Wait to see what the vet says.
I am sure he is fine. Maybe a sprain.
I am sure he is fine. Maybe a sprain.
injured rear leg at agility
Ruger is a 2 year old male. Very healthy, ideal weight, lots of exersise.
He was going to his first agility trial next month, but experienced an injury last week at agility class.
On his first run, he took his first jump, landed and started limping on his rear rt. leg.
He did not finish the rest of the class. I kept him on leash and just walked around the outside of the ring.
He limped for approx. 30 seconds and then walked normal....full weight on leg.
I restricted his activity for a couple of days and then started taking him and Jayda ( our 1 yr. female gsd ) out for walks.
He showed no disomfort whatsoever and would trot without symptoms.
On the fourth day, I let him off leash and he ran in the field with Jayda as if nothing was wrong.
He was acting perfectly normal, running side by side with Jayda, hard turns, never showing any signs of discomfort.
So, all week.... no limping.....he looked and acted 100%.
Then, last night at agility, the instructor said we should try him on a lowered jump as we was doing fine with the other obstacles.
The jump was set at 12". I gave him the release and he ran around the jump?
I reset him and he took the jump, landed and immediately limped on the leg.
I felt terrible, he was trying to tell me something and I listened to the instructor anyway.
I removed him from class and will be going to the vet this afternoon.
I'm just concerned after reading so many posts about vet's jumping to acl injuries and " he needs surgery " diagnosis.
Ruger is acting fine now, no limping, he wants to run but I'm keeping him confined for now.
Has anyone experience this with there pupper? 100% running and turning hard capabilities, but can''t take jumps. I would think a torn acl would be symptimatic when running and cutting hard turns due to lateral strain, not when taking small jumps only?
Thanks for all input.
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He was going to his first agility trial next month, but experienced an injury last week at agility class.
On his first run, he took his first jump, landed and started limping on his rear rt. leg.
He did not finish the rest of the class. I kept him on leash and just walked around the outside of the ring.
He limped for approx. 30 seconds and then walked normal....full weight on leg.
I restricted his activity for a couple of days and then started taking him and Jayda ( our 1 yr. female gsd ) out for walks.
He showed no disomfort whatsoever and would trot without symptoms.
On the fourth day, I let him off leash and he ran in the field with Jayda as if nothing was wrong.
He was acting perfectly normal, running side by side with Jayda, hard turns, never showing any signs of discomfort.
So, all week.... no limping.....he looked and acted 100%.
Then, last night at agility, the instructor said we should try him on a lowered jump as we was doing fine with the other obstacles.
The jump was set at 12". I gave him the release and he ran around the jump?
I reset him and he took the jump, landed and immediately limped on the leg.
I felt terrible, he was trying to tell me something and I listened to the instructor anyway.
I removed him from class and will be going to the vet this afternoon.
I'm just concerned after reading so many posts about vet's jumping to acl injuries and " he needs surgery " diagnosis.
Ruger is acting fine now, no limping, he wants to run but I'm keeping him confined for now.
Has anyone experience this with there pupper? 100% running and turning hard capabilities, but can''t take jumps. I would think a torn acl would be symptimatic when running and cutting hard turns due to lateral strain, not when taking small jumps only?
Thanks for all input.
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Thanks everyone for your replies.
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I just got back from the vet and he figures it is a mild acl tear. He did some manipulating of the joint, I believe it was the drawer test?
He did not prescibe any meds, just " take it easy for a couple of weeks".
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I sure hope it will resolve and Ruger will be able to continue with his agility.
Thankyou again for taking time to reply.
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I just got back from the vet and he figures it is a mild acl tear. He did some manipulating of the joint, I believe it was the drawer test?
He did not prescibe any meds, just " take it easy for a couple of weeks".
I sure hope it will resolve and Ruger will be able to continue with his agility.
Thankyou again for taking time to reply.
3
quote=LisaT]Knees can be tricky -- how sure was the vet, or was it, "I guess" he has a mild tear? [/quote]
Hi Lisa,
IMO, it was an "I guess".... Not to reassuring.
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Hi Lisa,
IMO, it was an "I guess".... Not to reassuring.
Try rest. I mean, real rest. No playing around in the back yard. Quiet walks to go potty and lots of lounging around the house watching Batman re-runs.
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My experience is that an ACL tear is pretty obvious. Yelping, serious limping, non-weight bearing. (But that's just my experience.)
Don't do anything more significant than this unless you go to an orthopedic specialist (I have a really good one down here if you need. It's a drive, but our $$ is cheap right now!) If rest doesn't work, this is one of those times when your regular family vet should be referring you out, and if he doesn't, you go on your own. A combination of physical therapy and meds might do the trick. Maybe Ruger needs surgery. But either way, it's best if you have a specialist running the show at that point. You just don't want to do anything that will make it worse.
And BTW, Zamboni had both knees rebuilt after her ACLs ruptured in 2001. She's been really active, hiking, backpacking, and just started agility this year (at age 15. Ok, she doesn't fly through the course like the young kids. But she's doing it! ).
I wouldn't count Ruger out of Agility or anything else just yet!
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One step at a time, ok?
Right now, lots of rest for Ruger!
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Don't do anything more significant than this unless you go to an orthopedic specialist (I have a really good one down here if you need. It's a drive, but our $$ is cheap right now!) If rest doesn't work, this is one of those times when your regular family vet should be referring you out, and if he doesn't, you go on your own. A combination of physical therapy and meds might do the trick. Maybe Ruger needs surgery. But either way, it's best if you have a specialist running the show at that point. You just don't want to do anything that will make it worse.
And BTW, Zamboni had both knees rebuilt after her ACLs ruptured in 2001. She's been really active, hiking, backpacking, and just started agility this year (at age 15. Ok, she doesn't fly through the course like the young kids. But she's doing it! ).
I wouldn't count Ruger out of Agility or anything else just yet!
Right now, lots of rest for Ruger!
3
Hi Lisa,
IMO, it was an "I guess".... Not to reassuring.
If it was a guess, I would consider seeing a chiro and having the back checked out.
Thanks Lori.
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Thanks for the reply Lisa. I believe there is a certified chiro. in the Kelowna area so I'll check it out.
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