Daphne

Just wanted to say a big thank you for all the suggestions and input so far. Great to have so many recommendations to go on.

Thanks very much for the suggestion..I think I came across recommendations for the Monash vets on some previous threads I looked at as well. Cheaper is good also

Hi Scout Hampton is about 50+ mins from us...but if you can recommend anybody there I'd certainly consider it. Thanks. Rooz.

Hi all, I'm looking for a new vet for my 5yo maltese x, Daphne. I've been recommended vets as much an hour away, and am more than happy to make the drive, but was wondering whether anybody could recommend a great vet in the Templestowe/Warrandyte area or within 40 mins or so. Daphne has some health issues that I'm quite anxious to resolve, so any suggestions will be very much appreciated. Much thanks in advance.

Hi Morita, Glad to hear the surgery appears to have gone well. We’re at about 8 weeks since Daphne’s initial injury and about 4 weeks since she began her “physio”. We had a similar problem to the one you mention with Katie: she prefers to hop around on three legs, and only puts the weak leg down when on leash and kept at a SLOW pace. Once I picked this up (I was a little slow), I started using a trick where every time she gets a little excited on leash and tries to pick up the pace and switch to three legs, I give a very gentle tug on the leash and she switches back to four. After 3 weeks of this, and very gradually increasing the length of walks, she appears to have picked up quite a bit of strength and now walks with all four down when off leash (around the house etc). I think, with Daphne at least, the process is just as much about teaching her to use/trust the weak leg as building the strength up. Incidentally, we’ve also been using Joint Guard for two months now. Good luck with Katie’s recovery! Will be keeping an eye on this thread to hear how it goes. Rooz.

Hi Morita, Glad this thread’s been useful to you; it’s certainly been a big help to me. It’s interesting that your vet recommended surgery straight away, given the input/advice given so far on this thread. Anyway, good luck with your little one’s recovery, hope she's back to full strength in no time. Rooz.

Hi Westiemum, Thanks so much for your advice. It’s great to hear your boy is doing so well. It’s very clear that weight is going to be a crucial factor. We’ve already adjusted her diet, adding fresh pumpkin/vegies to act as filler (I think one of your suggestions from an older thread? ). Unfortunately, we got off to a bad start with Daphne’s weight from the beginning, and she was overweight by about 2 yrs . We’ve only really been able to get her weight down significantly in the past 6 months with a change in her dry food and paying much closer attention to her daily quota; it’s been a very steep learning curve with regards to weight & diet. I feel that her weight and her enthusiasm for jumping on/off the furniture played a key role in her getting this injury. I’ve just ordered Joint Guard; as you say, it can’t hurt. I’m looking into fish oil, etc. and other supplements as well – there’s so much to choose from, it’s hard to know what’s the most effective! I hope surgery won’t be necessary, but your story is very encouraging if we do decide to go ahead with it. Thankyou again, Rooz (& Daphne).

Jodie and Madeleine, thanks so much for your advice. When she first injured the knee, I assumed that surgery was a given, and that some arthritis would be unavoidable down the track. So, it’s really reassuring to hear that this injury can heal well without resorting to surgery; our outlook is a whole lot more positive now. We’re going to give her the 4-6 weeks rest (this is already proving quite difficult), and then gradually increase her exercise. Madeleine, your suggested rehab plan looks like a really good way of doing this. Jodie, good luck with your boy, hope he has no more problems with the leg. Thanks again.

Thanks very much Churchie, that's very useful information. It’s also very reassuring to hear that your dog is doing well without the surgery. We’re also working on getting her weight down, and I’m currently looking into “sasha’s blend” and similar products. Thanks again.

Charles, thankyou so much for your reply. I wasn’t at all expecting to hear from a specialist. You’ve answered many of my questions. One point I’m still not entirely clear on: can arthritis be avoided with surgery? If so, why not go ahead with surgery? Is it a matter of being conservative with surgery? For now, we’ll give it the six to eight weeks, and see how she progresses. Finally, if we decide on surgery, are you available to do the procedure? Thanks again, Rooz.

Hi all, This is my first time posting here, although I’ve referred to the dol forums many times for info for my best friend Daphne; it’s been an incredibly useful source of information so far. I have a small 4yo dog with a suspected ACL tear. I’m in the process of educating myself about this injury, and I just have a few questions I hoped that people with experience of this injury could help with. Our vet has suggested we give it till the end of September to see if the ligament “heals itself”, and if at that point there’s been no significant improvement, to think about surgery. He advised us that waiting can be a good idea with smaller dogs that are not significantly overweight (Daphne is 9.5 kg; we’re working to get her down another 1 to 2 kg). According to what I’ve read, this “wait and see” period is to allow a stretched or partially torn ligament to heal itself. Is this correct? For the sake of clarity, I’ll list my questions: (i) My understanding is that, even if it’s only stretched or partially torn, and she recovers on her own, she will have a higher risk of tearing or completely rupturing it again in the future. If this is the case, why isn’t surgery the preferred option from the start? In other words, what are the benefits of allowing the injury to heal on its own?? (ii) Is arthritis/joint disease more likely down the track without surgery? If so, again, why not go for surgery straight away? (iii) Finally, and most importantly, can anyone recommend a surgeon in Melbourne for consultation/surgery? (I noted the recommendation of Dr Wing Tip Wong in another thread). I hope my questions make some sense. I would be sincerely grateful for any help with this. I’ve promised Daphne that we’ll play soccer again Kind regards, Rooz.