On Saturday morning Suzie and Sim were playing in the garden when Suzie suddenly let out a squeal and stopped running - favouring her rear left leg!
We had a good look at it and feel of it and could find nothing obvious. Over the weekend it seemed to be improving until last night when she started to play again and exactly the same thing happened: she squealed and this time returned to the back door on three legs!
I have just returned from the vet and she has torn her achilles tendon! Bum, bum, bum!
She has a large immobilising/supportive bandage and pain-killing-anti-inflammatories twice a day! No jumping into the car, no running, no going up and down stairs etc., etc., etc.
It is such a shame because (at nearly 10) we were so pleased with how much her fitness and muscle tone was improving, and now she will have to take it very, very easy for as long as it takes.
I didn't actually ask the vet tonight how long he thought it would take - I was too busy being relieved that she hadn't snapped the tendon (plaster cast etc). If she runs or jumps she still could snap it so we must be very careful.
My husband Jerry did the exact thing a few years ago when playing cricket and it took ages to heal - in fact it has never really been quite the same!
We are due back at the vet on Friday so I will ask then how long he thinks it will take.
Meantime I will have to get a waterproof boot as the bandage goes right over her foot.
If you need to waterproof Suzie's bandage ask the vet for a used plastic drip bag and cut slits in the top to lace some bandage/ribbon through to tie around the leg in order to keep it on. Makes an excellent wellie boot! Need to get a new one about once a week but is recommended by Blue and his bandaged paw!
Hope she heals soon, sim must be missing his play mate
Yes - Sim will miss his playmate - and his playtimes in the garden. That is another frustrating aspect: I will have to keep Sim on his lead in the garden while Suzie is out, otherwise he will pester and pester her to play.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, and for the suggestion to make the waterproof boot. Meantime a plastic bag will have to do.
A quick waterproof cover-up to her bandage for when she needs to go to the loo in the garden is a poo bag. One of the black ones with handles - dead easy to slip on and tie in a loose knot to keep things dry whilst she does what she needs to do. We did this when Pearly had her dew claw yanked out, and she had a bandage right up her leg.
Thanks to you all - if the power of positive thought did any good I am sure she would be healed already!
It does happen very easily Carole - I remember when Jerry (husband) did his he was just running across the cricket pitch and suddenly fell to the ground without a clue what had happened!
Suzie is very good - I got a boot from our local pet shop this morning. I was previously using a plastic bag but this fastens with velcro straps which is much quicker and easier to manage. I am sure most other breeds of dog would by now have tried to remove the bandage and the boot but Suzie seems quite happy to plod around with all that on her leg.
She must be feeling better than yesterday because a couple of times she has broken into a run - eeek! So I have not only to stop Sim from trying to play with her, but also stop her from running! All very tricky. However - it's good that she seems perky!
Suzie was back at the vet today and is already vastly improved. Whereas on Tuesday the tendon itself was swollen and the 'heel' joint where it attaches was red and swollen - this morning when the vet removed her bandage the tendon and joint were visibly less inflamed - and looked almost normal.
However - it will be another week before she can go for gentle, 20 minute walks on the flat; and another 6-8 weeks before she can enjoy normal activity i.e. jumping, running, going up stairs etc., etc.
So - great progress which is encouraging - but a long way to go.
Well - we were back at the vet today (Weds). What a cavalcade: one of my cats has been very ill and she had to go back as well so I took them both together!
Anyway - whereas there was a dramatic improvement between Suzie's first two visits, there has been a much more limited improvement this time. That is to be expected I suppose - as it will take a long time to heal properly.
I hoped that she might be without her bandage now as the vet previously hoped that she could go for gentle walks by the end of this week, but she has another huge bandage and he is now saying at least another week before walks!
The better she feels, the harder it is to keep her from bouncing around. And Sim desperately wants to play with her. Hey ho!
Aw Lesley - I can sympathise. It's not easy to stop them from running about when they're feeling better, particularly when Sim is encouraging her to play!
Hopefully it won't be too long before her bandage comes off and she can start with short gentle walks. I know 6-8 weeks sounds like a long time before Suzie is back to normal. Let's hope it whizzes by! Let us know how she's getting on.
Thanks for asking Dave - Suzie and I were back at the vet this morning (Weds).
Last week the vet decided that, although she still needed the leg bandaged, she could now go for gentle walks - so that's what we've been doing!
This week the bandage is off! Still very restricted activity - no jumping, no running (if pos) and no stairs!
That's good - no more bandage and no more boot getting soggy in all this rain. Only now she is limping worse than before!
I am hoping that her foot is stiff because it has been bandaged for three weeks and, although not as demobilising as a plaster cast, that has restricted her movement enough for it all to be stiff now it isn't there (like getting a cast off - ouch). She does have a red joint where the bandage must have irritated it!
If that is the cause of the limp it should improve over the next few days - fingers crossed.
Great to hear that Suzie has her bandage off and although still a bit lame, a few gentle walks will help to loosen up her stiffness. I know that Vegas still acts as though a bandage is still on even after a week of it coming off. He'll show you his sore leg and limp about the house looking for sympathy, a cuddle and a biscuit! Maybe I should enrol him at the RSAMD! I used a warm hot water bottle covered with a towel to rest Vegas' leg on when he was lying down and I'm sure the extra warmth helped to loosen him up a bit.
Suzie has had a bandage on for a few weeks now, so it could be that she still feels as if it's there. I'm sure she'll get better soon.
At the end of November Vegas gashed his forepaw between the top of his foot and the start of his leg. It was about an inch long - must have been glass or a sharp stick he snagged it on when running. He was stitched and heavily bandaged for about 3 weeks. He was just healing nicely and the fur growing back in when he stood on glass and it left a deep half-moon shaped cut on one of his pads on the same foot. Back to the vet - more stitches and another heavy bandage for another couple of weeks! Poor Vegas - being out of action doesn't suit him at all - but we strongly suspect he played the walking miracle for what he was worth!
I must say that I agree with the 'accident prone' thread on the forum. He's certainly had his fair share of them.
After a week with no bandaging Suzie's achilles has got worse instead of better: it is more enlarged and inflamed than it was a week ago when the last bandage came off. She is now to be referred to the Glasgow Vet School who will probably ultrasound the tendon to assess it's condition and then may pin her leg in a straight position so that the tendon can heal.
I have to phone my vet later today to find out when Suzie's appointment is.
Without treatment at the vet school there is a possibility that the tendon could just keep tearing until eventually the leg would be useless! Dreadful thought.
Fortunately Suzie is insured, but because of her age the excess is large and involves a percentage of the total cost! But - at least she is insured so we won't have to pay the whole lot. Phew!
Poor Suzy and you! It's a shame Suzy's injury isn't healing well. But the specialists at the Glasgow Vet School are excellent. Fingers crossed that they're able to pinpoint the problem and sort it out. Let us know how she gets on.
Suzie had her appointment at the Vet School today. Her leg was ultrasounded and x-rayed and the tendon has holes in it, but is not completely torn.
Tomorrow she is booked in for her surgical procedure in which they will put a screw through her leg from the heel at the back and tighten it so that her leg is straight. She (and I) will have that to deal with for at least 6 weeks, but the outlook is very good - she is expected to make a very good recovery.
The vet told me that without the procedure dogs rarely recover from this type of injury and they often see dogs who have been struggling with such an injury for a year or more.
Apparently this injury is not common in greyhounds It is more usually seen in middle aged labradors and dobermann pinschers. Some consolation (not)!
Glad to hear the outlook is good for Suzie. You must be very relieved. Hope all goes well tomorrow and I'm sure she'll make a great recovery with the TLC that I'm sure you'll give her.
All the best and keep us posted
Shirley and Jim
-- Edited by BOWGANG at 20:59, 2005-06-09
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Hope things go well for Suzy later on today and it's great that the outlook is good! I know with your care she'll make a very good recovery. Let us know how she gets on.