Swollen Leg and Limping

I don't know much about ACL injuries, I do know that our Berner Hot Shot is 9 and he is still going strong even tho he has a tendency to injure his paws.  One paw in particular seems to get the brunt of it.   We doctor it until it's well and keep on going.   Just my opinion, don't worry too much about when/how to make that decision, when the time comes he will let you know that he is done, sounds like he isn't there yet.  

He is quiet and just sleeps most of the time right now but the meds say that they cause drowsiness.  From time to time he wimpers but not because he moved or anything.  He just wimpers.  If I lay next to him on the floor with my arm around him he doesn't wimper at all.  He isn't labored in his breathing when he's resting.  I do think that its uncomfortable for him but I'm not sure that he's really in alot of pain either.  I just dont know when I should start seeing some sign of improvement.  It's not been quite 48 hours so I feel like its too soon to see some change but my mother seems to think that we should have seen something already and she thinks he may be in pain.

oh my you need a different vet!

My dog tore his ACL (in dogs its the CCL), you get it repaired and they are just fine. To be considering euthanasia because they have a torn CCL is just mind-boggling.

If the cost is an option research local vets who can do the 'traditional' surgery on large dogs. If you don't do surgery the arthritis will escalate quickly as the joint is unstable.

If you are on Facebook - join this group

www.facebook.com/.../469832443089113

and ask for references for vets for your area.

A better surgery is a TPLO or TTA but they are more expensive. Better because they are more stable more quickly. With any of these you are looking at 4-6 months of progessively returning to full activity but without surgery your dog's knee will be constantly painful.

Ligaments don't heal. What your vet proposed (halfway) is called conservative management but that also takes about 6 months, two months of nearly zero activity. More often than not it fails anyway so do try to get your baby to someone who can do surgery and he can be in much less discomfort and a whole lot less meds!

Good luck - please check out that FB page and let us know how your guy is doing.

FWIW my dog is 105lb dane mix who had his knee repaired 5 yrs ago. He is now over 9 yrs old and still very active

I agree you need to seek another opinion for sure. Something isn't adding up. They should be able to xray it and figure out what needs to be done. Once you find out exactly what's going on and the problem is fixed your pup should be fine. I know things like this require lots of rest. Please keep us posted.

@BernerLover123

Hi. I'm looking for some advice. About a month ago my Bernese Mountain Dog began limping. We recently got a new puppy full of energy and I thought perhaps they both went through the doggie door at the same time and he got hit. I took him to the vet. THe vet thought that he perhaps tore his ACL. Gave us some Metacam for inflammation and some tramadyl for pain and told us to restrict his activity and exercise and given time (6-9 months) it would heal itself. (He is 7 years old and surgery is not really an option). He was doing pretty good and was starting to put some weight on it again last week....not full weight but some weight. This past Saturday we were putting him into the car and his foot (on his good side) slipped off the ramp and he landed on the sore leg. By Monday the swelling was significant and I took him back to the vet on Tuesday morning. They took xrays and did not see any broken bones or tumors. Said he could have just aggravated the ACL more OR he could have torn ligaments in the knee OR could have an infection in the knee. They kept him for the day and gave him some injectable pain meds and some Metacam. I picked him up on Tuesday evening and he is getting Tramadyl three times a day along with Metacam once a day and Gabapentin 3 times a day as needed. He isn't holding his leg up as much any more and is alert. We help him get up and down even though he can do it by himself just to protect him. The swelling has gone done slightly but not completely. My question is......how long until we would see progress if this is an ACL sprain/tear? I do not want to have him in pain and suffering but I want to give him every chance as well. I love my dog and he is my baby and the thought of losing him is unbearable but the thought of me prolonging his pain for my own selfishness is even worse. When/how will I know when the time has come to make the hardest decision of my life?

ACL or 'CCL' tears in dogs are exceedingly common and pose a clinical challenge.  While of course provision of this diagnosis can only be made by your vet I have put together a video to help people understand the condition and options for treatment (if this is indeed what your dog has).  I do discuss in the video that this is an injury that tends to linger with a dog long term regardless of the treatment approach taken, however, the vast majority of dogs will be happy and functional (managed medically) after a few weeks of recovery time.  Please see my video discussion below:

www.youtube.com/watch