Answer

You did. For some reason the Optional Information and Already Tried portions only pop up occasionally on the first post, then they show up after I reply. Frustrating!

 

In my experience, it is highly unusual for a meniscus to be torn without also having damage to the cruciate ligaments. These ligaments are very tight and for there to be a force or twisting or overextension bad enough to tear the meniscus, these ligaments have to give some. In fact, we usually find meniscal tears incidentally while repairing cruciate tears. So, I am wondering if they have missed a torn cruciate. It can be easy to do in heavily muscled dogs, especially if the injury is long-standing. While we would hope this could be seen on an MRI, the torn ligament can thicken and lay just so that a tear is not visualized. This would explain the swelling and lameness. The cranial ligament is most likely to tear but easiest to see while operating. If there was a torn caudal cruciate ligament this could have been missed.

 

Other possibilities are that there is still some loose meniscal material in there. There could also be a bit of foreign material left behind after the surgery. She may have torn the ligament after the surgery because once injured the knee is never quite normal again. We see a lot of cruciate injuries in these big, active dogs.

 

Another concern would be cancer or an infected joint.

 

Yes, they will have some arthritis. And it would be made worse the more active she was. But there might be something else going on here.

 

It may be wise to request a joint tap to examine the fluid for any sign of infection. If there is none, then short of repeating an MRI, the best bet is to do an exploratory surgery on the affected knee. Some facilities can do this with scopes so there is less trauma to the knee. You may have to go to a specialist for that.

 

If it is arthritis, then it may be necessary to limit her activities to controlled walks. Any running, jumping, quick starts and stops can exacerbate the arthritis. Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements may be helpful, as well as a daily pain reliever/antiinflammatory.

 

My 130 pound dog had cruciate surgery and it actually took him a 30 pound weight loss and 2 years before he was using the leg normally again.

 

Best wishes to you, your daughter and her dog!!