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Thread: Question about common dog issue

  1. #1
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    Question about common dog issue

    I have a large dog. She's a rescue who was severely malnourished when we got her. Any way, she is about 3 years old now and weighs about 80 lbs. Last week she started limping and her x-ray showed she ruptured the tendons in her knee. The vet said it will require a $1500 surgery or two weeks of rest for scar tissue to build and then either prescriptions for pain or glucosamine for the rest of her life. They also said that random tendon rupture for dogs over 50 lbs is common, but I have never heard of it before. Has anyone else heard of this being a common issue? I have only ever had big dogs and I've never had this problem before.

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    Never heard of it being a "common issue" for a 50 lb dog, especially one who is just 3 years old.
    Think I'd be finding another vet for a second opinion.
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  4. #3
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    Just had a 10 lb. Pomeranian do the same thing. It may not be common but it sure is not all that rare either.
    "A boy cannot become a girl and a man cannot become a woman, not even if he shuts his eyes and wishes really hard."



  5. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by howdyyall View Post
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    I have a large dog. She's a rescue who was severely malnourished when we got her. Any way, she is about 3 years old now and weighs about 80 lbs. Last week she started limping and her x-ray showed she ruptured the tendons in her knee. The vet said it will require a $1500 surgery or two weeks of rest for scar tissue to build and then either prescriptions for pain or glucosamine for the rest of her life. They also said that random tendon rupture for dogs over 50 lbs is common, but I have never heard of it before. Has anyone else heard of this being a common issue? I have only ever had big dogs and I've never had this problem before.
    I've heard of it an awful lot, especially amoung heelers, bird dogs, farm dogs and the like.......dogs that very often jump off of tail gates instead of waitin' to be lifted down.......mac
    Last edited by mac; April 25th, 2017 at 12:53 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by howdyyall View Post
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    I have a large dog. She's a rescue who was severely malnourished when we got her. Any way, she is about 3 years old now and weighs about 80 lbs. Last week she started limping and her x-ray showed she ruptured the tendons in her knee. The vet said it will require a $1500 surgery or two weeks of rest for scar tissue to build and then either prescriptions for pain or glucosamine for the rest of her life. They also said that random tendon rupture for dogs over 50 lbs is common, but I have never heard of it before. Has anyone else heard of this being a common issue? I have only ever had big dogs and I've never had this problem before.
    Check with another vet get a second opinion to ensure that they don't rupture your bank account
    The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

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  8. #6
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    My wife and I just went through this same exact problem with our Corgi/Chihuaua mix.

    She was chasing birds in the back yard and all of a sudden came up limping. By the next day she couldn't even put any weight on her left rear foot. We took her to the Stagecoach clinic, and they did some x rays ($350) and then told us the same tendon story and recommended a surgeon for about $2000 to do the surgery. My wife and I said, in unison, screw that.

    We kept her off her feet for about a week, which was hard to do considering bathroom breaks, and eventually she got the use of her foot back. About a week later she did the same thing to her right rear foot.

    This time, I started poking at her toes and discovered which one she hurt. 3rd paw from the left. I let it go for 2 days and suddenly she was just fine. It is much like any other sprain we might have... After a while it straightens itself out. We had to talk about the possibility of her never getting either foot back, and quality of life versus putting her down. No one likes to consider that, but in this case I would suggest you give the damage time to heal on its own.

    I looked at the x rays that were taken and could not see any tendon damage at all, and when the second incident happened, I told the wife to sit it out and sure enough, she is pretty much back to normal.

    We think what is happening is that when she chases birds in the yard, her toes get tangled in the ST. Augustine grass stolens that run on top of the sod and causes a twist in a toe. During this time of year when the new grass is establishing itself, these stolens are like trip wire in the yard.I don't suppose you also have this type of grass in the yard, do you?

    I hope your pooch gets better. I am also interested in Knowing which Vet you used, as I am beginning to have doubts about this very young lady at the Stagecoach clinic. We got a call when we dropped her off to be x rayed from the HH animal control folks saying that during the xrays our dog bit one of the technicians and would be put into involuntary quarantine for 10 days. Thanks a lot HH clinic for the heads up. We went down and got her before the pound could come get her under the home quarantine option.... Not that anyone bothered to follow up on the case anyhow.
    If you do not read the news you are uninformed. If you do you are misinformed. Mark Twain


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  10. #7
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    I had a Sheltie that this happened to. Is it common? No. Does it happen? Yes. $1500 is not out of line. Get it fixed now or spend much more later.




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  11. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by sojourner truth View Post
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    My wife and I just went through this same exact problem with our Corgi/Chihuaua mix.

    She was chasing birds in the back yard and all of a sudden came up limping. By the next day she couldn't even put any weight on her left rear foot. We took her to the Stagecoach clinic, and they did some x rays ($350) and then told us the same tendon story and recommended a surgeon for about $2000 to do the surgery. My wife and I said, in unison, screw that.

    We kept her off her feet for about a week, which was hard to do considering bathroom breaks, and eventually she got the use of her foot back. About a week later she did the same thing to her right rear foot.

    This time, I started poking at her toes and discovered which one she hurt. 3rd paw from the left. I let it go for 2 days and suddenly she was just fine. It is much like any other sprain we might have... After a while it straightens itself out. We had to talk about the possibility of her never getting either foot back, and quality of life versus putting her down. No one likes to consider that, but in this case I would suggest you give the damage time to heal on its own.

    I looked at the x rays that were taken and could not see any tendon damage at all, and when the second incident happened, I told the wife to sit it out and sure enough, she is pretty much back to normal.

    We think what is happening is that when she chases birds in the yard, her toes get tangled in the ST. Augustine grass stolens that run on top of the sod and causes a twist in a toe. During this time of year when the new grass is establishing itself, these stolens are like trip wire in the yard.I don't suppose you also have this type of grass in the yard, do you?

    I hope your pooch gets better. I am also interested in Knowing which Vet you used, as I am beginning to have doubts about this very young lady at the Stagecoach clinic. We got a call when we dropped her off to be x rayed from the HH animal control folks saying that during the xrays our dog bit one of the technicians and would be put into involuntary quarantine for 10 days. Thanks a lot HH clinic for the heads up. We went down and got her before the pound could come get her under the home quarantine option.... Not that anyone bothered to follow up on the case anyhow.
    We have been ardent supporters of El Centro Vet since 97 when I came back from Korea and knew I would retire here so we started getting animals. We have a black boxer, female and she has allergies. One Saturday morning she was real bad and we took her to Stagecoach as El Centro wasn't open. They are great aren't that expensive. Then again, I am one of those that takes on the fiscal responsibility with pets. We had a Chihuahua's leg fixed about 10 years ago with what you are all talking about and it cost a grand. Haven't seen this in big dogs and at one time we had a Rhodesian Ridgeback, 3 boxers and 3 Chihuahua mixes. Now the herd is a little smaller.
    "The difference between golf and government is that in golf you cant improve your lie"
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  12. #9
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    My dog weighs about 22 pounds, and is 7 years old. Her problem is that she still thinks she is a puppy and acts like it.

    The original reason we went to Stagecoach is that the owner is a daughter of a former Ellison teacher that is a close friend of my wife. We were going to Aztec, but their answer to most problems was to put the pet down. That didn't walk too well with me so we swapped patronage.

    But since we have started going to Stagecoach we have seen an awful large turnover in personnel. Some of these younger vets don't seem to know much about what they are doing. We got that hint when they were trying to get a blood sample from our pooch and couldn't find a vein, and stuck her about 5 times.

    We have boarded her there when we take our annual trips to Florida at Christmas. Mostly because they will let you pick up your pet almost any time. The others wouldn't let us pick her up on certain days during the holidays, and that was just too much like getting more money out of us than anything else.

    In the end, with time our dog seems to be getting over her pain issue... One chuckle was that they gave her Tramadol for her pain. Same thing I use for my sciatica..... You still hurt, but just don't care so much. I do prefer that to opioids though. The only drawback is constipation... which our dog got as well as a result.
    If you do not read the news you are uninformed. If you do you are misinformed. Mark Twain


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  14. #10
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    Aztec, East Lake Killeen Vet and El Centro seem to have been in business since I got here. We brought a cat back with us from Germany. It was a pound cat and the people in Wiesbaden don't like to give animals to Soldiers but they took to my wife as she was in uniform and believed we would indeed take care of her. The thing I like most bout Dr Irwin is that he will let us know when it is time. My wife is a hanger on type and I am lets go Fido, so he is the mediator. Stagecoach is very clean, yea they may be a little young, but the wife likes them too.

    I am sure you will give your little dog love, and a comfortable place to sleep, even if one of you has to move some.
    "The difference between golf and government is that in golf you cant improve your lie"
    John Daly

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