Callie's leg injury
- Thread starter ute_fan
- Start date
Back from the ortho vet. He diagnosed Callie with a luxation of the superficial digital flexor tendon. He said there's quite a bit of swelling in the joint and gave her a shot of Adequan which will help lubricate the joint as well as reducing the swelling. At this point in time, he's prescribed rest and a return visit in 3 weeks, and says there's about a 50% chance that it will heal without surgery, as young as she is.
The bad news is that he said she also had grade 1 luxation of both her patellas. The left side, where her hock is also injured, is a little worse than the right. He said there's a slight possibility she might require surgery on those in the future if they give her problems -- but I'll cross that bridge if it happens.
She's already acting more like herself -- which is both good and bad. My husband and I both work, so she's in a crate during the day -- but how do I keep her at rest when we're home? She's wanting to play!
The bad news is that he said she also had grade 1 luxation of both her patellas. The left side, where her hock is also injured, is a little worse than the right. He said there's a slight possibility she might require surgery on those in the future if they give her problems -- but I'll cross that bridge if it happens.
She's already acting more like herself -- which is both good and bad. My husband and I both work, so she's in a crate during the day -- but how do I keep her at rest when we're home? She's wanting to play!
corbinam
Moderator
I know you are probably quite worried after learning all of this about Callie. I went through (and am still going through) this with my girl Lexi.
I am pretty sure that I have some good information about the superficial digital flexor tendon at work--I'll try to find it for you. I know we considered that when we were trying to figure out what was wrong with Lexi.
Secondly, try not to worry too much. There are so many things that can be done for both injuries. I was so upset when I found out about my girl, but I had to remind myself that there are much worse diagnoses out there.
As to the luxating patella, that's exactly what Lexi was diagnosed with. She has Grade 1 in both knees. I don't know if there are any facilities near you, but we drove to TOPS in Chicago (a leading veterinary practice when it comes to rehab) and got a full evaluation done. I learned so much about Lexi's structure, contributing factors to her injury, and received a rehab program to help strengthen her to try to prevent further injury. Is it foolproof? Of course not, but I know I'm doing everything I can to help her get well. We also placed Lexi on several supplements that help with ligaments and cartilage. I thought the evaluation was the best thing we did, and having a specific rehab program is awesome. (It may or may not be helpful to you to check out my blog where I'm trying to keep up with how she's doing and what we're doing with her)
There's still a possibility that her patella will luxate again (we plan to continue agility with her when she is back at 100%), but now we know how to handle it. It's also possible that we need to do surgery with her in the years to come, but all we can do is to make sure she gets the best care she can get and monitor her closely.
As to keeping them quiet...trust me, I know how hard it is. Lexi is very active and we had her on crate rest (before our diagnosis) for an entire month. It was frustrating for everyone involved.
Some tips? Lots of treat puzzles that don't require too much movement. We used the crate and ex-pen a lot. Kongs were big, and I always kept one in the freezer ready to go. I tried to vary up what was inside and used plain yogurt, banana, pumpkin and some peanut butter (tried to just use a dab of PB since it's high in calories). I also spent some time working with her in her crate on some simple (non-leg related) tricks. We worked on grabbing and dropping toys/balls as an example.
We also made sure to spend some quality time with her. I would just put her on a leash and sit in the yard with her so she could get some sun. In the evenings, I held her in my lap. At first she struggled because she wanted to get down and play, but she eventually figured it out and would nap in my lap just to sit with me.
Just know you aren't alone--the dog community (and this forum!) was so supportive to me when I found out about the news. We're here for you and Callie too!
It's very comforting to hear that someone else has had the same kind of problems. Thank you!!
I think the hardest thing for me is going to be having to keep her apart from her sister. They so love to get together and play -- but there's definitely no keeping her quiet when Shelby is over. Shelby and her parents were living with us while they remodeled their home recently, and it's a good thing they're back in their own place at the moment.
Luckily she loves to sit on my lap, and is content to sit there for quite a while in the evening. I think as the inflammation goes down and she isn't in pain, it's going to be more of a problem
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I don't know if there's a rehab place for dogs anywhere near. I'll have to check into that and see.
I think the hardest thing for me is going to be having to keep her apart from her sister. They so love to get together and play -- but there's definitely no keeping her quiet when Shelby is over. Shelby and her parents were living with us while they remodeled their home recently, and it's a good thing they're back in their own place at the moment.
Luckily she loves to sit on my lap, and is content to sit there for quite a while in the evening. I think as the inflammation goes down and she isn't in pain, it's going to be more of a problem
.I don't know if there's a rehab place for dogs anywhere near. I'll have to check into that and see.
corbinam
Moderator
It's very comforting to hear that someone else has had the same kind of problems. Thank you!!
I think the hardest thing for me is going to be having to keep her apart from her sister. They so love to get together and play -- but there's definitely no keeping her quiet when Shelby is over. Shelby and her parents were living with us while they remodeled their home recently, and it's a good thing they're back in their own place at the moment.
Luckily she loves to sit on my lap, and is content to sit there for quite a while in the evening. I think as the inflammation goes down and she isn't in pain, it's going to be more of a problem
I don't know if there's a rehab place for dogs anywhere near. I'll have to check into that and see.
Yes, it was really hard for us to keep our dogs apart, too. Lexi didn't understand why Bentley got to run around and chase the cat and she didn't. We tried to give her her Kong at times like that (of course then Bentley wanted a Kong, too!)
I just sent you a private message to get your email address as I found several documents that I had at work about the tendon injury.
famous seamus
Forums Enthusiast
Prayers and more prayers for Callie and you. Keep us updated on Callie's progress.
Hugs,
Kate
Justicemom
Forums Celebrity
Luxation of the superfical digitil tendon is exactly the injury Ember had. It is a rare injury is dogs but if you see it over 75% of the time it is in Sheltie or Collie Couple items that I saved.
http://www.vetspecialtytucson.com/LibraryForms/SuperficialDigitalFlexorTendonLuxation.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1697523/
I talked to alot of specialists and did alot of research and surgery is always recommended over conservative treatment especially in a young active dog. If you have the financial means look into it.
Lots of hugs and prayers for Callie. Max sends kisses and listen to mom she knows best.
Callie has her follow-up appointment with the orthopedic vet this afternoon. She's been her usual self -- bouncing around for the past 2 weeks without any issues -- but we can tell that the area in her leg that was causing problems still feels bigger than the other.
I'm so torn, because I don't know what to do if he recommends surgery. If it's not causing her any problems at all I really don't want to pay for surgery at this time. My husband had to have knee surgery in the summer, and we're still recovering from that hit. In addition, both my kids have bought houses during the year, and we've been helping out a bit with those items, so my savings account is pretty drained at the moment.
Am I a horrible puppy Mom if I postpone the surgery if it's recommended since it's not causing her any problems at the moment?
If she was obviously still limping or acting like she was uncomfortable, I'd find the money -- but when she isn't, it's awfully hard to justify the cost.
I'm so torn, because I don't know what to do if he recommends surgery. If it's not causing her any problems at all I really don't want to pay for surgery at this time. My husband had to have knee surgery in the summer, and we're still recovering from that hit. In addition, both my kids have bought houses during the year, and we've been helping out a bit with those items, so my savings account is pretty drained at the moment.
Am I a horrible puppy Mom if I postpone the surgery if it's recommended since it's not causing her any problems at the moment?
If she was obviously still limping or acting like she was uncomfortable, I'd find the money -- but when she isn't, it's awfully hard to justify the cost.