex & Etogesic to take for his arthritis & pain and it really seems to be helping. Although he's still not fully using his back right leg, Radar acts like he feels MUCH better than he did on Monday. I guess I just never realized that he was an "old" dog because he always behaved like a playful pup. I hope he is still able to have a good life for a while longer. I don't want him to be in a lot of pain - but I sure don't want him leaving us anytime soon either. It was really worrisome on Monday when he wouldn't even stand up to eat a treat - today he about ran me over trying to get to one I really hope we at least get another good year or two with Radar. Has anyone else had a large dog who started showing signs of trouble with hip dysplasia? If so, for how much longer was your dog able to live comfortably once arthritis set in and he/she began showing signs of the problem?
Melynda, have you considered trying accupuncture? I just went through an ordeal with one of my dogs, injured back so bad he couldn't sit or handle steps, he was in terrible pain - accupuncture worked a miracle on him..I used Dr. Jim Meyer at Neuse River Veterinary Hospital in Wendell, it's a ride from Four Oaks, but I heard from several people that he was the best. Three treatments and the dog is 100%.
GET OUT zoo - really three treatments!?! We have a two year old with severe dysplasia, both sides. She has had one FHO so far and the other one probably in about a month. Luckily, she is a happy spirited pup so her lack of hips only slows her down usually after dark. It sure does make her grumpy as all get out though. Zoo, any chance your dr in Wendell has a website? Mel, do you have a comparison chart for Glycoflex and your Ultimutt product by chance? Thanks All.
It looks like we'll be making another visit to the vet in the morning (Monday). I'm not sure what is wrong now. I didn't give Radar his medicing today - just in case he is suffering from some sort of adverse reaction to the drugs. Although he seems to be walking fine and doesn't appear to be in pain - he started a strange hoarse cough yesterday (Saturday). Today (Sunday) he is still coughing occassionally and he didn't eat his food - which is usually a definite sign that something is wrong with my boy He's up to date on all of his shots & vaccines so I don't think he has kennel cough. I was worried that maybe he had something stuck in his throat or something - but he did eat a couple of dog biscuits without any trouble - he just didn't eat his food. He doesn't act like he's feeling bad - but I know he can't be feeling 100% if he's not eating like normal.
http://www.neuserivervet.net It has some accupuncture info on the site. Dr. Jim was great! My little guy was in BAD shape when he had his first treatment, by his third he was his old self again - We were honestly considering putting him down rather than consider back surgery - so many long backed dogs I know personally who had disk surgery were never the same again. On an older dog who has slowed down, its a different story, but on a young dog who runs all over the house and is full of life, the thoughts of them more or less eating, sleeping and not much more were heartbreaking. We were ready to try anything to make him well - all I can say is it worked for us.
Rotties do not complain about injuries as often as some other breeds. Ive had 2 rotties (ended up putting both to sleep because of issues before they were 2 years old each) but they can withstand a good deal of pain without you knowing it. My male started whining one day and it got worse over a few weeks. The vet said the cartilage in his knees was completely gone and for it to be in the state it was, he had dealt with it for several months, if not a year. I fed him 2 tylenol's a day to help with the pain but i knew it was just a matter of time. Had i known earlier, the doc said there might have been something we could have done but at the point it was at, there was nothing to do.
I'm happy to report that Radar has been doing well for the past couple of weeks. We took him off the Etogesic and his appetite seemed to come back. We are still giving Radar the Glycoflex and it seems to be helping. Radar hasn't even shown a hint of a limp recently Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone offered
