Torn Patella Tendon

[KateM]

My dog injured her hind leg a month ago and the vet seems to think its a partially torn patella tendon. He has advised strict rest for her - not necessarily crate rest but very close to it so no walks at all. He thinks it could take months to heal but I am concerned that so far there doesn't seem to be much improvement. Has anyone any experience of this type of injury? I can deal with the long recuperation period as long as I know that its going to fix itself in the long run. At the moment though I'm getting quite despondent about it as the knee is still very swollen and she is still very lame. I took her back to the vet 10 days ago and he was not disappointed with the progress - no real improvement but no worsening either. Just looking to hear about other people's experiences - it doesn't seem to be a very common injury.

[Poodle wrangler]

Close to crate rest sounds a bit vague to me. What is she allowed to do?

I'd have thought a torn tendon meant crate rest. Ongoing swelling a month later also sounds suspicious- as in not enough rest for the injury .

Some vets are better than others, of course.

How is her weight? For any injury or arthritic condition a lean dog will do better- less weight to go through the joints, less pressure on tendons etc. Given that she's not able to exercise, be kind to her and cut back her food quite a lot as well.

Best wishes . Sorry I'm not much help.

[KateM]

You're right I think. She probably should be on crate rest. The vet didn't push it - just said to keep her as inactive as possible - and I've been avoiding the crate issue thinking that we could get by without it. Think I might have to bite the bullet and get one. At the moment she has free range of the house and back yard (which is very small) so I guess it can only help to reduce that further. What a nightmare.

I have been conscious about the weight issue too. We have to be careful with her weight anyway as she has bad joints and at the moment its all too easy to overfeed her as it is one of her only pleasures now that she can't go for a run. I tend to give her small amounts throughout the day to keep her occupied - lots of bones and then bits and pieces in her kong. She doesn't appear to have put on any so far but I will definitely keep an eye on that.

Thanks for the wise words.

[Poodle wrangler]

A crate should cost less than $130. Not bad compared with vet bills.

Maybe people who use crates can comment, but if she's not a chewer, perhaps a canvas type would be OK? Not as durable, obviously. Most dogs love their wire crates with their beds in there, too, once they're trained.

Perhaps even a 2nd vet opinion?