Butters leg

Cocker Dad

Cocker Dad

Senior Member
Owned by
2 cockers
Sorry I am writing this so late, but it has been a busy day. It was grocery day, but before we even got to leave, Butters hurt his leg. I took him and R.J. out this a.m. before breakfast and they both saw a little dog walking around by our porch. Well, Butters sees the little dog and jumps right off the porch from the top step!! He took two or three steps after the dog and he starts limping. :eek: So, I get him inside and call the vet and they can see us in an hour. He said it does not look like Butters broke it, probably just sprained it. He gave us Glucosamine and tramadol (sp) for the pain. We are thinking maybe we should have an xray taken tomorrow just to be sure. The vet did say if he tears the muscle or whatever at the top of his leg, it would mean surgery. Is that part of getting older cocker style??
 
Randy~ Poor Butters! I know they like to jump, but it sure can do some damage!

It might be a good idea to get an x-ray of his leg, just so you know exactly what is going on.

Try and keep him from running around if you can!
 
If the vet seemed confident the leg wasn't broken I wouldn't be overly concerned about an x-ray. He's suspecting a soft tissue injury (i.e. muscle,tendon). Butters and RJ have had more than their fair share of bad luck lately. :dog:

Get well soon Butters.
 
Hannah did this same thing 3 years ago.
My Vet did x-rays after 2 weeks of still limping.
THey showed nothing,6 weeks later~ still limping. I took her and x-rays to a nother Vet~ that one said had a torn legimentor ACL I believe it was being called.He wanted to do surgery.
I called my Vet~ she said No don't think of that and she wanted me to take her to a specialist for which I did.
He said NO SURGERY and to wait another 6 weeks. Cocequin DS ans Fish oil pills.

6 weeks later still limping so I went back to my own Vet after two other opions.
I had been told about a Vet in Allegan Mi, that did Chiropractic treatments and also was a excellent Vet for surgery.
We took the x-rays and he said NO SURGERY~ he believed he could help her
as long as she was at this age.
2x a week we seen him for Chiropractic treatments that slowed down to 1 a week and than every other week.
Several treatments from him and lots of driving (1hr. each way) and Hannah has been limp free since with out surgery.
THis is our trip down the road tp limping after a chase off the deck (but from a bird).

Hope your problem will heal up on its own in time.
I am sure glad I did not take the 2nd Vets advice and let him do surgery.
My Vet said sometimes surgery is not the best answer to problems.

Anita
 
Nope, no running. I carry him outside everytime he goes potty. He wants to walk up the steps but I block his path and get him to walk (sorta) up the ramp besides the porch. He spent the night sleeping under my bed, to get away from R.J. I think. He kept getting excited in the car and jumping on the seat Butters was lying on and stepping on his leg. :( He has been taking his meds no problem. Hope today is better for my little Butters.
 
geez... cockers think they can fly.

Sorry about the leg, but if it was broken, the vet would know and so would Butters.

Sounds like a pulled muscle or strain -- I would give him crate rest, and something for soft tissue damage. We use arnica montana (health food store) and shark cartilege and keep a close eye on him. If he tore his ACL they would have known, they do a sort of push me/pull me thing at the patella (knee cap) and can feel it.

He was lucky. One of the cockers we adopted out last year took a flying leap off the couch and blew two disks in her back. That was immediate surgery.

Hope he never does that again, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Might want to get a sling (or use a towel) to walk him in and out for a bit.
 
An x-ray won't show any soft tissue injury, so I wouldn't spend the extra money at this point. Make sure Butters is resting and not running or jumping, and hopefully with time his leg will heal. It sounds like a sprain or muscle strain.

They can't always determine ACL tears right at the outset, because joint swelling can interfere with the drawer test (that Linda is talking about) . . . but if it's a front leg then ACL tears aren't an issue. It's actually fairly common for older Cockers to tear those ACL ligaments (in the knee, just like people), so if he doesn't seem to recover with a couple of weeks of crate rest and no running/jumping, then you might consider seeing the vet.
 
Oh no Randy..
Seems when it rains, it pours.. I sure hope Butters just sprained his leg and that he's better in no time flat.
 
Well, we went and had an xray done. The vet said it is an ACL tear and we should consider surgery. She gave us the name of the vet who she recommends for the surgery. I know not to just jump in and have it done, we need to discuss it. I welcome opinions as to whether or not we should have it done or other alternatives to surgery, like what Hannah did instead. Thanks everyone for your support and concern.
 
That news really sucks :( Now, for some older dogs, crate rest is the method of treatment, since they don't always tolerate surgery very well. This involves NO jumping or running, pain meds as needed, and lots of time in the crate. The crate time is because as the dogs start to feel better, they naturally want to increase their activity levels.

What Anita and Hannah did won't help Butters . . . Hannah's issue wasn't a torn ACL. But that doesn't mean that there aren't treatments out there that won't help. I would definitely continue giving glucosamine, to maintain any joint integrity there is. And maybe try and find a canine acupuncturist, because you never know, that could help.
 
Of course, get a second opinion first. I don't recommend the TPLO. Have the suture method done. I'm sure you remember Gabby's fiasco with his TPLO. Read his journal if you don't. This is what a botched TPLO surgery looks like:

2ndpostopday2a.jpg


Gabby ended up with internal fixation (the TPLO procedure) plus pins on the outside which I had to care for every day. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. Those pins became infected and gabby almost lost his leg. Gabby also tore his left ACL a couple years later. We almost had the suture method done but decided against it because of Gabby's age and his heart. Gabby had to be cleared for surgery by his cardiologist. Looking back I wish we had it done. Gabby has very little stability in that knee.

The alternative to surgery is crating for 6wks like Kelly mentions. This allows scar tissue to form around the joint and give it stability. If it doesn't work, surgery is still an option.
 
Sorry to hear about Butters leg. That really stinks.

I don't have any experience with ACL injuries in dogs. I would recommend seeing an ortho vet if there is one near by. Of course, some vets have lots of experience and are very capable of doing the surgery.

Poor Gabby sounds like quite an ordeal.
 
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Well, know I don't know what to do... Should I get a crate for Butters? We have never done that before. He seems good about finding a space to lie down and not moving alot. I have more trouble keeping R.J. away from him. I carry him outside and back in when he goes to potty. Not sure what else we can due for now. This is all new territory for us and I'll take any suggestions anyone wants to offer. I'm just afraid of making the wrong choice and losing him like we lost Buddy. I'm tearing up just thinking about it.
 
I'm so sorry you & Butter are having to go through this. I have no experience with a torn ACL. I know you will make the right decision for Butters. Sending you both prayers.
 
Randy, I know it will be tough on Butters but either way he's going to need a crate. Don't give in when he cries--he will. It's for his own good. Butters should do fine whatever treatment you choose--just check out the vet first. Mine claimed to have done TPLOs many a time without problems--I don't believe it. I think he was young and stupid as evidenced by his botch job.
 
If you don't want to do a crate, buy an exercise pen (commonly called ex-pens) that you can adjust the size of. The top is open, so he won't feel as confined, but it will stop him from getting on and off the furniture once he starts feeling better. Right now he's being good about going to lay down, because his leg is sore. Once it starts to feel better, he will want to go back to doing the things he's used to, and that's when having a crate or ex-pen will come in handy. If you're going to try the "crate rest" approach, you have to be prepared to fully enforce it for at least 6 weeks, so that the scar tissue has the chance to build before the knee sustains any more damage.
 
I can see this being an issue at our house. I read the last reply to Daddy Bruce and he don't like the idea of confining Butters to one space whenever we are home for a day forget six weeks. Then again, he don't like listening to other peoples opinions. Maybe if he hears it from the vet...
 
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