Guest JarBear Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 My nine year old boy tore a muscle in his upper rear leg a couple of weeks ago. I iced it at first but when it didn't get better I took him to the vet. He said to give him Rimadyl twice a day for 2 weeks, massage the area and use heat if he'll let me, and take him out on leash. He also told me it would be a long recovery. He has finished the Rimadyl and he still seems to be in a lot of pain and won't use the leg at all except for balance. I have been massaging several times a day and he really seems to relax when I do it but he won't leave a heat pack on. Do any of you have any suggestions? I really hate seeing him in pain. He was panting a lot last night so I gave him a couple Tramadol and then he slept fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicocat Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Where in Kansas are you JarBear? It sounds like it was a partial tear and it is pulling (causing pain) with motion. Rarely, they need to do a surgical correction so it will be comfortabe. Quote Ann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JarBear Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Where in Kansas are you JarBear? It sounds like it was a partial tear and it is pulling (causing pain) with motion. Rarely, they need to do a surgical correction so it will be comfortabe. I'm in the KC area. Our vet is at Kansas City Vet Care, formerly Hecker Animal Clinic. I'm planning to take him back on Friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Is the vet sure it isn't a torn ACL? Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JarBear Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Is the vet sure it isn't a torn ACL? I'm not good at seeing what's on an xray but he showed me a line with what he said was inflammation running up from it that looked like it was going across a big muscle. I know, not much help but those things just don't make much sense to me so I have to go with what he says when he's trying to show me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LynnM Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) If it's a torn muscle, there's nothing to do for it but let it heal on its own time. Messing with it will just prolong things. In a running dog, when he tears his gracilis (usually, sometimes it's also the semimembranosis), you rest him for a week and let him run again at speed so he tears it the rest of the way. It's like a run in pantyhose... eventually it's going to run the whole way, top to bottom. You can either do it a little bit at a time (like putting nail polish on a runner) or blow it out all at once. In extremely young dogs, there are surgical procedures to fix the muscle, but this is for the under 2 crowd. Your dog is now a proud member of the "Funky Booty Club"... any old dog that runs long enough will tear something up. Once it heals up and the inflammation is gone, there will be an odd indentation and/or lump in his hindquarters, hence the "funky booty". Believe it or not, torn muscles in dogs aren't especially painful. The Rimadyl and ice are more for reducing inflammation. If you've watched a few older dogs run (any greyhound, if they're active/athletic long enough IS going to tear a muscle in their back end. It's not an "if", it's a "when"), you'll see their head come up in a "What just happened", they get back to business, and aren't generally even lame at the end of their run, even though swelling/bruising has already started. There isn't any prevention, per se, but keeping a dog fit is the best thing you can do because it gives him that much OTHER muscle with which to compensate. An average to active dog will have more than enough to make up the difference. One of the saddest things I've seen was an old dog that was retired young to an extremely easy life (the dog had a lazy streak, too). Her only exercise was to go from the couch, outside and back in. At around 10, she did the splits on some slick tile, tore out her rear end.... it was completely disabling for her because she had nothing with which to compensate. Edited May 27, 2009 by LynnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicocat Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Where in Kansas are you JarBear? It sounds like it was a partial tear and it is pulling (causing pain) with motion. Rarely, they need to do a surgical correction so it will be comfortabe. I'm in the KC area. Our vet is at Kansas City Vet Care, formerly Hecker Animal Clinic. I'm planning to take him back on Friday. Hecker is a good clinic. If you are looking for someone who has a lot of experience with greyhound injuries and is an excellent vet, consider Dr. Richard Smith at Piper Heritage Vet Clinic. Quote Ann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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