[GatorBytes]

My neighbours dog - American Bulldog cross, approx. 100+ lbs. I believe about 2 yrs. old.

A few months back dog was playing, sustained injury - limping/acute. Vet visit - "hip x-rays" - hips are fine - knee was not checked

I notice the dog as summer approaches is limping - now chronic - lively, runs and plays with other dogs - I suspect pays for his rambunctiousness.

This weekend (don't know details) - rear leg is off the ground completely and he is struggling to hop on the other - as soon as toe comes close to touching ground goes back up.

Vet visit today - anesthetized for full examination, was told drawer pull test done on knee and Vet said it was fine and tight - doesn't know what else could be - felt x-rays not necessary in the event if break in toe or something the bone would mend.

So what other possibilities should be considered as to why the leg is up if not the knee???

thank you in advance and for taking the time to read

 

[Jax08]

Take the dog to an ortho. The ortho will take xrays and look for signs of inflammation and arthritis. I bet it's in the knee somewhere. Meniscus maybe? But my bet is on an ACL.

I will never screw around with a regular vet again with a leg issue like this. Big waste of money.

 

[Courtney]

My first thought was ACL as well. My parents went through this about 5 years ago. Their girl was injured running on snow that was very crunchy after light rain fall.

 

[Jax08]

It could be a miniscule tear. Jax went a year before hers tore enough to definitively say it was an ACL over her hip. What you are describing is exactly what she was doing. She did conservative management and then rehab. Then it tore again a few months later and her only symptom was she cried when she jumped.

 

[GatorBytes]

Vet offered nothing, said could do an MRI at $2800

From what I was told by a vet couple yrs ago - MRI won't pick up a tear either (much like an x-ray).

Could it be a hernia of some type - pinched nerve?

I am 90% on the side of ACL tear too - I could understand if drawer test is tight why they would think that wasn't it, but cannot test the dogs reaction as he was under.

But at least he got his shots while there (incl. Lyme) sigh.

 

[Jax08]

he doesn't need an MRI. Jax was diagnosed with an xray. her drawer test was fine. The inflammation from the tear will cause arthritis which will show on xray and displacement of the bone if the tear is bad enough.

It could be in the back, but I highly doubt it. Not with the symptom of toe touching and lifting his leg up high. That's classic ACL.

And that offer to do an expensive test is exactly why they should go to a good ortho who knows what to look for.

 

[blehmannwa]

Could it be a luxating patella? They can be intermittent and slide back and forth, I agree with going to an ortho.

 

[JakodaCD OA]

I would also suggest an ortho surgeon, and take the xrays with them.

I have known alot of people that vet says one thing from an xray, take it to an ortho and they pick up the problem the vet doesn't.

Xrays won't pick up a tear/blown out cruciate, but an ortho surgeon should be able to diagnose more correctly

 

[LisaT]

It could be the IS joint in the low back. Happened to Max.

 

[LisaT]

Stupid auto spell check - S I

 

[GatorBytes]

Stupid auto spell check - S I

LOL - technology

Thanks will look that up

 

[Jax08]

It could be his back. Have the ortho take the xrays. When the regular vet was checking Jax for this they took a terrible incomplete xray of his back.

 

[wolfstraum]

still sound like it is in the knee - $2800 for an MRI???? Geeez....you can get a scintigraphy scan which is very very conclusive for everything here for a dog for $600-800 at an equine hospital!

Lee

 

[GatorBytes]

still sound like it is in the knee - $2800 for an MRI???? Geeez....you can get a scintigraphy scan which is very very conclusive for everything here for a dog for $600-800 at an equine hospital!

Lee

Wow thanks Lee - that is helpful/useful info for diagnostics...I don't know anything about the neighbours Vet, but I know this area has a lot of large animal practitioners - should be able to find a vet who can offer this...there is a tack shop 2 mins. up the road - they should have a source

Bone Scintigraphy in Veterinary Medicine

Quick Google came up with this^^^

Figure 2. Soft tissue and delayed bone images of a 5 year old German Shepherd dog with a right rear leg lameness due to an avulsion of the cranial cruciate ligament. This study shows a very focal lesion in the bone at the origin of the cranial cruciate ligament. Radiographs were normal. The dog responded well to surgical repair of the cruciate ligament.

 

[natalie559]

On an older knee injury often there is a medial buttress on the inside of the affected knee, feel there with your hand and see do you feel a hard knob. This could indicate a chronic knee injury.

A tibial thrust test should be done too in addition to the drawer test- was that done?

How to perform the tibial compression test

"The beauty of the tibial compression test is that it mimics the loading that causes cranial tibial thrust when the dog walks.
This is very different than the cranial drawer sign, which is a motion that doesn’t exist in real life. Think of it this way: The cranial drawer sign is “iatrogenic” whereas the cranial tibial thrust is generated by the patient when walking (or running)"

 

[Gretchen]

Take the dog to an ortho. The ortho will take xrays and look for signs of inflammation and arthritis. I bet it's in the knee somewhere. Meniscus maybe? But my bet is on an ACL.

I will never screw around with a regular vet again with a leg issue like this. Big waste of money.

Yes, totally agree. We've just been through this.

 

[Jax08]

And a new lesson learned today...

Jax presented with same symptoms as when she had the ACL tear. Upon exam, she was diagnosed with aa right iliopsoas strain

The right stifle was stable on palpation today. There was pain elicited when palpating the right iliopsoas, and lesser trochanter. At this point we suspect a right iliopsoas strain for the cause of Jax's lameness.

Just another thing for the owner to check out.

 

[wyominggrandma]

Same as Holly.. Iliopsoas injury.
And they can do a rectal exam and check for ISO stability, if they press on the place where the iso's join together, the dog will literally fall down.

 

[Jax08]

They didn't do that with Jax that I know of! he did leave the room with her to discuss with the other ortho. He just lifted her leg and moved it around. When I looked it up after I got home, one site said it's under diagnosed.

 

[wyominggrandma]

Yes it is often diagnosed as hip dysplasia before xrays.When they do the rectal if the issue is severe the dog will literally collapse straight on the floor. Because this muscle is hooked to the moving parts of hip when they flex the leg upwards they show pain hence the dysplasia diagnosis.
I have never seen or heard of this injury either until today