Cruciate Ligament (updated 20/4)

I had to take spike up to the vets this morning, he's been limping on his back leg again so took him up to check if it was still down to his growing pains or something worse. Well once the vet had examined him she says she could feel some crunching in his knee and is sure that it's his cruciate ligament so he's booked to get an xray 1st thing tomorrow morning, i'm dreading it especially as they have to put him out to give him the xray

Oh poor spike!

Does this mean an op? Or does it depend on how bad it is?

They were talking about operating on him with me today but i'll find out more after 2pm tomoz

Well that's wee spikey up at the vets waiting to get his x-ray done, my sotmach is doing somersaults, i just wish this afternoon would hurry up and arrive, i'm just wanna know he came out of the anaesthetic okay and wanna get my boy back home again

I hope he wont need the operation on his knee..

I've been there too with Ismo.. a month after he came to me he fell over in park 'cause it was slippery after rain and he starter limpin his back leg a little. In evening it was worse and he didn't use the leg almost at all and was very carefull when gettin to lay down. So i gave him painkillers. I kept him resting for four days and gave painkillers but it dident get better, he still used his leg pretty normally now. I called the vet and got the appointment for next day and she felt his legs and said his knee moves a bit weird and doesnt feel normal. We took x-rays and his both knees are pretty loose, also hips are not great either but since his knee really moved like its loose and in pain, it seemed that his cruciate ligament has ruptured a little. I had to keep him resting for two weeks (no long walks or playing or anything, just to go out to do wha he needs) and i had to carry him the stairs up and down every time for those weeks. And he got painkillers for two weeks too. The vet said if he limps after that or it's got worse, we have to operate his knee. But a good thing is, he got better and has been normal since that SO it could't be really bad injury even though it seemed worse.
The vet said his knees probably will need to be operated sometime 'cause theyre so loose and he might hurt them again.. I'm hoping that will never happen!

ps. my english isn't great so i hope my text makes sense

Thanks lenore, i understood you perfect

Spike got his x-rays and it all went well but his cruciate ligament is away so he's gonna need an operation the vet has given him metacam just now and he'll be on that till he gets his op, so we're back at the vets at the end of next week to discuss when we want to go ahead with it

Hope the metacam knocks the edge off for him. My cat was on the dogs dose when she was recovering from a car accident with smashed pelvis!

Give him a hug from me.

Will do toni and kazzy, the metacam always helps, he never limps while he's on it but there again it's also got an anti-inflammatory in it so helps his leg loads

Oh no.. Good luck with the operation and recovering, i'm sure it goes well


Ismo got metacam too and i guess it was really good because he wanted to play all the time like theres nothing wrong with his knee so i had to restrain him that he wont hurt his leg again and it could heal properly

Aww so sorry to hear about Spike, bless him.
Coco slipped on the ice (over a year ago) & was on metacam too. We had to rest him for months, no walks, then only lead walks. Vet said to keep him calm, that was a feat in itself, even when he went out back for a pee, him n Zak thought it was playtime. Thankfully he recovered & didn't need an operation but vet has said that he may do in the future as his knees are quite loose. We haven't been out for ages, except in the back after I cleared it of snow/ice and now the bleeding stuff is back again!!!!
Thoughts are with you guys x

Thanks guys, that metacam is a godsend, it works wonders, you'd never know anything was wrong with his leg now but as soon as it stops his limp comes back again, spike hasny been getting walked since he started to limp but it's so difficult to keep him rested as he's not a lazy bulldog he's more of your hyper kangaroo type it's gonna be so hard for him when he's on complete cage rest after his operation
I'll let yous all know how we get on at the vets again at the end of next week

I had spike up at the vets last night again to talk about his operation and the vet says he's still coping well enough just now with being on the metacam but he's still gonna need his operation so he's to stay on the matacam for now and we've to go back to the vats again in the middle of february to see if he's still the same or got any worse, if he's still coping okay they'll leave him for another month or so but if not he'll get the op by the end of feb

Glad he's doing okay Ali poor boy Spike, give him my love and of course little Lola's

mitch_stu wrote:

Glad he's doing okay Ali poor boy Spike, give him my love and of course little Lola's

Thanks mitch, giving him loads of love from you and lola

aww hun so sorry to hear about poor Spike.
Glad all went well with xrays and that the metacam is helping him,not sure but think ive read that it shouldnt be used for long due to side effects etc,just thought i would mention it.
Give the lad a gentle hug and a belly rub from us lot.xxxx
keep us updated.xx

Hi Ali im sorry i misseed this post i hope Spike is ok - Metacam is good i remember when Kasha had a limp he was on it but it knocked him out - he looked spaced out poor thing i hated the stuff but at least it took the pain away.

Lets know if Spike is having the op.

Thanks susan & tracie, spike's due to go back to the vets by the end of next week, he's definitely gonna have to go through the operation, so when we go back it's to discuss when he's to get it done which will probably be before the end of february, the sooner it gets done the better now that way he should be able to go for small walks when the better weather is coming in, i'll let yous all know how things go at the end of next week

Just to let yous all know that spike is now booked into get his operation on tuesday the 9th march, i've to take him up before 10am, he'll get his op that day and will stay in overnight and i'll get him back again on wednesday, i'll let yous all know how things go with him next week

quite a long time you had to wait for the operation hope he'll get better!

Lenore wrote:

quite a long time you had to wait for the operation hope he'll get better!

Thanks lenore, he's all ready to go in tomorrow, and i'm absolutely dreading it, my stomach is churning, i canny wait till wednesday when it's all over and i can get him back home again

Good luck for tomorrow Ali, hope all goes well with Spike, bless him.

Like I said on FB, hope everything goes well, am sure it will.

Keep us updated.

Thanks toni & jools, he went in without any probs this morning but there again he loves going to the vets, think he's the only dog i know that runs in and bounces about the place all excited
I've to phone the vets sometime after 3pm to find out how things have gone with him, so when i find out i'll let yous all know

Well i phoned the vet at 3:30pm and they're still operating on him so now i'm sitting waiting patiently for the vet to phone me as soon as he's finished and spike comes round from the op

The vet's just phoned and aswell as his cruciate ligament being totally knackered he had a meniscus tear so all the shredded muscle around it had to be removed aswell but we've been told that he came round from the op okay and so far is doing well and i've to phone the vets tomorrow between 8 and 9am to see how he got on through the night and if all is well we should be able to collect him sometime tomorrow afternoon, gawd i canny wait to get him back, i'll let yous know what the vet says to us tomorrow cause he says he needs to talk to us aswell about meds, recovery period etc

Phoned the vet this morning to see how wee spikey had done through the night and he was great, we can pick him up at 1pm today

Thanks kazzy, he's doing really well, started to use the leg already, he's to go back to the vets tomorrow so they can check to make sure no infection is setting in and also to see how he's coping with the leg now, he's really happy to be home but is also having a major sulk, he cries to get attention but then turns his head away and sulks when you go to pet him, he's some boy

Here's a couple of pics of his scar and him out the back for a wee

His scar looks really good for only being 2 days old


Out the back for a wee
his leg is really swollen and sort of out of shape


Finished and coming back inside