I didn't want to muscle on the other thread so have started a new one as I need more info on symptoms of cruciate tear.
My boy who is a just year old (gundog) started to do a hop on his back right leg at around the beginning march, maybe slightly earlier, i waited to see how things would go as it didn't seem major and he wasn't lame or showing any pain and it wasn't all the time. A couple of weeks later he walloped it charging through a wire fence and this time it did look serious as he held it up and wouldn't put it down for about 5 mins but was soon using it again without lameness.

we visited the vets as i was thinking patella issues but this was ruled out and it seemed muscular. we have visited a chiropractor who thinks muscular and he had thermal imaging done last week which suggested further investigation of stifle. Chiropractor thought knees and hips very stable and couldn't find any problems. The only thing she found was that he was very tight over his loin and stifle area in the muscles and down his back leg. He has had adjustment and massage twice now.

Now he is no worse than he was when it first happened but probably a little better. He still skips/hops on it every so often when he's out, mainly when in trot, its like something catches and he can't quite put it down at that moment he needs to. its intermittent and he doesn't do it when he walks or runs at full pelt (though this has been stopped for a few weeks). He has no issues getting up, sits normally, can jump up at people and the worktops with no problems and does not seem in any pain, appears his very normal happy bouncy self and anyone watching him wouldn't know he has this unless he did it in front of them but then it could be mistaken that he's just getting his stride right. he can take his weight on it if i lift his other leg and managed to cock his leg this morning (1st time!) with the weight on it.

I not sure whether to take to vet again as I have read the test for cruciate can be painful for the dog plus if he has a problem i don't want the vet making it worse! He is on vit c, gluocosamine and green lipped muscle supplements and salmon oil.

perhaps it is just muscular and i am panicking, so annoying as he was just getting going on longer walks with us and now we're back to walking separately from other dogs and not really being let off lead unless its completely flat and I give him 10mins just to burn his energy.

any thought or experience would much appreciated.

Two thoughts.  First is perhaps an MRI to get a clearer picture, and second is a good physio vet - ideally both really so the physio knows exactly what's going on but a good one will pick up on problems.

I've had a dog with possible cruciate being queried who's turned out to have a mild disc prolapse under her pelvis, and bone growth over that prolapse which is irritating a nerve root causing a slight hop as she pushes off when she's walking; but from the injury side of things, my oldest had a soft tissue injury years ago that no vet has been able to either diagnose or help until I took him to a specialist rehab clinic and within 5 minutes, 7 years on from the original injury, she told me it was bicep tendonitis!

Whereabouts are you?  The rehab I go to is in Huddersfield but in south wales there is the Smart clinic which is supposed to be excellent.

It may be a partial tear if he can put it down sometimes and mildly be lame.

I am in the south.
He puts it down all the time and walks round on it with no problems whats so ever, certainly doesn't seem to stop him doing anything. you really wouldn't know there is a problem until he trots and he will do it intermittently but not consistently. he doesn't limp on it at all, even after he has just hopped on it, he uses it as normal.

The chiropractor is very good as far as I can tell and the day after she has worked on him he is a little wobblier on it so I'm thinking she has worked on the right spot. I know sometimes after i have been to the chiro I have felt stiff the next day but it only lasts 24hrs. I guess things get put back into the right place and it takes a while for the body to adjust to that.

Two thoughts from me to. LOL

Yes, cruciate damage can have subtle symptoms, especially if it is a degenerative issue or not fully ruptured. My lurcher had symptoms that you would initially associate with old age: getting a bit stiff on hind legs, limp for a step or two when getting up, but then being fine, slowing down on walks a bit. When it got worse and worse though he was checked and x-rays showed a lesion in his spine. HOWEVER, when he was referred to check that out more closely an MRI showed that it was actually his cruciates that caused the problem, not his back.

Secondly, my saluki was hopping on a hind leg without showing any other symptoms at all. He would only hop when trotting and only during a relaxed trot (never when I asked him to trot). X-rays showed nothing, MRI showed a dry disc that pops out when ever the back is hyper extended... e.g. during trotting. Without an MRI this would never have been found and without a vet thinking of hyperextending his back when taking the images it would never have been found either. ;-)

So what I would say is ask for further investigations, probably an MRI.

Id say this is very likely a mild patella issue. They can be common in juveniles if there is a weakness there. Your vet would be unlikely to diagnose it but if you visited a specialist who did either an xray or mri it could be seen on there.
If it is a patella issue as long as it is only happening every now and again and your boy isnt in pain I wouldnt worry.

One of my dogs had this issue around the same age as yours, it was a mild case, I had the option to have surgery or see how he went, i walked him up hills etc...and he developed good muscle which meant his symptoms improved until it wasnt happening.  He is now 8yrs old and i think he may have hopped on the odd occasion but he is fine

thank you.
Both vet and chiropractor said his patella was very stable plus his breed isn't known for patella problems but there are always exceptions to the rule I suppose.

If it doesn't show improvement then MRI would be the way to go as i don't think x -rays would show much esp any disc problems. He is now at the age for hip and elbow scoring so I will have to chat to vet regarding this as don't want him pulled about while he is healing.

On a positive note during his walk this morning, about 20 mins, I didn't see him do it which I normally have done. I am hoping he is perhaps mending a little. There certainly doesn't appear any pain and no limping. He has started an exercise class to build up core muscles, like Pilates for dogs, simple things so far like walking over poles which should strengthen his muscles and make him more aware of them!

My now 8 year old bitch has done this occasionally since she was a year old. She was referred as although it did not get worse , it did not improve. Patellas were/ are stable. She had X-rays and an MRI -no abnormalities (spinal or cruciate) found. She has never deteriorated and has been worked hard and gets a lot of exercise. She looks fit as anything and will go all day with no stiffness or lameness during or after, except for the occasional skip on the left hind, no worse and no different to what she has now done most of her life. She sees the chiro every 3 months with the others and no problems found there either . I agree that any gait abnormality or lameness should be checked but just wanted to say may there may not always be a problem .

Thanks for this, all the tests get very expensive so I don't want to rush and he will be having hips done soon.
Yesterday and today the skip is very very minimal so maybe it is repairing - paws crossed

Meant to say she has good hips too 3/3