Koby's Mummy

Yes I would definitely have done things differently over the last few weeks regarding keeping her from running around like a crazy dog, IF the vet had explained this to me. He did not mention anything like this. His basic attitude seemed to be 'take her home and bring her back for surgery once it's fully torn' and that was about it. Although he does seem to know what he's talking about, it's this sort of thing that makes me think I should get a second opinion. Thanks puggy puggy, I will look up those diets.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Today I am concerned that she has completely torn the ligament as she is now walking/running without putting that foot down at all, whereas before she would only lift it up every couple of steps. She was tearing around the yard this morning with a relative's dog, so i'm not sure if she has done more damage or if she has simply overdone it a bit. Her personality seems a little off this afternoon too, which makes me think she is in some pain. Can someone clarify for me the two different surgical methods? TTA and TWLO? What do they stand for and how do they differ/compare? I don't like the idea of the crate - it does seem cruel. But if that's what has to happen.... Also, with her food. At the moment she's really only having one meal a day, in the evening she has some chopped-up dog roll mixed with some dry food. I like the idea of replacing some of it with veges - but what do I cut back on? The dry food or the dog roll? We've always had trouble getting her to eat dry food ever since she was a puppy unless its mixed with something else. We also recently swapped back to the food bowl she had when she was younger, which is a lot smaller so therefore she is getting smaller portions. I also want to start using her kong again, to give her a bit of extra stimulation and keep her from getting bored. Can anyone suggest any healthy options to put in it?

Hi everyone, I hope some of you can help with a problem my 1-year-old staffy has. A few weeks ago we noticed she was limping on her back left leg, took her off to the vet and he said her main complaint is a partially torn cruciate ligament. He also said she has a luxating patella, but he didn't seem too worried about this since it didn't seem to be what was causing her pain. In addition to these things, he also said she has arthritis. I am a little concerned that he diagnosed all of this without any x-rays etc. He did it all by poking and prodding her until she reacted. Is this normal? He said that all we could do was take her home, wait for the ligament to tear completely, and then get her in for surgery. He didn't advise of any special treatment in the meantime apart from starting her on glucosamine and anti-inflammatories. Oh and also trying to lose a little weight. From what the vet said, surgery is the only option and just a matter of time, but from reading past posts I get the impression that there are mixed results from the surgery and that some dogs live quite happily without it. If our staffy needs the surgery, we won't hesitate to get it done. But if there are other things we can do to avoid it, I would like to know what they are. Can someone provide any specific tips on what we can do? What exercise should she be doing or not doing? Keeping in mind the vet said she needs to lose a bit of weight. Over the last couple of months we've been very slack and not been going for walks, however we live on 5 acres so she has the run of the block if she wants it. We also have a couple of dams that I suspect she goes swimming in because sometimes she comes back smelling like a rubbish tip. Also occasionally we go to the beach for a bit of a run and a swim. At the moment she is only limping sometimes, so it doesn't seem to be bothering her too much. I'm not really sure how I will know when the ligament has torn completely and therefore its time to go back to the vet. From those who have been through this experience - is it something that I will definitely know when it happens? Thanks to anyone who can help - sorry about such a long post!