Recent Feedback
hi my name is XXXXX XXXXX my dog rex he is an English mastiff had surgery on his patella about a month ago. After about 3 days after his surgery he was starting to put weight on his leg and walk around, but then as he walked around he would bleed from his incision. So we brought him in to the vet to stop his bleeding and he put staples in his incision towards the very bottom by his incision. The very next day he would not put his foot down. can you explain to me why this has happened and what can I do for him?
Optional Information: Type of Animal: English Mastiff Age: 4 Name of Dog: Rex Already Tried: going to the vet three times. Some kind of electro treatment on his leg, stretching at home and putting heat on his leg
Hi and thanks for using justanswer.com. My name is XXXXX, XXX I will do whatever I possibly can to help answer your questions. Give me a minute to read your post so I can best answer your question. While I am reading your question please let me know if you pet has any current or previous medical problems or is on any medications currently.
I'm sorry to hear about Sandee's problems after surgery.
When did you take him to the vet for the bleeding?
have you take him back to the vet since then to figure out why he isn't using the leg?
If so, what did they do/say about it?
What medications was he on after surgery? Pain meds? antibiotics?
Yes he has been back to the vet three times since his bleeding. He feels that everything is working good in his leg. we have checked to see if it is nerve damage and all he can think now is that it is all in his head. rex is usually a very tough dog. So that's why I am concerned why he would be reacting this way
he went back to the vet for his bleeding about 3 days after his surgery
do you know if there was much arthritis in the leg at the time of surgery?
just to make sure - the surgery was for a luxating knee cap? Did they check his cruciates during surgery?
of what I can remember it was called tremadol or something like that for pain
then he had and anti nausea med that really didn't change for him. he was throwing up every morning. But recently that has stopped
he has had surgery on his hip when he was 1 year old. but that was on the other leg. his right leg. the whole reason we did the surgery for him is because his patella kept popping in and out. so it is likely he could have arthritis there
I would assume that they checked all that out. I believe we have a very good vet but I don't remember him telling me that about his cruciates
Luxating patella/knee cap can predispose dogs to a torn cruciate in the same knee due to decreased stability so one possibility is that there is a chronic cruciate injury to the knee and the recovering from surgery exacerbated it. I would ask them if they specifically checked his cruciates while doing surgery. Hopefully they took radiographs before surgery of the knee and you could also ask them to go back and look at the radiographs to see if there is any evidence of a torn cruciate.Was tramadol the only pain medication he was on?
was he on antibiotics?
I guess I am just trying to find out is if this is going to get worse or what can I do for him to help improve his situation? have you had cases like this before that you have seen good outcomes?
Is there any swelling around the knee?
Is there any discharge?
Is it still bleeding?
yes he was on antibiotics for the surgery. Sorry I forgot to mention that. there was discharge at the time but his incision is now fully healed. It was only bleedding for the first few days. It was the day after he had the staples put in that he wouldn't use his leg at all the next day. Is it possible that he could be allergic to the staples or something was nicked when the staples were put in? because he was walking great just a few days after surgery
I don't think I've seen a dog not use the leg 1 month out after luxating knee cap surgery. They will typically not us it for 5-10 days, then slowly start putting Weight on it and continue to improve weekly.I think it is unlikely related to the staple (I assume they have been removed by now since it's been a month).
yes we had the staples and stitches removed two days ago. It has been almost a month since his surgery.
If you vet is not sure what it causing the problem then you may want to ask them about referral to a boarded surgeon to try to determine what is going on with his leg. They may be able to find something that he couldn't. do you know if radiographs were done prior to surgery? They will likely want to see those and do repeat radiographs and a sedated examination of that leg to ensure he doesn't have an obvious torn cruicate
A cruciate is what I would be most concerned about
I assume you have been doing exercise restriction - correct? No running, jumping, playing, etc
short controlled leash walks only
otherwise resting/crate, etc
i just can't understand why he is not walking now when he used to walk on it just fine after his surgery. he now will hop on foot if he goes outside or to just get around the house. I am concerned that a 160lb. dog will injure himself more or mess up the hip that he had surgery on. So you think that I should ask my vet for a referral?
ok so what exactly is a cruciate?
he didn't take short leash walks we just walked around in the back yard alittle. and I have only been stretching his leg. Should i stop doing that in case I am making it worse?
Click here to read about torn cruciates in dogs. It is basically the same thing as a torn ACL in a person (you hear about football, backetball players, etc) but is called a CCL in a dog. VERY COMMON in large breed dogs (it is the most common cause of a hind limb lameness in a large breed dog that doesn't resolve after 2-3 days.
Short walks in the back yard are fine you just want to use a leash to ensure as he starts to improve and feel better (hopefully soon) he doesn't start doing more than he should
what about stretching his leg?
gentle stretching is okay - although, it depends on what you mean by stretching. What you want to do is gently move his joints in the normal range of motions but not to the point it is uncomfortable
ya i just very gradually move his leg up and down slowly. It doesn't even make him flinch so I assume it doesn't hurt. But there is one spot if I get to it it makes his leg shake. so i back off. Is heat ok to use on his leg? Or ice?
What are you doing what his leg starts to shake - extending or flexing the knee? or something else?
Generally, you want to use ice for the first 24-48 hours, then heat after that. Thus this far out just heat - 2-4 times daily for 5-10 minutes (ensure not too hot by putting on your wrist for 1 minutes first).
it is when I extend his leg.
that does not diagnose a torn cruciate but would be suspicious.
suspicious of what? a torn cruciate? or something else?
yes
curicate
cruciate
so the only way to find out for sure is the exam and x-rays? Should I wait at all and give him more time to heal first to see if he improves?
the only down side to that....even if it is a torn cruciate it could improve with time and rest. You can not always 100% diagnose a torn cruciate with exam
and radiographs
although with exam and radiographs it may increase our suspicion significantly.
Torn cruciates can be difficult to diagnose especially after recent surgery around the knee
ok ,so honestly if this was your dog what would you do? I am a very concerned parent that wants her boy back to normal.
or at least do everything that I possibly can for him
I think if your vet is unable to determine why he is not using the leg well then you should take him for a second opinion. I personally, would not just go to another general practice vet but instead go to a specialists, if I was you. this is what I would tell you if you were my client.
I don't think it is a 'mental thing' based on what you have said because when you extend his leg he seems uncomfortable
see the thing is I think my vet is a specialist and that is why I went to him in the first place for rex's hip and another vet had mis diagnosed him with hip displasia and arthritis when in fact he said that it was broken. we were going to him for a stem cell treatment consult when we did x-rays and found this out. I know he trains vets nationwide but I am not aware wether or not he is a board specialized doctor.
do you know his name?
Clay Silkman from the Jordan River Pet Hospital in Murray Utah
west jordan actually
what's your zip code
84088
mine is 84057 that was my vets zip
these is a list of the only boarded surgeons within 10 miles of that zip code (he is not listed):
The DACVS after the name means they are boarded surgeons
is it Terry slikman?
ok. well that is good to know. can I just call one of them or do I need to be referred by my doctor? sorry yes it is Terry not clay
I would ask your vet for a referral ideally, but yes, most you can just call and set up an appointment with them most of the time. Based on his clinic website he is not a boarded surgeon but a general practice vet like myself but has a special interest in surgery
ok. well that is what I will do then. in the mean time i should just take it easy with Rex and give him very light excercise? to the bathroom, stretching ect/
Ideally, no exercise except short walks outside to do his business then back inside to rest.
good luck with him and keep me updated on this post...I hope this information helps! If you have any further questions, please feel free to let me know…Please don't forget to rate the answer you received above. Bonuses are always welcome and appreciated.Once you rate the answer your question will not close, and you will still have the opportunity to follow-up if needed in the future if you think of something else to ask or need for further information after talking to your vet.With this communication - we are here to guide you in making the best decision for your pet. We are not allowed to diagnose and prescribe medications - rather provide a course of action to speak to your veterinarian about - and any medical therapy and treatment should only be performed after an in-person examination with your veterinarian as a professional-client relationship has not been established on the site.You can always request me specifically for your questions through my profile, bookmark my page for future help, or begin your question with “For Aggieeervet”.Let me know if you have any further questions.
great! Thank you so much for your time and all of your help.
your welcome and good luck
Experience: Emergency veterinarian for 5 years and general practice veterinarian for 3 years.