I first noticed that Sadie was limping a couple of months ago. It only seemed to happen when she got up from lying down on the hard floor and always involved the left hind leg. Once she moved around a little, the limp disappeared and she seemed her usual busy self.
I was a little concerned but not overly so. Sadie is 6 1/2 years old. Could she have a touch of arthritis I wondered. Not uncommon in large breed dogs. I decided to keep an eye on it and started her on glucosamine supplements.
After two months of taking the glucosamine, the limping remained.. and it nagged at me.
Then, two days ago, while attempting to jump up our back stairs, Sadie seemed to lose her footing and slipped a little, banging her right hind leg. Now she was limping on her right side. I knew it was just from the bang.. but why had she slipped in the first place? Something wasn’t right. I phoned the vet.
The next morning Sadie was excited to find herself in the back seat of my car, but her exuberance quickly changed to quivering as we turned into the vet’s parking lot. How do they know even before they get out of the car?
Dr. Karen was soon giving Sadie the once over. She nodded in agreement as I described the symptoms and presented my thought that it might be the beginning of arthritis. She pulled and probed at both of Sadie’s back legs. Still quivering, Sadie looked at me sorrowfully but stoically put up with the manipulations. The hips seemed find. But what was this behind the left knee?
“Come, see if you can feel this thickening on the medial aspect of her knee” Dr. Karen said.
I went to the end of the examination table and felt where the vet had placed my hands. In all honestly I felt nothing.. but she explained that there was definitely something there. Two minutes later Sadie and I were heading down the stairs to the x-ray department.
Both hip and knee x-rays were to be done. Most dogs require sedation for these particular x-rays but because of Sadie’s easy and cooperative nature they were going to try to take them with out the aid of drugs.
I lifted her onto the cold table and gentle placed her on her side. We turned her on to her back and spread her hips. “Stay Sadie.. be good,” I said, and then I was asked to leave.
With in minutes the tech had her back with me.. the pictures had been taken. No problem. Good dog.
As we sat there and waited for the vet to return, Sadie leaned against me panting with nervousness. I stroked her head not caring about the drool on my pants. “Your such a good girl,” I soothed as she looked up at me with that trusting gaze.
A few minutes later our vet came in with the films tucked under her arms.
“Would you mind if another vet looked at Sadie’s hind legs?” she asked.
“Ok,” I said, trying to hide my growing concern.
Dr. M. had just finished surgery and was between cases so we were taken right into the animal OR where he bent down to give Sadie another quick going over. I saw him nod and heard him say something about her being a candidate. What???
Back in one of the examination rooms Dr. Karen snapped the x-rays into the viewer and began to talk. The left hip was fine but the picture of the right hip told a different story. Dr. Karen explained, while pointing to the x-ray, how Sadie had quite marked hip dysplasia on the right. I have never had a dog with hip dysplegia.. but I have heard some about it. It is the leading cause of lameness in dogs, especially in the larger breeds, and is congenital in nature. The fact that she was not showing symptoms on that side was good. The fact that she was favouring her left leg and putting more weight on the right side was bad.
So why was she limping on the left side… we were getting to that.
Sigh
The left hip socket was perfect.. no deformity whatsoever. The left knee was a different story. It looked like Sadie had had a past injury to this knee and had torn one of the ligaments. The ligament was not ruptured but it was torn. Scar tissue had formed over time, causing the thickening that had been felt.
“How long have you had Sadie?” Dr. Karen asked.
“Close to a year and a half.”
“This injury probably happened before you even got her.”
None the less… there it was.
The scar tissue is both a good and a bad thing. Its formation has actually stabilized the joint but it has also formed jagged edges which now have caused inflammation and arthritic like changes. Thus.. the limp.
I stood there nodding as all of this was explained, trying to take it all in.
“So what can we do?” I asked.. scared to hear the answer.
“Well there is a surgery”.. and then she went on to explain it in detail. I think I heard most of it.. but a numbness was starting to take hold.
“What is the recovery?” I asked.
“10 weeks crated,” she replied.
“And the cost?”
“$2200″
I looked at Sadie, who was now quite happily checking out the room. My heart sank.
“Are there medical options?” I inquired.
“Yes and I am just about to get into those,” she replied.
She then went on to explain that I should continue with the glucosamine. We could also add the anti-inflammatory, Meloxicam, for at least 10 days … maybe longer, depending on if it helped or not. She also wanted to start Sadie on Cartrophen injections ( 1/wk X 4 wks.. then 1/mo.). She would get the first injection today and then I could give her the others myself at home.
Cartrophen is a new drug to me and I am still not sure if I really understand how it works but here is what is written on a website I found:
CARTROPHEN VET is a revolutionary advance in the treatment for Osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal disease in dogs. ft relieves pain and lameness, and increases the range of pain-free movement by treating the underlying disease processes – not just the symptoms.
CARTROPHEN VET has multiple pharmacological actions which affect the immune and tissue cell systems.
These effects include:
Inhibition of enzymes which break down cartilage in addition to stimulating natural inhibitors of these destructive enzymes.
Stimulation of the production of lubricant and cartilage molecules by the joint cells. Improvement of the circulation of blood to the arthritic tissues, thus improving nutrition to the joint tissues. All this adds up to help repair and rejuvinate the damaged cartilage. link
My vet assured me that she has seen very positive results with this drug and that it if it worked, it would benefit both her injured knee and her dysplagic hip.
I sat there with one hand stroking the soft curly head of my dog, trying to decide what to do and trying not to cry.
Her limp was minimal. She would never understand the surgery or being crated afterwards. It would be torture. Plus the money was huge.
In the end, I opted for the conservative management and before we left, Sadie received her first Cartrophen injection.
We then left for home with my purse stuffed with filled syringes, more medications and written instructions.
So… that is where we stand right now. I am still struggling with my decision but the good news is that since the visit to the vet, I have not seen her limp once.
I love this dog and am not sure if I am doing the right thing, but my goal now is to keep her happy and pain free. Thankfully, running is not a “no-no” and even encouraged. My Sadie does love to run.
In the mean time, she will get her medications and I have bought her a Kuranda dog bed to keep her off of the hard floors. Coco and Bear are liking this bed as well so I just may end up getting another.
Wish us well. One day at a time I suppose.
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And for your listening pleasure.. a little morning tune from Sadie.
She is a joy. :-)
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related posts:
Sadie Woes
My opinion is net to worthless, but I believe you made the right decision. Mutts live in the present, and being present in the crate would not be nice for her.
Yes, you made the right decision.
I know the medication results are going to be really positive.
The girl can sing!!
Earl had a limp for what seemed to go on and off for months. As soon as I made an appointment at the vet it cleared up. I have worried and worried that he is going to be prone to dysplasia as he is a Lab, I mean they were only 2 1/2 and that started. I keep hoping maybe it was one of his injuries from jumping banks and creeks all the time. I sure hope Sadie’s meds work for her.
Good decision. Twice I’ve been told of surgery solutions to problems that took care of themselves. Ten weeks in a crate. Too much, too long. Then there are no guarantees of any long term solutions.
I think you made the right decision, and I hope the injections and the medication helps Sadie. She is such a sweet-looking girl, and boy, she sure can sing!
I would have made the same decision. I think it’s the right one. Start off with the conservative treatment and hopefully, she will never need that surgery. I’ve never heard of Cartrophen. Seems there are more drug options for dogs with joint problems than there are for cats. Sadie is so lucky to be part of your family! I know you will do whatever you can to help her and make her comfortable. I also think Coco is going to have a Kuranda bed soon. -:)
Sounds like you made the right choice for Sadie. I’d have made the same decision. Here’s hoping the meds help her move better.
And thanks very much for the info about Cartrophen. Kelly turned 13 this year and he seems stiff lately, so it’s good to know about options before talking to his vet.
I absolutely believe the conservative way is the way to go. Speaking from my own experience with my knee, we tried every possible solution apart from replacement.
I hope that these shots do the job for Sadie. By the way, I love her singing. So many blogs I’ve read this morning have a music theme. You just added to it. Thanks.
I have to agree with everyone else and say I would have made the same decision you did. I know what it’s like to love an animal and have to make these decisions. It wasn’t that long ago I had to make a decision and ended up putting our cat Sam to sleep. It really hurt me, but what was best for him.
Conservative management is the best way to start. It leaves more options.
My senior cat, Dino, on occasion would have a “clicking” joint, especially on cold days. But, with slimming down, the clicking sound went away.
As an aside, one of the local vets has developed a process to help arthritic dogs by using stem cells harvested from the dog themselves. Of the experimental treatment, the success rate has been very good. Presently, it’s under review on whether this treatment option can be used for cats.
I love that dog…she just makes me think of my betty all the time. i think they are of the same personality!
It’s good that you have a veterinarian that is caring and wise enough to obtain a second opinion and then give you a more humane treatment option (because I believe the surgery and treatment would have been extremely traumatic for poor Sadie). Love the Kuranda bed and Coco’s expression at being left out on the cold, hard floor! Heh.
“Sadie Sings the Blues” sounds like a good title for an album of doggie songs, no?
It is so hard to decide what to do when these things come up! I hope Sadie will be feeling better soon. I wish they had something for cats, especially for pain and arthritis… Clover is getting really bad now. She is in pain, I know and has such a hard time getting around… but most things, even those dogs can take, are not used in cats. The glucosamine formula for cats doesn’t seem to be doing anything. She turned 15 this month and I think her time with us is growing short.
Good luck with Sadie.. she is such a beautiful creature!
Sadie will be fine and will get better on the new routine and the meds.
I am glad the vet did not curtail her activities since I know that springers live to walk and run. My Mollie had to have her two mile walk everyday.
I love your pet stories.
I agree, you made the right decision! I’m so sorry you went through all this, and moreso for Sadie’s suffering. Poor thing. She’s lucky to have you as a Mom :)
Hi Colleen, I hope this comment is not too late as I am really interested in the results from the treatment because my 10 year old dog Major has the exact same problem with his knee and ligament etc…with arthritis causing him to limp. I believe you made the right decision and have made me consider the traumatic experience that surgery would cause him at his age. He has diabetes and i regulate and test his blood and add chromiu, sulphur, glucosamine and vitamin c plus fish oil etc to his food as it is and am now going to decide to give him Cartrophen to treat the condition as opposed to surgury.