Torn Cruciate or OCD?

[VON KIRCHER]

Hi Everyone

Well, things have gotten crzy for us recently with an injury that Mira, our 3 year old bitch, has suffered. We noticed a change in her, after a day of chasing balls, and running around after Onyx, our 11 month old male. She is normally a high energy female and all of a sudden became very lethargic. It appeared difficult for her to get up, and I noticed her rear legs appeared weak.
I checked her temperature and it was normal. I pulled poked and went over every inch of her body, and she showed no discomfort??? I gave it a day and it seemed to get a little worse, so we took her to the Vet.
As of right now our Vet believe that it could be anything from OCD to a cruciate tear. We are having X-rays done tomorrow.
My only other concern is that last night she did not eat her food. This is really not normal for Mira, as she is a chow-hound. I am not sure if this is because she is in such discomfort???
If anyone has experience with either of these I would appreciate it. I did a search on both possibilities, and what I found did not completely help me with our scenario.
Thank you in advance.

[Sharon Marples]

Hi Nate,

Is could be either. Did your vet do the drawer test? That is the only way to determine a cruciate tear, it will not show up on an xray. However, OCD or osteo (heaven forbid!) might if it has advanced enough.

Considering that this came on so suddenly and after some extensive playing, I am thinking that it may just be muscle soreness or the cruciate. When she stands, does she tap her foot (toe-tapping) on the sore leg? Is she putting any weight on it at all?

Do you have ticks in your area that she could have been exposed to? Also thinking of Lyme disease that can cause problems with the rear end. Her problem of not eating could be because of the pain,but could also be underlying for something else. I would also suggest a full blood panel be done on her to rule out kidney or liver malfunctions.

Good luck at the vets tomorrow, keep us posted and if he doesn't come up with something clear, I would definitely schedule a visit to the ortho vet for a second (and possibly, more educated) opinion.

[VON KIRCHER]

Originally Posted by Sharon Marples

Hi Nate,

Is could be either. Did your vet do the drawer test? That is the only way to determine a cruciate tear, it will not show up on an xray. However, OCD or osteo (heaven forbid!) might if it has advanced enough.

Considering that this came on so suddenly and after some extensive playing, I am thinking that it may just be muscle soreness or the cruciate. When she stands, does she tap her foot (toe-tapping) on the sore leg? Is she putting any weight on it at all?

Do you have ticks in your area that she could have been exposed to? Also thinking of Lyme disease that can cause problems with the rear end. Her problem of not eating could be because of the pain,but could also be underlying for something else. I would also suggest a full blood panel be done on her to rule out kidney or liver malfunctions.

Good luck at the vets tomorrow, keep us posted and if he doesn't come up with something clear, I would definitely schedule a visit to the ortho vet for a second (and possibly, more educated) opinion.

Hi Sharon
I just got off the phone with our Vet, and things are still a little unclear. Her blood panel came back completely normal as well as the test for liver and kidney function.
The X-rays made our vet. believe that she does have "a problem" with both knees, but she could not determine anything more. She recommended that we make an appt with her specialist, which are doing.
The vet still has not ruled out OCD, but she said that is sometimes difficult to determine base on X-rays...

[kathyg]

Did they test for Lyme? If so, some docs still do the antibiotic run, just in case. The fact that BOTH rear legs were simultaneously "lame" is odd, as well as her being off her food & being tired. A specialist is the best bet. They can normally feel the knees even before x-rays & be able to pretty much know what's going on. My girl was up off her right leg completely when she was a pup - after exercize & everyone said she had torn her knee. I brought her to a great orthopedic man in Albany, NY & he said her knees were great, but she had slight OCD in the one. Same symptoms sometimes as a torn cruciate...so don't panic. Good Luck.