Cruciate insufficiency

[julia]

Harvey has had a limp for a week so we took him to the vet yesterday, and he diagnosed cruciate insufficiency. It seems to be getting worse quickly in that he limps more and more badly when he has been lying down, but it settles once he's been moving. He is having an X Ray on Monday and the vet will decide if anti inflammatories will be ok for now or if he needs surgery. I obviously don't want him to have an op, but I can't help thinking that it would be better done now, while he is 4, rather than giving him medication for years and operating when he is older. We have a very good vet so I will trust his decision. Right now on vets orders he is only walking on the lead and no running mad, not easy with a Golden retriever. We've always used a ramp to get him in and out of the car and he's used to that fortunately. Has anyone any experience of this. I'll be glad when it's sorted as its horrible to know he's sore.

[Cobi & Ginnie's Mum]

Hello Julia,
Sorry to hear about Harvey.
Ginnie was about the same age or even older and she was chasing Abigail, Abby turned quickly, Ginnie turned sharply and her cruciate ligament just snapped, her scream was awful, and then she couldn't put her foot on the ground, it was hanging. Our vet at the time had tried anti inflammatory tablets, as we already knew that Ginnie had arthritis in her back legs so her cruciate ligament was repaired quickly, the vet said that she may have a slight limp after the surgery but it wouldn't be a painful limp, after surgery she didn't have a limp and the rest of her life was a good one, right to the end in 2011.
Hope this doesn't sound patronising, but we followed his advice to the letter, Ginnie had to have a lead on even to go into our back garden, then weeks on a slightly longer lead, no racing around on the beach chasing Abby for several months.
Things might have changed now, but at the same time a friend's GSD had the exact operation on the same leg, he didn't follow the instructions at all and his poor dog who was a similar age to Ginnie had to have further surgery and she still didn't recover like Ginnie did.
Ginnie looked like a plucked chicken with a seam right up the middle of her leg, we put bells on collar and cut one of my husband's sweat shirts up and put her leg in the 'arm' of it, I don't like those 'tulip' collars but I wanted to know if she was having a crafty scratch. I also used Hypericum and Calendula cream as it is a natural painkiller for wounds and painful cuts and it healed it so well in the 10 days whilst her stitches were in that the vet remarked on it, stupidly I told him what I had used and he just dismissed it. I used it on Cobi, after she was spayed and she healed much quicker and left her stitches alone, I used it many times since, it stops them wanting to scratch and bite after the initial application, have a look at the reviews on Amazon, many dog owners use it.

Lots of love to Harvey and he will be fine, the procedure is probably more advanced than it was nearly 12 years ago.

Lynda x

[julia]

Thanks Lynda, that's really useful, and of course not patronising. Harvey usually has his morning walk on a big field where there are lots of dog walkers and he has particular friends he loves to run around with so we just aren't talking him there at the moment, he would hate not to be able to run with them. Really good idea about covering the leg, he had a cone on after he was neutered but we had to take it off because he kept walking into things. If it comes to an op I will check out that cream. I'm glad that Ginnie recovered well, as you say following post op orders makes the difference. Thanks again for the information, and reassurance

[janrobinson]

Hi Julia,

If his cruciate needs doing then it should be done straight away and not left. My old Barney had his right leg done when he was 6, this went as he was running down a slope. and then his left when he was 9 and he lived a very active life until he was 15 so no after effects. If the after care is done right he will be fine. Slow walking on the lead for 3 months to get him to put his weight on it and not carry it when walking fast. it is a really painful condition and if left can start healing in the wrong place. It seems a funny word for this ' insufficiency' does your vet think it is just a weakness although the X ray will tell you. Many Goldens and Labs have this as they run and turn quickly and it's done. Just going down a step the wrong way can do it.

[julia]

Hi Jan. The vet said it used to be called cruciate disease. It did come on very quickly so I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't twisted it. I'll let you know what happens on Monday. We'll both be going to pick him up so I have my questions ready. We had planned to go to the lakes for a few days in February with him, but we've cancelled it because whatever happens he isn't going to be ready for running around there yet.

[julia]

He had his X Rays today, needed a G.A for them. The vet showed us where there was fluid around his knee joint and the top of the tibia is not quite the right angle. I was a bit confused because he said that if he operated now it would be to prevent further problems, and that a course of metacam could ease it, but also said that in his experience it usually ends up needing doing.
So he's having metacam until a week Wednesday, the vet is away after today, back on that day, and we'll go back then to make a decision. He's aspirated some fluid to analyse. He also X rayed his hips and they are fine. I told him that I didn't want Harvey on long term anti inflammatories as he's only young and our other dogs have all been older when they started them, but he said that wouldn't be the plan, it's just a short course to see if it settles the problem. So we wait and see, but he's fine tonight and he's so gentle, he never growls when he's being treated and all of the staff were fussing him.

[janrobinson]

Hi Julia,It sounds like he needs this op and then he will be pain free. Always hard to make a decision but it is to make his life better,

[julia]

Jan, that's what we'll tell him when we go back. I don't want to be limiting his fun to stop things getting worse, I'd rather it was sorted

[janrobinson]

I agree with you

[Cobi & Ginnie's Mum]

I agree with you and of course Jan, get it done and dusted and Harvey will be fine after a few months

[hairydog]

Agree with Jan weve had 4 cruciate ops in the last 18 months Paddy 2 in 2014 AND Lucy 2 in 2015 whilst he is young get it done they can also recover quicker..
Hope all goes well for him...

[julia]

An update on Harvey. He went to the vet last Thursday and was better after being on metacam for a week. The vet said the aspirate they took had showed an inflammatory process. He didn't want to arrange surgery because he reckoned the short course of metacam can sometimes sort it for a long time, but 90% sure it would be back. Less than a week since then and he's started limping again. We have avoided the places where he runs round with his friends so it's been quite a calm week. So ringing the vet again tomorrow. Just want it sorting now.
I have to ask Jan was he brought up with cats. He insists on getting on the living room window ledge and lying stretched out like a cat watching the world go by, and it's just a narrow window ledge. He's done it since we first got him and we just can't dissuade him. Plus he loves cats

[janrobinson]

There is only one thing to do now. Julia. Hard to make decisions but he will be better for having it done.

About the cats .... I have to say I do not know but if he has found a good vantage point to watch the world go by who can blame him

[julia]

Harvey's just home from the vets. Operation over and he's totally doped up but otherwise seems all right. He goes back for a check on Wednesday. I'll be sleeping on the sofa tonight. X

[Cobi & Ginnie's Mum]

Give him a big cuddle from us. we are glad that his 'op' is now over, they look terrible with all the shaved hair missing and the stitches ....which is far worse, it is a long process back to recovery but he will be fine, like our Ginnie was.

Lynda and Les