DennasMom
Well-Known Member
Back in November, Denna and I went on a long hike with a group in the woods... nothing really strenuous, lots of slow walking - but some good hills. She ended the hike going really slow down the hills, and limped a bit for a few days, but then it went away, as long as we didn't over-do a walk (i.e. more than 2.5 miles at a time on flats).
She made one attempt to keep up with my sister's boarder collie over Christmas, but I put a pretty quick stop to it - and nothing seemed to be any worse for wear. But... she still would limp after a long nap or first thing in the morning for a bit... never enough NOT to go for a walk, though, of course.
Post-holidays, we worked on getting her rested up, in case it was a CCL injury... but if we rested too many days in a row without a walk, it got worse. So.... lots of short walks seemed to work best, but the limp never went away. It's in her left-hind leg.
So, today, we talked to the vet and got some x-rays (took 3 of us to lift her up to the table, but she held still for the pictures, like a good girl!). Vet says it feels like a small CCL tear, leading to the start of arthritis in the left knee (low-levels of arthritis verified by x-ray).
We're going to put her on a week of meloxicam and then re-evaluate the long-term plan. If we can get her to use the leg fully (with lots of short, low-intensity walks) to build muscle tone and keep the knee stable, we'll lower the NSAID to the minimum maintenance dose (or see if we can go without). If it doesn't help, TPLO surgery is on the table.
I asked about a knee brace. The vet said in her experience, customized ones can cost as much as surgery, with much lower rates of success (she had not personally seen a brace do any good).
Any suggestions/concerns with meloxicam? I was planning on giving it to her with breakfast.
Her current supplements (also given with breakfast) include turmeric, coconut oil, GLM and a probiotics/ enzyme blend.
I think I'll cook up the turmeric and coconut oil with some pepper, bone broth (instead of water) and cinnamon into golden paste - how much should I give her a day as a "therapeutic" amount? I've been giving her 1-2 teaspoons of turmeric powder a day without any GI issues.
Oh... and her weight was UP 10lbs since her last visit! I guess all this extra rest has not been good for her waistline. Oops. So, we'll be working on that, too.
I'm thinking about taking her in for some water therapy - there are a number of groups here with therapy pools for dogs.
Any other recommendations??
The picture is back on Monday... the snow is all gone now... 50F and 2" of rain does a number on snow!
She made one attempt to keep up with my sister's boarder collie over Christmas, but I put a pretty quick stop to it - and nothing seemed to be any worse for wear. But... she still would limp after a long nap or first thing in the morning for a bit... never enough NOT to go for a walk, though, of course.
Post-holidays, we worked on getting her rested up, in case it was a CCL injury... but if we rested too many days in a row without a walk, it got worse. So.... lots of short walks seemed to work best, but the limp never went away. It's in her left-hind leg.
So, today, we talked to the vet and got some x-rays (took 3 of us to lift her up to the table, but she held still for the pictures, like a good girl!). Vet says it feels like a small CCL tear, leading to the start of arthritis in the left knee (low-levels of arthritis verified by x-ray).
We're going to put her on a week of meloxicam and then re-evaluate the long-term plan. If we can get her to use the leg fully (with lots of short, low-intensity walks) to build muscle tone and keep the knee stable, we'll lower the NSAID to the minimum maintenance dose (or see if we can go without). If it doesn't help, TPLO surgery is on the table.
I asked about a knee brace. The vet said in her experience, customized ones can cost as much as surgery, with much lower rates of success (she had not personally seen a brace do any good).
Any suggestions/concerns with meloxicam? I was planning on giving it to her with breakfast.
Her current supplements (also given with breakfast) include turmeric, coconut oil, GLM and a probiotics/ enzyme blend.
I think I'll cook up the turmeric and coconut oil with some pepper, bone broth (instead of water) and cinnamon into golden paste - how much should I give her a day as a "therapeutic" amount? I've been giving her 1-2 teaspoons of turmeric powder a day without any GI issues.
Oh... and her weight was UP 10lbs since her last visit! I guess all this extra rest has not been good for her waistline. Oops. So, we'll be working on that, too.
I'm thinking about taking her in for some water therapy - there are a number of groups here with therapy pools for dogs.
Any other recommendations??
The picture is back on Monday... the snow is all gone now... 50F and 2" of rain does a number on snow!