Recurring injury

[Tyla 3,179]

Ok, early this year my bitch Tyla, 11 months at the time, ran into a fence and injured her front left shoulder. According to the vet it was a ligament and he proscribed rest and anti inflammatories. That worked fine and she recovered well. The only problem is that it keeps recurring which makes me think she has done permanent damage. The vet just offers the same treatment but i reckon its just treating the symptoms rather than the cause. its happened several times and she is usually better after a week or so of lead walks but with the season fast approaching im worried she will either spend it all injured or i will end up being too paranoid to work her properly!

 

She is my first lurcher so not got masses of experience and certainly dont want to make it worse. What else, if anything, should i be doing?

[sikastag_1 689]

maybe try another vet mate.

[Guest smashygadge]

Ok, early this year my bitch Tyla, 11 months at the time, ran into a fence and injured her front left shoulder. According to the vet it was a ligament and he proscribed rest and anti inflammatories. That worked fine and she recovered well. The only problem is that it keeps recurring which makes me think she has done permanent damage. The vet just offers the same treatment but i reckon its just treating the symptoms rather than the cause. its happened several times and she is usually better after a week or so of lead walks but with the season fast approaching im worried she will either spend it all injured or i will end up being too paranoid to work her properly!

 

She is my first lurcher so not got masses of experience and certainly dont want to make it worse. What else, if anything, should i be doing?

 

 

well sorry to hear about your trouble

but one thing ive found in some dogs that have had injurys ,is that they will favour the it and seem to play on it now and again .if the vets saying anti inflamitorys work it cannot be too badly damaged.does she still run with it

[TOMO 26,142]

get to a greyhound vet, if you dont know any go to your local track and ask . although im sure some one on here in your area will know one

[Tyla 3,179]

i will try a greyhound vet, we've got a track near here so there must be a vet for them. Anyone know of a good one in Sussex? if not i will give the track a call.

 

She will still run on it but i dont let her. Shes dead keen and is just the kind of dog that would keep on going regardless of the hurt until the excitement wears off and then she acts like the world has ended! i dont think the damage is really severe but as shes so young i'd like to nip it in the bud.

[Tyla 3,179]

i will try a greyhound vet, we've got a track near here so there must be a vet for them. Anyone know of a good one in Sussex? if not i will give the track a call.

 

She will still run on it but i dont let her. Shes dead keen and is just the kind of dog that would keep on going regardless of the hurt until the excitement wears off and then she acts like the world has ended! i dont think the damage is really severe but as shes so young i'd like to nip it in the bud.

 

I HAD A SIMILAR INJURY TO MY LURCHER BOUNCER WHEN HE WS YOUNG. CAN I ASK DOES YOUR PUP JUMP UP AND DOWN ALOT FOR EXAMPLE BOUNCER WAS JUMPING UP AND DOWN ON THE TOP OF HIS KENNEL TO LOOK IN THE WINDOW. IT WAS THE VET THAT POINTED THIS OUT TO ME AND SAID IT IS COMMONIN FARM COLLIES JUMPING OF THE BACK OF QUADS AND PICK UPS . WHEN I RESTRICTED HIS ACESS TO THE KENNEL TOP AND KEPT HIMON THE LEAD HE RECOVRED WELL AND T HAS NOT RECURRED SINCE AND HE IS TWO AND A HALF OR MORE. A TRIP TO A GREYHOUND VET WOULD ALSO BE WORTH WHILE

 

No, she is totally relaxed at home. its when shes out that it happens. We are surrounded by rabbits and shes mad for them. She gives it full bore and i think she just strains it but its always the same leg so i think its the same injury. it also happened when she ran in the lure coursing at Parham so i think its when she goes all out rather then hitting anything or knocking it

[Mark.B 0]

When a dog injures itself and the injury reoccurs it is usually because there hasn't been enough time for it to heal and repair itself.Vets usually [good ones]prescribe the right treatment and for the injury you describe painkillers and antiinflammotry tablets are the norm.A week isn't a long time in terms of healing,try a little bit longer then start roadwork[most important part of a running dogs wellbeing]then start galloping before moving onto a few slips.

If you don't allow enough time for an injury to heal and you keep running it and it keeps breaking down you could end up with a permanent injury.

I have had dogs though that after an injury would favour a particular leg you would call them in to check it out and after a bit of fuss would be alright.After an injury be patient ease them back into it you have got 10 good years of working the dog to look forward to.

[skycat 6,173]

I reallythink there should be a pinned notice at the top of the running dog and training/health forums giving basic information on good Greyhound vet and bone men, plus maybe a short indication of how long it takes muscles/tendons to heal: 6 weeks for a torn muscle, 3 months PLUS for tendon and ligament damage.

 

As I've said before: the 2 weeks rest most pet dog vets prescribe for a vague diagnosis of lameness is nowhere near enough time for a tendon/ligament injury to heal. The problem is that if you let the dog run again once it is sound on the lead, you just further prolong the damage and often make it worse at the same time.

 

I once had to keep a young lurcher on the lead for 6 months following bad damage to his cruciate ligaments: this was on the orders of a good Greyhound osteopath. There was always hard swelling around the area afterwards but he ran pain free and was fine.

 

These things really do need to be correctily diagnosed in the first place or loads of people are going to be unhappy when their dogs go lame the first time they run them after a couple of weeks' rest. Pet dog vets are no better at diagnosing these sort of things than a human GP is at sorting out an athlete's problems of strained ligaments: an athlete wouldn't go to a GP for such problems and we shouldn't take our canine athletes to such vets for the same reason. (I stress: I am NOT knocking vets per se, but their training doesn't include this sort of thing any more than a general doctor's training would.)

 

Our dogs are specialist running machines no matter what their breeding, so please do them a favour and take them to the people who are trained to deal with athletes of the dog kind!

 

Here's a list I copied from another site: the bits in italics next to certain names are from my own personal experience of these men who I've used over the years for my dogs. If you haven't taken your dog to one of these Greyhound professionals before you will be amazed at what they find in a dog that to most people seems quite OK.

 

They can find old scarring on muscles and tendons, the results of old injuries, and maybe the reason your dog doesn't try and pick up if its turning a certain way, or the reason it runs out of steam or maybe doesn't seem to be able to run as long as it did, or goes slightly lame after a hard run.

 

VETS ...................

 

Des Fegan Walnut Veterinary Clinic at Fenny Stratford is 01908 640484

 

Richard Torr the Canine Sports Clinic, Halamford Road, Shepshed, Leics

Tel : 01509-50-70- Fax : 01509-50-70-81

Very good Greyhound vet and bone man/osteopath. (Not seen him often due to distance, but I'd definitely reccomend him.)

 

Campbells in Brynyfryd is very good i would highly recommend him

tel: -01792 655110 Normal vet tarifs.

 

simon gower swindon track vet brilliant tel no 07770586193

 

Hamish Denny Bristol 01934862285

 

paul evans Royton,Oldham,Lancashire.

Surgery 0161 628 5709

Mobile 07831 171262

 

OSTEOPATHS/muscle bone men

 

Luke Bakewell

07788677661

 

George Drake (Peterbrough) 01733 222260 At the time of writing charges £10 per dog.

(Not professionally trained but very good on muscle/tendon injuries and trapped nerves. Many years of experience. Sees literally hundreds of Greyhounds a week and people travel from all over the country to see him. Has a thermal imaging machine that shows you where the injury lies: like in the film Predator! Super cool gadget: the blue areas are where there is no blood/energy getting through. A fascinating thing to see: plus George knows his stuff though you may have to ask him some questions on treatment. Not infallible, but then again, who is.)

 

ROBERT MEEK (travels up and down the M1 corridor) At the time of writing charges £10 per dog.

01889 576904

mobile 07773327353

(Originally trained as a human osteopath: VERY good, knows the exact science behind everything. Very good and calm with the dogs. Will visit your own home:though would charge extra if he is only treating one dog out of his way. Maybe a good idea to get a load of mates together who want their dogs looking at as well. Also gives you a printed ttreatment sheet with injuries marked on it so you always have a record of the dog's injuries for future reference if the problem occurs again.)

 

MARTIN BENNET

01732 864092

Lingfield, Kent.

 

 

--------------------

 

Maybe Ian could put this up as a sticky/pinned so people can get at the numbers easily? There must be loads more such vets/bone men around the country, so maybe people could add to the list as they come up with decent people.

[tod 3]

good post skycat

[kent scotty 0]

try and get your self a chiropractor!! i know its sounds a bit alternative but her in doors has one come see her horses and our bes had a prob with her shoulder after a tug of war type game.was the same went away then came back etc.

 

after one treatment with heat lamp thing and the bird cracking bones etc she was 90% then 3 weeks later another treatment and she is like another dog!! back up to speed and jumping like a gazelle!!

 

 

scotty