Strain ? Sprain ?

Yesterday afternoon Ceili was running, let out a yelp and started gimping. It "seems" to be her foot/ ankle. Checked her pads and toes for foreign objects. I alternated hot and cold for about 6 hours last night and gave her some metacam. There doesn't seem to be any discernaible swelling and she has full range of motion in her hip, knee and ankle. There is slight tenderness along the topside of her leg and she won't bear weight on the foot. Now as most of you know this is the same side she had her cruciate surgery done and of course she also has dysplasia in both hips. She's resting for the most part (I've hauled her out in the wagon to do her biz), Her spirits are good, no depression, eating and drinking well. I may give her some Arnica at lunch time.

Remembering that Ceili is a "bit of a princess" I'm thinking of putting off the Vet visit until tonight or tomorrow to see if she will bear any weight or otherwise show signs of improvement. I also hesitate to take her because I know she will have to climb a long flight of stairs to get to the x-ray machine.

What are your thoughts ?

I know you love your dog but I guess I would never guess about something like that because I have seen injuries that seem minor but the radiological evidence will prove they are much more serious and others that initially seemed serious to be rather minor.

The simple but frustrating answer is there is no certain way of knowing without an Xray and that can only occur if you take her to the vet. Princess or not. <g> I realize my experience is with humans but one of my dogs in the past once had what seemed minor but to be safe we took him to the vet and he had a grade 3 sprain which was quite serious and took much longer than a fracture to heal.Given both my own personal experience and seeing more sprains/strains and fractures more than I ever care to count, my advice is to take her to a vet. Surely there is a way to get her upstairs without her walking - it is against the law here to have an office that is inaccessible so surely your vet must have some way of getting a dog to an Xray machine without her walking on stairs that could further injure what could be a strain, sprain or break. What does s/he do for unconscious pets brought in on stretchers?

See your vet to diagnose a sprained ankle. He or she may order X-rays to make sure you don't have a broken bone in the ankle or foot. A broken bone can have similar symptoms of pain and swelling and it can be difficult to ascertain if there are small bones that are broken or hairline fractures without an Xray or scan. Pain meds will help her relieve the pain but can be deceptive when you do not know or are5 uncertain of the actual diagnosis. Pain is an indicator and if she requires significant pain meds, that in and of otself may mean something. You will opnly know that with diagnostic testing and proper treatment from a vet. Of all ailments. fractures and sprains are two I'd never treat at home - it is rather essential to differentiate among the various possibilities. It worries me that she won;t walk on the foot because I know when my fav chocolate lab walked on a piece of glass and required surgery and it was extremely painful, he yelped at first but would still walk on it. I myself once walked on a foot broken in three places but did not realize what I had done but I was in the midst of critical work I hated to leave! Only later when I went for an Xray did I discover the fractures and end up with a cast for the summer!

So,I can only say if it were my cat or dig or bunny, I;d be bringing her to the vet. It may well turn out to be nothing but it is always better to be safe! (Maybe I am overly cautious but I tend to err on the side of caution. That way, no one suffers needlessly!)

If we see no obvious swelling and don't suspect a break, we usually wait 24 hours and reevaluate before taking to the vet. The Pack gets a fair number of sprains--an inevitability, I guess, when you have six high-energy dogs. And, generally, if it's just a sprain or a strain, it will have improved in that 24 hours. If not, we go visit our favorite pet doctors :D

How is Ceili today, MMM? Better? :fingerscr

Thanks for the input CK and Hazel. I've booked an appt for the Vet/ Xray tomorrow. She's weight bearing a teensy bit today but is still gimpy enough that I think the Vet is a "good bet". She looks awful darn cute in The Little Red Wagon tho' ~ I'll have to get a pic for posterity.

Sorry to hear about Ceili. :sad: :grouphug: A couple of weeks ago, Chase and Logan got loose together in the house and Chase ran into the coffee table with his good leg. :frustrated: He didn't yelp but he was limping for a couple of days. We thought for sure his "good leg" went on him but he's okay now and back to his regular rehab walks. :)

I hope Ceili will be okay. :fingerscr :fingerscr :goodvibes: :goodvibes:

And, don't forget the "Celi and her Lil Red Wagon" pic. :D

All of mum's attention plus a wagon ride! Oh, MMM, be careful! She'll be playing lame for the perks before you know it! :eek: he he
Hope everything turns out all right at the vet :fingerscr No breaks! :fingerscr Just more wagon rides. :D

I hope your girl recovers fast, can't wait to see the little red wagon helper pic :D Like Hazel said , there's no swelling , it should be ok. :fingerscr

And, don't forget the "Celi and her Lil Red Wagon" pic. :D

oh, definately need to see that pic :D .

MX3, do you pull the wagon or do you hook up Declan and Bridie to do it? :D

In my dreams Rainbow... I'm going to post a few poser pix of Ceili on her wagon adventure. But I'll try to put thumbnails here for those with upload issues (caution: no idea what I'm doing) and post the larger ones in the photo section.

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Well, on the upside Ceili only fell/ climbed out of her Lil Red Wagon on the way to Vet's three times. :o

On the downside I'm $325.00 poorer (dang good thing I didn't buy my vaccuum this weekend) and she has a consultation with an ortho surgeon tomorrow morning. The Vet thinks she's torn or ruptured her other cruciate. :sad:

...and I can't give her any antibiotics for her whizzer infection until surgery is decided. :sad: :sad:

Poor Ceils ~ she's such an :angel: with bad luck.

Oh no :eek: ....I'm so sorry to hear that. :sad: :grouphug: How long has it been since she had her other leg done?

Oh, no, MMM! Another cruciate! :grouphug: Poor Ceili and her owies! And poor mum! :grouphug:

Well, maybe tomorrow the vet will give you better news than you expect :fingerscr Meanwhile the Pack is back to stumbling around like drunken setters because all their :pawprint:s are crossed for Ceili!

Awww Mummummum, I'm sorry to read that this has happened poor Ceili.
:grouphug: for you and Ceili, you are such a sweetheart towing her around in a wagon. :cloud9:

Sending :goodvibes: your way, for the Ortho appointment today.
Furbaby Momma :love: :pawprint:

Oh no MumX3. Hopefully you get news that it isn't as bad as they first thought :fingerscr :goodvibes:

Thanks everybody for the well wishes. We leave in about 1/2 hour. Rainbow, her left cruciate was done 3 yrs ago. Poor little :angel:

Well, I left my baby grrrl there :sad: She will have a the whole TPLO shebang done tomorrow. Hopefully home by Thursday or Friday. At which point we can tease her mercilessly for being a baldy-bum. ;)

Oh dear!! Sorry to hear the bad news! I kind of worried when you said she could not put any weight on it - that's not usually a good sign but I was thinking it may have been a simple fracture or a bad sprain! My thoughts are with you!!! :grouphug:

Thanks hun...I'm pretty "bummed out" as they say. But there was always a 50-50 chance this cruciate would rupture after the last one. I was just hoping we would be on the good side of the 50. Specially since I know her hips aren't going to hang in there for much longer either. And to top it off she has another whizzer infection (THAT surgery was a complete waste) Poor little rotten-luck grrrl. :sad: :sad: :sad:

Very sorry to learn that cruciate surgery is again required - but at least you found out that there is a problem very quickly - I was worried about your pup - with all of my mini Dachshund back/neck issues, walking problems scare the heck out of me. Can I ask if you are having surgery done by specialist at McMurrich or did you take your pup to Guelph? At any rate, you sure got an ortho appointment fast which is fantastic. When my last mini Dachshund started to paralyze we had to go to Guelph for midnight surgery since McMurrich won't do surgery without a 24 hour work-up and my guy didn't have that long. So while I now know neuro surgeons, haven't had to meet an ortho - but with my Eskie that could happen. He is now 3 but so far so good with no sign of cruciate or patellar. But on May 31 morning he didn't want to jump up to the bed more than once in the morning for a cookie - normally he is up and down. No cry of pain though - and if an Eskie is in pain everybody knows it. I was terrified - there is very little you could tell me about my dog's heath that would scare me more than a possible back problem - and it didn't help that on Eskie board a couple of the dogs now have slipped discs. I was immediately on to the vet - I know I was over-reacting but I seemed to be cursed with this type of problem. My guy is okay - he just pulled a muscle and since he absolutely refuses to jump on the spare room bed if my husband is on it or the comforter is pulled up, I think he was either "kicked" off by napping husband's flying feet or he slipped and fell while jumping up. No problems with jumping up on the higher master bed though. I really hope the surgery goes well - and do not envy you the recovery period. My groomer's Boxer had her second cruciate done bout 9 months ago and seems to be doing fine - she is 8.

Oh no ! :sad: Poor Ceili , so sorry M3X :grouphug: why do you have to leave her until friday ? Are they going to operate right this week ?

poor girl!!!! sending well wishes her way!

Oh, no, MMM! What rotten news for you and Ceili! :grouphug: I hope she recovers faster than expected and is ready for more wagon rides soon! :fingerscr The Pack sends lots of slobbery kissies for her...and a couple of dryer ones for MMM! :dog: :dog: :dog: :dog: :dog: :dog:

Oh no, sorry for the bad news MMM:sad: :grouphug:
Here are some :goodvibes: and :fingerscr that surgery and recovery goes well:pray:

Awwww, poor Ceili. :sad: :grouphug: and, poor you. :grouphug:

I can really relate to what you are going through right now. I also expect the 50/50 chance to not be in my favour but hope it doesn't happen for awhile since we are still not completely over the first. :rolleyes:

Good luck with the surgery. :fingerscr :fingerscr :goodvibes: :goodvibes:

Thanks everybody.:o

Snowdancer, her ortho surgeon is Dr. Miller and (can't remember the intern's name) at McMurrich. She had her other cruciate done there by Dr's Boyd and Iakov and I was impressed with the work and their care. Her surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 8 a.m. and she may be able to come home on Thursday but I recall the last time they kept her for an extra day. I suspect her recovery period will be a little more arduous this time because of the advancing dysplasia.

Thank goodness your little guy is okay ! But I know what you mean ~ I too live in fear with her Ceili's hips being the way they are.

It'a just not fair that poor Ceili has both hip and cruciate problems. :sad: Again, I hope all goes well with the surgery tomorrow. My thoughts will be with you both. :fingerscr :fingerscr :goodvibes: :goodvibes: :goodvibes:

Thanks Rainbow, she truly is a little :lovestruck: :angel: with bad luck.

Thanks, mummummum, I will keep a record of Dr. Miller's name. The neuro at McMurrich is Dr. Cochrane who apparently is excellent - but since we had to race to Guelph my guy's surgery was done by the fabulous Dr. Gibson - who had performed same surgery on his own pups. It is great that you were able to get in so fast - and not have to drive to Guelph. The extra day in hospital wouldn't hurt so might be a good thing. These days though the pups come home so fast. When Dr. Gibson told me my Dachshund could come home after 4 days I was seriously scared since I had been through this surgery before with my first Dachshund. Using the sling was really hard for me - especially with his 10 lb. short body. Maybe Watson's Bottoms Up Leash would work for Celli - dog needs to be 15 lbs. for it to work effectively. I bookmarked the site when we got our Eskimo. Hope all goes really well and that puppy is up and running soon.

Good Luck On The Surgery Tomorrow!

Thanks Snowdancer. It's funny how things work out. I was only able to get the last appt of the day at our regular clinic and not even with my own Vet. He called over to the VEC but told me it was unlikely they could book anything until Monday as they don't take bookings over the weekend. Lo and behold there was a cancellation for this morning and she got in. The intern told me the surgeon was fully booked this week and then would be on vacation for a week. :sad: I was mortified at having Ceili in such pain for a full two weeks and as I don't drive, getting her to Guelph and back would take some serious finnagling. Anyway, when the surgeon saw her he said he'd fit her in tomorrow. Phew! I put it down to all the crossed:pawprint: and :fingerscr and :goodvibes: everybody sent !

Good Luck On The Surgery Tomorrow!

Oh thanks Dr. Lee ~ that's very sweet of you!

OH :sad: I wasn't sure about the surgery.. sorry. Good luck tomorrow dear Ceili :goodvibes: Keep the little red wadon close M3X :grouphug:

Thanks Frenchy ~ all the good :goodvibes:, :fingerscr , :pawprint: and :grouphug: are appreciated.

I won't be here at 8:00am your time so sending lots of good luck your way now. :fingerscr :fingerscr :goodvibes: :goodvibes: :goodvibes:

Mummummum, I am so sorry to read that Ceili needs to have TPLO surgery today.
Sending you and Ceili all my best wishes and :goodvibes: for all to go well today. :grouphug:

:dog: :dog: :fingerscr :dog: :dog: :fingerscr :dog: :dog:

Everyone here is thinking about Ceili and sending good vibes for a successful surgery!

You are all very sweet ~ thank you.:fingerscr

Update on the Ceili grrrl (for those of you who don't rfequent the TJT ;) ). Her surgery went well, she reportedly had a very anxious recovery day and night (lots of crying, trying to escape from the dog run and her cage) but is "resting comfortably " today. My little gimper will be coming home tomorrow so you can look forward to some "bare bum" pix. :crazy:

How's sweet Ceili doing today, MMM? She comin' home today? :fingerscr

Hey Mum, sending healing thoughts for your girlie today...I bet you'll be happy to have her home with you!!!

Yes, my little grrrl is home and sound asleep on "Mummy's" bed. Lots of meds, lots of appointments. The cost wasn't as bone-crushing horrific as I thought it was going to be which means if she needs to have her vulva-reduction redone we might just be able to manage it. Gosh, it's good to have her home. She fairly flew into house, drank a load of water and then leapt onto to the bed. Hopefuly your baby is doing well with his surgery Bendyfoot !

Thanks for asking ! Bare bum pix when she wakes up ! :laughing: :evil:

I'm glad she's back home, mommy must be relieved ! Pics ! woohoo !

Yay! Glad she's home! And yep, Jaida's surgery went well and we'll have her home tomorrow (thanks for asking!)

Sounds like Ceili was as glad to be home as you were to have her there, MMM! :highfive: :grouphug:

Holy crap......she's jumping up on the bed already? :eek: Glad she's home and doing so well. :highfive:

Glad she is home and doing well. You must feel so relieved:)

Mummummum, I am so happy to hear that Ceili's surgerey went well and she is home sweet home, snuggling on the bed...you must be a happy mum! :cloud9:

MX3, how is Ceili doing? :fingerscr

Can the Pack uncross their :pawprint:s, yet? he he They're getting cramped! :D

I hope Ceili is getting better and better! :fingerscr :grouphug:

M3X , how is Ceili doing ? :fingerscr

MX3, is Ceili okay? :fingerscr :fingerscr