Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon, and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

The weight has been an issue for years, she's currently 56lbs., and only today
does the vet come up with a reducing diet. I asked what took so long, the
assistant offered "whoops" as a reason.

He also just now mentioned that she has "masses" in her inner thigh and around
her front leg. We'd been treating them like pulled muscles, which I think he
also said she has. The vet doesn't believe in repeating himself.

This vet is only good for shots and nail clipping, I've already lost two friends
to him, one only three weeks ago and now I'd like to change vets, finding a new
one in the area won't be easy however (we live in Bronx, NY and there are two
vets nearby, this one and one that has no parking.)

He sent us home with a bag of ten Rimadyl tablets and the peanut shell reducing
diet, telling us to come back in two weeks. Our dog won't eat the food so we've
given her a lesser amount of what she normally eats, Nutro's dry food and plain
ground chicken. She ate and went out and urinated, but now we're wondering how
she will be able to "assume the position" to poop.

I've also got the 80 year old that 'owns' the dog insisting that she stay
upstairs with her. I have no way of making her see that the stairs are
impossible right now and the dog was carried up as I was writing this.

Help.

C.T.

Colin wrote:

Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon, and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

You definitely need to see a specialist. The ones I've dealt with
have been very good. They have a procedure now with far better
prognosis than formerly (TPLO?). Let the orthopedist tell you if
weight is a problem.

When I need to slim down a dog, I just reduce the amount I feed.
It makes sense to me--it's easy to know how the new diet compares
to the old--compare measured amounts. Then as the desired weight
is approached, adjust the amount upward to try to achieve stability
at the ideal weight. I would think switching foods would be a lot
more complicated.

Amy Dahl

Colin wrote:

Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon, and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

You definitely need to see a specialist. The ones I've dealt with
have been very good. They have a procedure now with far better
prognosis than formerly (TPLO?). Let the orthopedist tell you if
weight is a problem.

When I need to slim down a dog, I just reduce the amount I feed.
It makes sense to me--it's easy to know how the new diet compares
to the old--compare measured amounts. Then as the desired weight
is approached, adjust the amount upward to try to achieve stability
at the ideal weight. I would think switching foods would be a lot
more complicated.

Amy Dahl

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 18:48:45 -0400, "Sharon"
wrote:

You need to get another opinion. I've never known my husband to refuse to do
an ACL surgery on an overweight dog. You fix it, assist them getting around
and deal with the weight issue. You don't let the injury heal wrong and have
the dog deal with pain because it has a weight issue.

The current vet had us feeling like putting her under anaesthesia now was a
death sentence, and kept mentioning the growths in our dog's thigh and shoulder,
as well as saying the injury could return after surgery, what would the
prognosis realistically be?

We are looking to change vets, that's for sure right now. Where are you
located?

Good luck.

Thanks, we need a lot of that.

C.T.

-Sharon
"Colin" wrote in message
.. .
Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon
running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the
waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon, and
then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog
was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

The weight has been an issue for years, she's currently 56lbs., and only
today
does the vet come up with a reducing diet. I asked what took so long, the
assistant offered "whoops" as a reason.

He also just now mentioned that she has "masses" in her inner thigh and
around
her front leg. We'd been treating them like pulled muscles, which I think
he
also said she has. The vet doesn't believe in repeating himself.

This vet is only good for shots and nail clipping, I've already lost two
friends
to him, one only three weeks ago and now I'd like to change vets, finding
a new
one in the area won't be easy however (we live in Bronx, NY and there are
two
vets nearby, this one and one that has no parking.)

He sent us home with a bag of ten Rimadyl tablets and the peanut shell
reducing
diet, telling us to come back in two weeks. Our dog won't eat the food so
we've
given her a lesser amount of what she normally eats, Nutro's dry food and
plain
ground chicken. She ate and went out and urinated, but now we're
wondering how
she will be able to "assume the position" to poop.

I've also got the 80 year old that 'owns' the dog insisting that she stay
upstairs with her. I have no way of making her see that the stairs are
impossible right now and the dog was carried up as I was writing this.

Help.

C.T.

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 18:48:45 -0400, "Sharon"
wrote:

You need to get another opinion. I've never known my husband to refuse to do
an ACL surgery on an overweight dog. You fix it, assist them getting around
and deal with the weight issue. You don't let the injury heal wrong and have
the dog deal with pain because it has a weight issue.

The current vet had us feeling like putting her under anaesthesia now was a
death sentence, and kept mentioning the growths in our dog's thigh and shoulder,
as well as saying the injury could return after surgery, what would the
prognosis realistically be?

We are looking to change vets, that's for sure right now. Where are you
located?

Good luck.

Thanks, we need a lot of that.

C.T.

-Sharon
"Colin" wrote in message
.. .
Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon
running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the
waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon, and
then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog
was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

The weight has been an issue for years, she's currently 56lbs., and only
today
does the vet come up with a reducing diet. I asked what took so long, the
assistant offered "whoops" as a reason.

He also just now mentioned that she has "masses" in her inner thigh and
around
her front leg. We'd been treating them like pulled muscles, which I think
he
also said she has. The vet doesn't believe in repeating himself.

This vet is only good for shots and nail clipping, I've already lost two
friends
to him, one only three weeks ago and now I'd like to change vets, finding
a new
one in the area won't be easy however (we live in Bronx, NY and there are
two
vets nearby, this one and one that has no parking.)

He sent us home with a bag of ten Rimadyl tablets and the peanut shell
reducing
diet, telling us to come back in two weeks. Our dog won't eat the food so
we've
given her a lesser amount of what she normally eats, Nutro's dry food and
plain
ground chicken. She ate and went out and urinated, but now we're
wondering how
she will be able to "assume the position" to poop.

I've also got the 80 year old that 'owns' the dog insisting that she stay
upstairs with her. I have no way of making her see that the stairs are
impossible right now and the dog was carried up as I was writing this.

Help.

C.T.

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 23:09:02 GMT, Amy Dahl wrote:
Colin wrote:

Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon, and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

You definitely need to see a specialist. The ones I've dealt with
have been very good. They have a procedure now with far better
prognosis than formerly (TPLO?). Let the orthopedist tell you if
weight is a problem.

Thanks, that does give me a little hope.

When I need to slim down a dog, I just reduce the amount I feed.
It makes sense to me--it's easy to know how the new diet compares
to the old--compare measured amounts. Then as the desired weight
is approached, adjust the amount upward to try to achieve stability
at the ideal weight. I would think switching foods would be a lot
more complicated.

Exactly. Thanks!

Amy Dahl

C.T.

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 23:09:02 GMT, Amy Dahl wrote:
Colin wrote:

Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon, and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

You definitely need to see a specialist. The ones I've dealt with
have been very good. They have a procedure now with far better
prognosis than formerly (TPLO?). Let the orthopedist tell you if
weight is a problem.

Thanks, that does give me a little hope.

When I need to slim down a dog, I just reduce the amount I feed.
It makes sense to me--it's easy to know how the new diet compares
to the old--compare measured amounts. Then as the desired weight
is approached, adjust the amount upward to try to achieve stability
at the ideal weight. I would think switching foods would be a lot
more complicated.

Exactly. Thanks!

Amy Dahl

C.T.

You can replace some of her normal food with boiled cabbage, and also use
the cabbage water to pour over the dry food. Not only does the cabbage help
to strip the weight off, it is meant to be one of the natural foods that
help with inflammatory conditions.

Our Bc had a ruptured ACL, and he is now bounding around. He had 'fishing
line' put in to replace the ligament, but his body reacted to that, so it
was removed and some muscle was used to hold the joint together. From our
experience, I cannot stress how important it is to take an xray prior to
surgery, as the bone where the line is anchored must be sound enough to take
the pressure. From talking to my many BC friends, I have heard that because
of the way BCs leap around, that little projection often is not strong
enough, and then you end up with more surgery, more pain for the dog, and
much longer recovery time.

Your current vet sounds like a total jerk - it's worth the travel time to go
to a decent caring vet.

ACL is definitely fixable - but rest and time ar eessential post surgery.

Good luck

judy




"Colin" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 23:09:02 GMT, Amy Dahl wrote:
Colin wrote:

Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon
running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the
waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the
vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon,
and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog
was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

You definitely need to see a specialist. The ones I've dealt with
have been very good. They have a procedure now with far better
prognosis than formerly (TPLO?). Let the orthopedist tell you if
weight is a problem.

Thanks, that does give me a little hope.

When I need to slim down a dog, I just reduce the amount I feed.
It makes sense to me--it's easy to know how the new diet compares
to the old--compare measured amounts. Then as the desired weight
is approached, adjust the amount upward to try to achieve stability
at the ideal weight. I would think switching foods would be a lot
more complicated.

Exactly. Thanks!

Amy Dahl

C.T.

You can replace some of her normal food with boiled cabbage, and also use
the cabbage water to pour over the dry food. Not only does the cabbage help
to strip the weight off, it is meant to be one of the natural foods that
help with inflammatory conditions.

Our Bc had a ruptured ACL, and he is now bounding around. He had 'fishing
line' put in to replace the ligament, but his body reacted to that, so it
was removed and some muscle was used to hold the joint together. From our
experience, I cannot stress how important it is to take an xray prior to
surgery, as the bone where the line is anchored must be sound enough to take
the pressure. From talking to my many BC friends, I have heard that because
of the way BCs leap around, that little projection often is not strong
enough, and then you end up with more surgery, more pain for the dog, and
much longer recovery time.

Your current vet sounds like a total jerk - it's worth the travel time to go
to a decent caring vet.

ACL is definitely fixable - but rest and time ar eessential post surgery.

Good luck

judy




"Colin" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 23:09:02 GMT, Amy Dahl wrote:
Colin wrote:

Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon
running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the
waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the
vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon,
and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog
was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

You definitely need to see a specialist. The ones I've dealt with
have been very good. They have a procedure now with far better
prognosis than formerly (TPLO?). Let the orthopedist tell you if
weight is a problem.

Thanks, that does give me a little hope.

When I need to slim down a dog, I just reduce the amount I feed.
It makes sense to me--it's easy to know how the new diet compares
to the old--compare measured amounts. Then as the desired weight
is approached, adjust the amount upward to try to achieve stability
at the ideal weight. I would think switching foods would be a lot
more complicated.

Exactly. Thanks!

Amy Dahl

C.T.

On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 16:06:28 +1000, "judy" wrote:

You can replace some of her normal food with boiled cabbage, and also use
the cabbage water to pour over the dry food. Not only does the cabbage help
to strip the weight off, it is meant to be one of the natural foods that
help with inflammatory conditions.

Thank you! I'll try that right away, our girl enjoys veggies so she shouldn't
have any problem with the added cabbage.

Our Bc had a ruptured ACL, and he is now bounding around. He had 'fishing
line' put in to replace the ligament, but his body reacted to that, so it
was removed and some muscle was used to hold the joint together. From our
experience, I cannot stress how important it is to take an xray prior to
surgery, as the bone where the line is anchored must be sound enough to take
the pressure.

I'll keep that in mind, glad to hear your BC is doing good now.

From talking to my many BC friends, I have heard that because
of the way BCs leap around, that little projection often is not strong
enough, and then you end up with more surgery, more pain for the dog, and
much longer recovery time.

It's true, prior to this injury we were trying to control how often she ran up
and down the stairs, but as long as she could, she wouldn't hear of it.

Your current vet sounds like a total jerk - it's worth the travel time to go
to a decent caring vet.

The more I've read these past two days, the more I see he is very much a jerk.
I agree that a little longer trip would be worth it, I still need to
convince my mom, she worries about the wrong things at times.

ACL is definitely fixable - but rest and time ar eessential post surgery.

Good luck

Thanks, we have an appointment with an Orthopedic specialist, while he's about a
half hour away, I think it's going to be worth it.

judy

C.T.

"Colin" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 23:09:02 GMT, Amy Dahl wrote:
Colin wrote:

Hi, my 9 year old Border Collie mix ruptured her ACL this afternoon
running
after a squirrel. Brought her in to the vet right away, sat in the
waiting room
for three hours while the dog tried to stand and walk around, when the
vet
finally got to her he said that she'd require an orthopedic surgeon,
and then
proceeded to tell us that the nearest one was downtown and once our dog
was
evaluated they might not do surgery because she's overweight.

You definitely need to see a specialist. The ones I've dealt with
have been very good. They have a procedure now with far better
prognosis than formerly (TPLO?). Let the orthopedist tell you if
weight is a problem.

Thanks, that does give me a little hope.

When I need to slim down a dog, I just reduce the amount I feed.
It makes sense to me--it's easy to know how the new diet compares
to the old--compare measured amounts. Then as the desired weight
is approached, adjust the amount upward to try to achieve stability
at the ideal weight. I would think switching foods would be a lot
more complicated.

Exactly. Thanks!

Amy Dahl

C.T.