CL again? Lame on second hind leg

Hi.

A quick recap on Elroy's leg bothers:
He went lame on hind leg this time last year, following vets advice, rest etc didn't help and vet eventually decided it WAS both CL gone in his right leg. Op was done round Jan this year. His recovery has been very slow. Even now he still goes lame/on three legs about 3 times a week and has on-going painkillers.

Today:
Out on a walk a couple of minutes in we notice he's limping, decide to head back home and realise he's lame on his other hind leg. Carried him the rest of the way. Rang vet and they advise painkillers and rest over the weekend and they will see him on Monday if he's still lame.

Now, I'm wondering IF this is the CL gone in the other hind leg, giving the fact that he still has a lot of bother with the first; would it be fair on him to put him through another op, more months of crate rest and the possibility of life with pain in both legs not able to work right?

I know many other dogs have gone through ops on both legs and do well. But he hasn't done well since the first one. He also has mild arthritis that showed up on the xrays on both hips. He's 4 or 5 years old, on Loxicom and we give them salmon oil in their diet and Yumove tablets (he gets a double dose for his size) He's a really active dog and loves life.

I don't want any "it's ok, he'll be alright" responses, please. I just want help getting my head around the facts of what are the possibilities if this does turn out to be something serious with the other leg.

What a worry for you All I can say at the moment is try not to look too much on the side of another cruciate rupture.....lameness as you describe can be due to many different things, and actually if the ligament had totally torn then I would expect him to be carrying the leg and not merely limping. I say "merely", and don't mean that to sound dismissive at all, but I am hoping here that he has strained a muscle through putting most of his weight on that leg, or that it is arthritis which can be helped with more medication.

I truly feel for you, but only the vet can make the diagnosis and until that happens you won't know what your options are. I would be the same as you probably - not wanting any form of operation if the worst came to the worst - so you will have to ask your vet exactly what else could be done to keep your boy comfortable.

Good luck, and please let us know what happens at the vet.

Thanks Bitkin.

We let him out of his crate earlier and his back end is wobbling and collapsing all over the place, even after his painkillers.

He is lying beside me on the couch now. Doesn't even lift his head when anyone opens the fridge or opens a rattley packet in the kitchen; noises that would usually have him racing to the kitchen.

This weekend is going to be too long! Especially because the vet most familiar with his case is off till Tuesday.

Must be very hard to watch (( hugs))

As I understand it, when one cruciate ligament goes, the other often follows. Good you've got your vet on it.

It looks like you need serious pain relief. Ask your vet-- they should be able to give you something to help with the pain.

I am sorry to hear of Elroy's ongoing leg problems. . My neighbour's lab had one leg done (cruciates) and less than six months later the other leg went as well. She was told that there was a strong possibility that this would happen. Having said all that she is now fully recovered (5 months later), not lame at all and leading a perfectly normal life. She is 5 years old. After her first op she kept going lame in spite of my friend doing exactly what she'd been told to do for her rehab. It was only after the second op that she recovered so quickly on both legs

Things always happen at weekends don't they . Can you contact your vet and at least ask for painkillers for him if you don't have any at the moment. All you can do is ask the vet what his honest opinion of how well Elroy would be expected to recover after a second op. Everything crossed that everything works out for you and him. Keep us informed.

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

We rang the vet moments after it happened. They said to rest him up over the weekend and give him Loxicom. he gets it anyway as he's often limping or on three legs in the evening anyway with his first leg.

Last night it was awful seeing him try to get around. Back end just wobbling and dropping to either side as neither leg was able to take the weight. (He was only out for a pee, resting otherwise).

This morning he's doing his best not to put any weight on the second leg. His first leg is a little more able for taking weight; as it usually is in the mornings. We'll see how he is as the painkillers wear off later today. At the moment he's not falling over quite as much, but moving is still a real struggle. I honestly don't think he could cope if the second leg needs an op.

He's got his crate parked on a sunny spot in the sitting room and an antler to chew on, so for now he's happy.

Evie you must be so distressed seeing your lovely dog like that. You sound just like my neighbour did when her dog's second leg went. Please don't give up hope though. My friend's dog went in to surgery in a dreadful state and to her amazement could weight bear when she came round from her op and she recovered so quickly from the second op. I'm quite sure she would be more than happy to chat to you, my problem is I don't want to put her number up here. I've just tried to speak to her and she's out but I will get hold of her and see if she is willing to chat to you if you think that would help you make a decision. I've noticed that you don't have access to 'Private Messages' so I'll try and send you my email address now via the 'Direct Threads' section which is at the very bottom of the page on the main Forum page. Give me a few moments to work out how to do it and then check. If you contact me via email at least its a start and safer than leaving personal details here.

Do you know what type of op they did on the first leg?

I had 2 dogs who had the same leg operated on twice, once was an infection so redone & packed with antibiotic beads, & the other dog had the old fashioned nylon strand method first, then the TPLO method after. Another dog I knew had both knees done twice!

Was the meniscus involved? If you are going to put the dog under GA it'll be worth having both knees looked at but I think a specialist would be able to give you a better idea doing a scan. It might be your dog needs his pain meds upping or changing and of course there is the expense of it all to consider.

The recovery of this op needs VERY careful management and can make all the difference, as can hydrotherapy.

Oh no.

For what it's worth, Molly's other cruciate went 13 weeks after the first one, just when she was getting back to normal after the first op. She was lucky in that she recovered well from both ops without any problems and has her, hopefully, last physio/hydro session soon.

Just wondering if you've him to the vet yet for examination and/or x-rays rather than just speaking to them? Only way to get a firm diagnosis I suppose.

Good luck, will be keeping fingers and paws crossed that it's nothing major again. xx