Alf had a bad leg at a show at shepton mallet just after xmas, he seemed fine but when I moved him in the ring he threw out one of his back legs constantly and obviously we got binned for it :( well I took him to the vet and he said it looks like a ligament and put him on rimadyl, we went to a show the weekend before last and the judge (who was at shepton mallet) did place him but down the line and she commented that his leg wasnt as bad but wasnt right.  Anyway, I had been keeping him on a flexi and this week I thought his leg looked fine so we have returned to normal walking, I stopped the rimadyl last week as I didnt think he needed it.  At todays show we got binned again the lady who I own him with took a closer look and it seems he is still slightly flicking that same leg, and on closer examination he has lost the muscle in it and has gained in this other leg, obviously where he is compensating.  Now I have been advised by the lady I own him with and his breeder to start back on the rimadyl and not walk him for 2 - 3 weeks and take him in the garden on a lead and no playing with my other boy :(.  I know it is for the best and its only a couple of weeks and once he is fixed then he can go back to having walks but I am going to feel soooo guilty.  If it hasnt improved in two weeks I will be taking him back to the vet for an x-ray.  Has anyone else experienced this and can offer any advice? I was wondering whether taking him to a hydro therapy pool might help ?

Claire

Check out Flexicose, it's more effective than Rimadyl, doesn't just mask the pain and hasn't been linked with scores of deaths.

I have just in the last 8 days had my rottie bitch operated on for a Cruciate tear which I only really realised she'd got when I noticed the muscle loss around the thigh in her back leg and occassional throwing of this leg when running with pain responses after laying down for a while.  Rest helps but if the ligament is torn or partically torn an early diagnosis and surgery is the best option, even show dogs are allowed to go back in the ring with your permission letter from the KC as a Cruciate ligament problem is classed as an injury and the surgery is medical not cosmetic. 

She is doing great in fact too well as she's not in enough pain for her to be more gentle on her legs when going out for a wee, she even jumped on the sofa when I took her 'bucket' off her head to take her out for toilet, I nearly died on the spot!  Her stitches are due out on 25th but she won't be allowed any off lead exercise or anything more than a 10 min walk for another 4 wks gradually building it upto 20 mins a day on lead until 3mths down the road to make sure the bones heal around the screws they put it.  The vet did advise that her other leg would go too as she is still under 18mths and done the first plus she has arthritis in the joint which will get a lot worse now that she's had to have surgery but better than it would have been had I left her to show more obvious signs of the problem.

If it helps when she sat down she stuck the affected leg out to the side and sat on her good hip rather than square like most dogs would.  She is a rescue dog I've had just over a year many will remember me getting Merry on Xmas eve 04, thankfully I insured her as the op cost just over £1,500 which would have been way out of my budget had I had to pay it myself, I'm afraid it would have been a pts early in life when she was suffering too much.

He probably needs a little more time as it can take a couple of months of restricted exercise to get back to normal and rebalance his muscle tone between the two legs. I wouldn't bother with the rimadyl, though plenty of rest and only on lead exercise is a good idea. My TM pup had a really bad limp when he was about 5 months old - he did it fooling about and being a normal puppy. After a couple of weeks he had noticable muscle wastage in one rear leg and it took about 3 months to get him back to normal.

thanks for all your advice, im making him rest at the moment which is a nightmare.  I had thought about taking him to a doggy swimming pool as this wouldnt put too much strain on him.  The vet has checked him and didnt think it was a cruciate ligament, he does sit very square too I always notice that because he looks so handsome when he is sitting - unlike my other sloppy rag bag :D :D

We had to rest Purdy for 6 weeks with hers.  The vet actually put her leg into a splint and changed it once a week to keep it in place.  Unfortunately in her case it tore again as soon as she went out on a run again so she had to have a operation and a further 6 weeks rest.  Its strange but her muscle tone has never recovered.

Karen