http://www.yourdog.co.uk Your Dog November 2017 31HEALTH
The importance
of insurance
Finally, we had a call from an owner who
thought her dog had just broken his leg,
when he slipped on a bank while out on
a walk. Kessie is only two, so it seemed
unlikely that he could have had such
a severe injury in such an innocuous
manner. After anaesthetising him, we were
able to X-ray his pelvis, which showed
his leg wasn’t broken, but his hip was
dislocated. Not only that, it was very
abnormal in structure, consistent with
having a form of hip dysplasia.
This was bad enough, but it was a great
relief to me, as the most recent case I saw
of a dog who had broken his leg after
a minor injury involved an unknown bone
tumour, which had weakened the bone
and led to the fracture. We tried initially to
relocate the hip and it clunked back into
the socket, but having seen the X-rays, I’m
concerned it will easily dislocate again in
the future, and that actually Kessie may
benefi t from a hip replacement. Luckily, he
is insured, so we have sent his X-rays by
email to a specialist for his opinion, while
Kessie recovers in the hospital.
All these cases make me think how
important it is to have good-quality
insurance for vets’ fees, and for owners tokeep their pets fi t and healthy. A fi t, healthy
pet is less likely to sustain a musculoskeletal
injury, and more likely to recover quicker
and better if he does. For those dogs
with suspected arthritic change, a range
of dietary supplements are available
which may be helpful, and all dogs with
musculoskeletal problems can benefi t
from appropriate pain relief (never human
painkillers without a vet’s advice), and
sometimes acupuncture, hydrotherapy,
and physiotherapy.Shoulders, knees,
and toes
Meanwhile, my colleague was admitting an
elderly Mastiff-cross, who had a sudden onset
hindlimb lameness which was obviously related
to a very painful and swollen stifl e (knee).
After he had been given some pain relief
and sedation, we were able to examine him
properly, and ascertained that the ligaments in
his stifl e were damaged, resulting in instability.
We anaesthetised him and X-rayed his hips and
stifl es, both to assess the degree of the injury,
and to check he didn’t have any other signifi cant
problems which might affect whether he could
benefi t from surgical treatment for the injury.
Happily, his hips and other joints are in good
shape, and the injury is not associated with
much arthritic change, so he should do well with
a surgical procedure called a TPLO, which is
a very effective treatment for cruciate ligament
rupture. This is not something we offer in our
practice, so it will necessitate referral to an
orthopaedic specialist, which will be pricey,
but luckily his owners have good insurance for
vets’ fees.A vet will examine
any joint problems.An X-ray showing
hip dysplasia.Musculoskeletal problems
will require lots of rest.Fit, healthy pets are
less likely to sustain
musculoskeletal injuries.Managing pain
Later, Polly, a terrier-cross, came in for
her regular check. She is 13 years old,
and had a right hind cruciate and patellar
ligament injury four years ago (very
severe disruption to the ligaments in the
knee). She was not a good candidate
for surgical treatment for a number of
reasons, and instead had a long period
of rest and anti-infl ammatories, while
the pain in her stifl e settled down. She
also had been very overweight, and her
owners successfully dieted her to bringher weight down, helping to reduce the
workload of her hindlegs.
She comes in for regular checks
to ensure she is comfortable and
not experiencing side effects of her
medication, and every time I see her
I’m amazed at how well she is doing. She
had a blood test to check her liver and
kidney function, due to the medication
she is on, and I was delighted to fi nd that
she remains remarkably healthy, and can
continue on the current regime.30-31 Health Diary Ant+CS SWCC .indd 31 22/09/2017 15:15