My senior dog hurt his hind leg. What's the best recovery advice?

This is most likely a combination of both of those things. I would talk to your veterinarian about getting her on some pet glucosamine and possibly a pet anti-inflammatory to help him feel more comfortable.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Suzie. I am sorry to hear about her fall. If she is still acting normal otherwise, I would keep her very quiet to allow her body to rest. Carry her if possible (which may not be an option given the size included in her profile) or you can roll up a towel to use as a sling under her belly to help support her when she needs to walk. By limiting her movements, you can limit any further swelling that may accompany her injury. Do not give her any over-the-counter pain medication as these can be toxic to dogs. If she is not significantly better by tomorrow morning, she will need to see her veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

I am so sorry to hear about Brandy but happy that she seems to be doing well. Your options will really depend on the type/severity of the break. Some breaks can heal if bandaged/splinted without surgery if the bones are aligned well enough. If that is the case, you may be able to manage her under supervision of your vet with strict confinement and pain management and regular rechecking. If the leg is shattered into too many fragments for the leg to heal this way, you may have to make the tough decision of going ahead with surgery knowing that there is a risk. Even though she is an older dog, if she is otherwise healthy and has no known kidney/liver/heart disease she may do fine with surgery as long as she has good monitoring during anesthesia and supportive care after. If your vet isn't comfortable with this you may ask for a referral to a hospital that does more surgeries or a veterinary college that handles this type of case.

The answer to your question really comes down to her examination and your goals. It is possible for a cruciate ligament to be partially torn or fully torn. If it is fully torn, the knee is unstable and surgery is the best option to stabilize the knee and slow down the development of arthritis in the joint. If the cruciate ligament is only partially torn, you can see signs like you have in Hambro where she seems pretty normal unless she injures the cruciate ligament again with high activity. For a large dog who is young, partial cruciate ligament injures are often problematic because they inhibit dogs from being able to play normally without being painful, but it sounds like Hambro has done well for 6 months. Another consideration is that if she has a partial tear, she may completely tear the cruciate ligament in the future which will necessitate surgery. There is also a potential complication of cruciate injuries that involve a tear in the meniscus. If that happens, she will be consistently lame and will need surgery. Unfortunately, only you can decide on the right answer for Hambro. Surgery provides the best possibility for return to normal activity without lameness, but certainly isn't without potential risks and complications. I have attached a handout on cruciate ligament injuries below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1975 Finally, if this is a partial cruciate injury and you would like to avoid surgery, I would recommend trying to find a rehabilitation veterinarian to help you with physical therapy exercises to strengthen Hambro. They will also be able to give you a second opinion. Hopefully you can find a vet in the UK at this site. http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/Find_A_Therapist.html http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/action.lasso Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It seems your vet did and prescribed all what was necessary as a first approach. How long has been on treatment for? It might be too early to see any improvement though. Difficult to guess any possible cause other than a traumatic injury without seeing at least a picture of it. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I'm sorry for Brody's injury. It sounds like he had ruptured his cranial cruciate ligament. Surgery is the ideal treatment but when that is not possible, crate rest is strongly recommended. Every time Brody steps on that leg he is injuring it further. If he tries to run and jump or play on it he will injure it even more. So 4-8 weeks of cage rest is better than a lifetime of chronic pain and lameness. There are things you can do to try to make it easier on him. Toys or chews that may interest him but that he can't swallow large pieces of. Make sure he can be out with you on a leash when possible instead of a cage. If he is super anxious or fighting the crate you may need to discuss anxiety or sedation medications with your vet. Here's an article that explains CCL injury a little bit more. I would recommend starting Brody on a supplement such as Dasaquin to try to limit arthritis effects in his knees. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1975

Poor Willie! The duration of cage rest and pain medications depends on the degree of the tear. You can also provide Willie with joint supplements, which are available at most pet stores or through your veterinarian. These will help maintain the lining of the joint and partially prevent further pain and damage. If Willie is overweight, a diet plan is also something to consider to minimize pressure on the knee when she does begin exercising again. There are surgical options that can be considered to stabilize the joint if warranted. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you have!