Best Vet for possible cruciate injury to great dane

Heskey1971

Hi,

From my research it seems my great Dane has damaged his cruciate ligament in his back leg.
The vet I go to doesn't seem to know much about cruciates ( didnt tell me to rest him after it happened,didnt tell me about surgery or my options ) just seemed casual,uninterested or didn't know enough about it.

Anyway,I heard about a lad in Meath that does keyhole surgery and I also heard that UCD does the operation.

Anyone know who the lad in Meath is and if he is any good and anyone have any experience of other surgeons ?

Thanks,my buddy is crippled getting around and it kills me

Heskey

mirekb

About 15 years ago we had a wheaten who damaged his cruciate and he had surgery in Bray Vet and was right as rain after. Pete Wedderburn (of Morning TV fame) was our vet then and is still in that practice afaik.

Demonical

UCD or Gilabbey vets in Cork Id recommend for that.

http://www.gilabbeyvet.com/index.html

andreac

I would recommend UCD. I hope you have insurance or you are going to have a huge vet bill.

I got my bitch done at UCD. What i would say is try get this sorted asap!! The longer you leave it the sooner Arthritis will set in in the joint so you should get it done as soon as possible.

I cant believe your vet didnt recommend cage rest with an injury like this. Its crucial for recovery.

If you do get the operation done, be prepared for around 6 weeks of cage rest, gradually introducing exercise from then on. It can take 3-4 months so get back to normal and even then it could take longer.
My female has had a set back after her Op and is currently getting Hydrotherapy to try and build up the leg again. She got a TTA done in UCD so try get a referral to UCD or somewhere good as soon as you can.

Is the Cruciate completely ruptured? Did your vet x-ray it?

Heskey1971

Thanks for all the replies

As of a few minutes ago we are going to try and see a vet called Paul Kelly In Meath.
From what I've been told,he does keyhole surgery to check out the joint,he will then advise as to how serious the injury is.He seems to know his stuff.He also has digital xrays.

mirekb

Loads of luck

andreac

Heskey1971 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies

As of a few minutes ago we are going to try and see a vet called Paul Kelly In Meath.
From what I've been told,he does keyhole surgery to check out the joint,he will then advise as to how serious the injury is.He seems to know his stuff.He also has digital xrays.

In the meantime i suggest you keep your dog crated and only bring him out for toilet breaks. Keep him on the lead when you bring him out as well and absol no walks at all!!

snoman

My mastiff has had 2 cruciate operations and it is a bit of a slog. She was operated on by Shane Guerin at Gilabbey Vets in Cork. Crate rest, physio and gentle exercise and a lot of patience! Very good luck.

irelandspurs

My Boxer snapped his cruciate in same back leg twice,but was hypo so was reason for snapping second time.Vet in Kildare did it but was killed in Car accident shortly after and luckily we has insurance as was expensive Job.Said if it went again he would have to go to vet hospital in ucd.

tk123

Shane Guerin (Gilabbey) sorted my guy when UCD sent us away so he gets my vote. I know people who went to UCD and have mixed reviews - my friend didn't like that she wasn't seeing the same vet each time - but that mightn't bother some owners. Cara vet operated on another friends dog's cruciate and they found them great. Have also heard good things about Paul Kelly.

For now if you think your dog is hurt you need to crate rest until you're told otherwise.

boomerang

andreac wrote: »

I cant believe your vet didnt recommend cage rest with an injury like this. Its crucial for recovery.

That's if it is a cruciate ligament injury - that's yet to be confirmed.

andreac

boomerang wrote: »

That's if it is a cruciate ligament injury - that's yet to be confirmed.

Yes but the op is asking about cruciate info and he seems to think that's what it is. Even if the vet didn't diagnose it, rest should have been the first thing to ensure the dog does, to aid recovery.

Heskey1971

Hi all,

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes,asking about cruciate as that seems to be the most likely,probably partial going by my own research as our vet is either casual/overworked or just doesn't care.
We are resting him so next thing is an appointment next week to see the full extent of the problem,getting keyhole I think.I already have a full rehab program downloaded that covers each day for 2 or 3 months ( was on the topdog website ).Not sure if I should post this but it took me a while to find it and it could be useful to someone
http://topdoghealth.com/faq/documents/old/TTAE-Booklet.pdf

It seems to me that if the rehab isnt right then you are wasting your time.
If he gets the operation then there will be work involved to get him right again but the plan I downloaded shows how to get range of motion,building the muscle,compresses etc done at the right time and it should make for a better recovery.

This is a scary time,especially with a big dog but it has to be faced.Thanks again

H

ISDW

Heskey1971 wrote: »

Hi all,

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes,asking about cruciate as that seems to be the most likely,probably partial going by my own research as our vet is either casual/overworked or just doesn't care.
We are resting him so next thing is an appointment next week to see the full extent of the problem,getting keyhole I think.I already have a full rehab program downloaded that covers each day for 2 or 3 months ( was on the topdog website ).Not sure if I should post this but it took me a while to find it and it could be useful to someone
http://topdoghealth.com/faq/documents/old/TTAE-Booklet.pdf

It seems to me that if the rehab isnt right then you are wasting your time.
If he gets the operation then there will be work involved to get him right again but the plan I downloaded shows how to get range of motion,building the muscle,compresses etc done at the right time and it should make for a better recovery.

This is a scary time,especially with a big dog but it has to be faced.Thanks again

H

i really think that you should get a diagnosis before you work out a rehab plan, and if it is cruciate damage, and an operation is needed, then you should follow your vets advice on rehab, not go by something downloaded from the internet. Each dog is different.

Heskey1971

Don't worry people,I am not crazy,the planning for the worst type of attitude is just the way I am.I am looking forward to getting a full diagnosis this week.
Re the plan I found,I will show it to the vet before I would even think of using it.

I think the planning makes me feel like I am doing something useful for my lame buddy

Thanks again all

snoman

Hi. After the TTA Gilabbey's recommended a series of physio exercises that were similiar to the ones that are outlined in the Topdog Health Booklet. The frequency and and range of movements were increased every 10 days or so. I'd hope that your vet will provide you with a tailored routine that will fit your dogs particular needs. Fingers crossed for you.

boomerang

Hey OP,

I just wanted to say that if it is a cruciate injury, take heart. My border collie snapped one of the cruciate ligaments when she was four. She was jumping over a log and fumbled it. She went lame immediately and got her into the vet straight away. She was scheduled for surgery a few days later and in the meantime I rested her completely as you can do more damage in the interim while the joint is unstable.

She flew through the operation as any dog I've seen in vet practice does. The most important thing by far is to maintain extremely strict rest for the dog for the ten or twelve weeks post-op. Amber was on crate rest first and then only allowed around the house and in and out to pee on the lead. We lifted Amber in and out of the car all that time and couches and armchairs were off limits. We were super-careful but it paid off in spades. The arthritis in that joint was minimal for the rest of her life and she very, very rarely went lame. She'd give the odd hop at times but she was able to fly and zoom about as well as any collie. It's super important to keep your dog very slim afterwards, to reduce the weight load on the joint and minimise the development of arthritis. I can't stress that enough.

Oh and because a Dane is so heavy to be lifting in and out of the car, you could invest in a ramp. I got a fine one on ebay for about €50 when my other dog was diagnosed with spondylosis.