dressagegirl

I posted about this sort of injury on my GSP back in August and decided against all the vets advice and went the conservative option as well. Charles may remember my post. Well I am happy to say after two months of splinting and some intensive laser therapy, the dog has now had his splint off for 6 weeks and is fantastic. We have been introducing more and more exercise over this period and we estimate that in about two or three weeks he will be fit enough to go back into general population with the other dogs up on the farm (at the moment he is living in town with my husband and I so we can make sure that he doesn't over do it - all you GSP owners will understand I am sure LOL So glad I didn't go for the operation as we have had fantastic results without it, at a fraction of the cost. Vets all prediced doom and gloom for the conservitive treatment, told us how we would not be able to manage pressure sores etc etc so on and so forth - well we did and the dog only ever got two little pressure sores right towards the end when he started to feel a little too good but we just treated them with paw paw ointment and they never amounted to anything much at all. Thanks everyone that helped me out and gave me advice on here as well. Regards Emma

Thanks Mel

Hi guys I thought you would be the people to ask. Where abouts in Australia can I buy the neoprene carpal support wraps/boots for dogs? I have a German Short Haired Pointer who has injured all the ligaments below the carpal joint and the leg is currently splinted and being treated - but when we take the splint off I would like to put a support boot/wrap on till he gets the strenght back in it. I have noticed that when I google it there are a lot of pictures that come up of agility/flyball dogs wearing them but the only sites I can find good ones on are all O/S sites none in Australia. I was thinking along the same lines as the neoprene boots that horses wear when training. Hope someone can help me. Thanks in advance Emma

Hi Charles I understand where you are coming from but I think sometimes Dr's and Vets are a little closed to alternative therapies. For instance - about 8 years ago I got really sick - temps over 41 degress for three weeks - hair falling out - kept complaining of kindney pain.... Dr's had no clue and didn't know what to do to treat it. They tried all different kinds of drugs and nothing worked.... was at the point where we couldn't get my temp below 40 and I couldn't walk unassisted anywhere and Dr's still insisted that there was nothing physically wrong with me or my kidneys. Rung a well respected accupuncturist and even before we got to tell him the part about my kidneys killing me he diagnosed kidney issues. Treated me intensively for two weeks and even after the first treatment I felt better..... Acupuncture has been around for a very long time and I belive that there is a lot that we don't know about it - I don't think it needs to be scientifically proven to mean it works. I will keep you all posted as to my dogs progress. He has had good results in the past so I am hopping that they will be reflected in my dog as well. Regards Emma

Diva that would of been a lengthy recovery both times. Took naught German Short Haired Pointer off yesterday to the accupuncturist and he has had a look at the limb and diagnosed it as not being the main ligament (palmer ligament ? ) but all the tendons etc below the carpal joint and running into the paw? We have it now splinted and pointing backwards at a 10 degree angle and he will receive accupuncture etc every week for the next six weeks and we will see what happens. Fingers crossed everyone that this helps my naughty fence jumping boy...... needless to say that when he is better he will not be allowed to sleep outside again (especially if there is a full moon).... he will now be locked away at night to stop any other nocturnal yearnings he has for high jumping. Emma

Ahh this helps me greatly Charles.

Hi Charles We are hoping that the palmer tendon (?) hasn't snapped. If it has there is no hope and we will have to look at the operation. But if it hasn't then the accupuncturist said that we can help quiet a bit and he has rehabilitated several dogs with this injury. We are quiet prepared to keep the leg splinted for 3 months or more and undertake physio etc. It would have to be cheaper than the $4000 quoted by the specialist. Perhaps if we have to get the operation done I might have to ring around some reputable vets and get a better price???? But I don't know is the $4000 a standard cost of is this a little pricey for the operation involved? We where told by the accupuncturist to ensure that the splinted leg had a carpal joint flexion of 10 degrees until we could come and see him - it didn't so we took the bandaging off etc so that we could re bandage it. The dog was very reluctant to give us any flextion in the carpal joint so I am hoping beyond hope that this is a good sign that would indicate that if he had snapped the tendon we could flex the joint forward and back without any resistance???? but that might just be me grasping at straws Would love more input from anyone. Thanks to those that have contributed already. Emma

Thanks everyone. They want to fuse the whole joint at a cost of $4000. Garry I am in NSW and have just been given the name and number of an accupuncturist (sp?) out Bringelly way that has had success with these injuries as long as the tendon isn't snapped. We are booking the dog in today or tomorrow for a consult with him. Glad to hear though that there may be light at the end of the conservative treatment tunnel so to speak. Keep the good news stories coming.

Hi I am new to this forum but was just wondering if anyone has had a dog with a hyperextension injury of the carpal joint and treated it successfully without surgery? I have a German Short Haired Pointer who was trying to jump over our fence (influenced by the full moon and rabbits and foxed I think) and then landed awkwardly and has hyperextended his front left carpal/wrist. Vets are quoting me about $4000 for surgical fix or if I don't want to do that they are saying that amputation is the only other option. I would like to try non invasive treatment first. Please has anyone got any good stories to tell me about these types of injuries. Thanks in advance Emma