An Eye for an Eye?
well, no not literally. But you tell me what comes to find after reading THIS STORY.
And what a great clinician; which just confirms why I’ve had no qualms referring people to VSS.
Archive for May, 2009
Do you have Pink Paws…
Pink Paws is an organization devoted to finding a cure for pet cancer.
There website lists many ways to read up on ther cause and enlist support.
Click Here Please!
Fit Tip 5/26/09 obedience training
This is part of a series in keeping your furkids, especially the elder variety, feeling and looking their best. It is not intended to supercede medical advice or directives.
Obedience training is not dependent on the age of your dog or your financial resources.
Teaching your dog a few commands makes rehab, and other aspects of your dog’s care & health, much easier.
You cannot tell a dog to go perform a few leg squats in the corner but with you can have him achieve the same effects by using the “sit” command. (And teaching “stand” or “stay” or ?? is even better.)
Teaching a dog something challenges him. Dogs like challenges.
It has been said that dogs can learn up to 150 seperate words.
Now, GO. Teach.
smile!
check out this video and then go on over to their site to see the cool bracelets that benefit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Fit Tip 5/9/09 -check paws
This is part of a series in keeping your furkids, especially the elder variety, feeling and looking their best. It is not intended to supercede medical advice or directives.
Whether or not you heed the previous Fit Tip of brushing, it is important to regularly check the paws and pads of your dog’s feet.
Most practitioners I know have had the experience of looking at dog for the reported issue of “lameness”, only to have it be caused by a burr, stone or torn nail.
The good news-NOT a long-term or expensive problem.
The bad news- you experienced unnecessary worry and expense.
Get in there DEEP. It’s difficult to do if your dog is shy of having his feet handled or toenails cut. [This anxiety is only useful should your dog have an issue in which we need to stimulate range of motion or movement in the leg; you go for the leg, and they retract it. Movement.]
Starting from puppyhood it’s a great idea to have him/her get used to the idea of having their paws handled and checked.
If you walk your dog through brush or even GRASS during the sprintime (especially), small burrs can get trapped and work their way in to the skin.
Dogs that go on occasional hikes or long-distance walking, akin to the human “weekend warrior”, need to have special precautions taken with their feet. Booties (and there are SEVERAL types and varieties now if you’ve tried them in the past and deemed them unsuccessful; give them another look) are the best. Vet wrap or even (yikes! I’ve seen it done) duct tape around the paw pads will prevent them from being injured, burned and/or completely worn down (happens more often than you think).
Dogs that participate in competitions, such as fly-ball or herding, will need to have their paws regularly checked and conditioned.
when surgery is a last resort…
Recently I was contacted by someone whose lab had sustained a stifle injury; Yup, it was a suspected CCL tear (ACL-humans, CCL-canine). His message conveyed the feeling that he didn’t want to choose surgery b/c the dog had “many good years left.”
This question, or sentiment, is so frequently expressed (to me) that I have to (re) address it: In orthopedic situations such as a ligament rupture, is it best just to treat conservatively?
No.
Disclaimer: I am not a surgeon. I do not make any money off of surgical intervention. I have no monetary reason to suggest surgery is a better option. My view is established from what I’ve read and seen through my experience. Only.
In the case above, as with the majority of them, a vet recommended surgery. The owner felt that the vet was perhaps knife happy and while that may or may not be the case (it wasn’t a certified orthopedic vet by the ACVS or cert. in any other speciality techniques), the fact remains that the sooner the NON-intact joint is stablized, the sooner you can stop the RAPID progression of degeneration in the joint that WILL lead to deterioration and mostly likely, pain not to mention altered walking capabilities-for this particular diagnosis/problem.
So the fact that your dog has many good years left is the reason you would OPT toward surgery!
The ligament will not reattach itself or otherwise heal. The inflammation may subside only to be replaced with periodic or episodic bouts of chronic inflammation from the constant wearing (aka arthritis) of the bones together.
Which technique is THE best?
There isn’t one. In a future post we will discuss the different techniques but suffice to say, the best technique is the one your doctor says is the best, and he/she performs the most. NOT the only one he/she performs; for instance, an excapsular repair is endorsed but the vet is only capable of performing extracapsulars.
Questions to ask your vet: Do you promote rehab? Do you believe in crate rest only for 4-8wks? What is your rate of failure (surgical) for the particular technique? What is the clinic’s rate of infection?
Diseases (incl. trauma) involving the stifle (aka knee joint) or the spine *usually* respond favorable to surgical vs. conservative intervention. If it were a problem of the hips or shoulders, you could be alright going the conservative route (depending) and surgery could indeed be a last resort.
Obviously other lifestyle issues come into play such as: age of the dog, health of the dog, any co-morbidites, and family’s financial situation.
Many inquiries start off by saying, “well, I know it’s not the hip, thankfully.”
I think that ‘hip dysplasia’ has become such a common moniker that people are mistakenly relieved to hear that their dog has a stifle problem over a “dreaded” hip problem. But, not so fast!!!
