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Can A Dog With Plate And Screws Do Agility?


Guest Wasabi303

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Guest Wasabi303

Hi y'all. I have yet to ask my vet this question, because it is much too early to tell, but I am curious what you guys think.

 

Wasabi is 2 1/2 and she fractured the small bones in her hock running around one day. She is now healing with a plate and several screws in the joint. She is currently about 3 weeks out from surgery, and I would not even be considering an agility class until next June (71/2 months out from surgery) but most likely August (9 1/2 months out from surgery).

 

I am wondering is it is possible that in the future she will be able to do low key agility, or if that is a really bad idea? Does activity like that place her at a higher risk of issue in that leg? Should I assume that b/c she blew this joint up, she may be at risk of blowing up the other? Does that fact that she is pretty young and did not race much play into this?

 

Thoughts?

 

 

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once totally healed PEOPLE can do most everything. {worked with orthopedic surgeons pretty much my whole life :censored }

 

My concern with your greyhound is how much stress was on the leg when it broke, freak accident, or will Wasabi have issues from some underlying issue. Obviously the vet is the go to, but having watched some videos here, the concern I would have is in the jumping portion.

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Over the years, I'd say a good percentage of the dogs our group took in with hardware ended up eventually rejecting the hardware. Those dogs then had to have the hardware removed and then they had to be restricted until the holes from the screws healed (so, a lot like having a dog with a broken leg). So keep in mind that there's a chance you'll need to have the hardware out. Personally, I wouldn't overly stress the leg (e.g., I certainly wouldn't lure course a dog with hardware). I don't know how physically stressful beginning agility is, but you'll want to be careful. While jumping impacts mostly front limbs, greyhound use a lot of force on their hind limbs to accelerate. Maybe something like rally obedience would be better? Or nosework?

 

I would think as long as you keep it fun and don't push her it would be good for her, but you really need to talk to your vet and see what they say. Keeping her slim will be better for her joints, so try not to let her get chunky.

 

And this :nod

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rally-o is tons of fun and it really reinforces what your dog has learned in basic classes. in agility- a good instructor is focusing first and foremost on you the handler and the dog getting the commands and sequences down. it's pointing and using the correct side of your body- the dog learning to follow and the jumps in the beginning are very low. a sequence of jumps, tunnels, table or a/frames is built up over time.

 

only the orthopedic surgeon will really know that answer. do ask the group if they sponsored the surgery and repair and contact their dr. your vet should also be able to give you an answer if you can't contact the original dr. either dr. just might want a follow up x-ray. i don't really think it's like a person who has healed w/ pins, etc. the greyhound's legs are much finer bone.a couple of dogs i know who had major repairs needed follow up work.

 

has you pup done pt/rehab? that's a good question to ask about, bone mass builds on weight bearing exercise for humans, not sure of the time factor for dogs. rehab can never hurt...best of luck and one step at a time.

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