Help my 17 week old bitch has ACL! - Page 1

Hi...... i am a new member and new to this, was hoping to get some advice and support!

My 17 week old German shepherd bitch started limping on wed, it happened out of the blue, no obvious signs before this of anything wrong.

My husband and i took her the vets, he said she may need a x-ray and gave her a anti inflammatory and painkiller and asked us to come back the next day, when we revisited the vets he examined her and told us she had ACL, we were devastated.

The vet told us he had not seen ACL n such a young dog! and said it had been either caused by trauma or that it was genetic.

she is booked in for the operation, ACL repair for Tuesday 14th DEC.

We are hoping the x-ray will give us a better idea of the contributing factor? as we was hoping to breed her but now we are unsure what to do, the vet has said ... if it is genetic there's a 50% chance of her left leg going.

we are both in total shock and hate seeing are beautiful Skye in so much pain and discomfort!!! she is a puppy and should be running around and doing what puppy's do best.... causing mayhem.

We believe the rehabilitation time to be between 4-6 weeks but can vary.

Any advise on above matters of concern would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards
Sharon and martin 

Ok, slow down, every dog has ACL (anterior cruciate ligaments) the question is.. what happened, are they torn? ruptured?

Pack

lol, you mean she tore her ACL.

17 weeks old and tore it.....
What all have you been doing with her?  If she tore it she has been doing some strenous activities.

Might I suggest you obtain a second opinion before you subject your 17 week old puppy to surgery?

I would also suggest getting a second opinion.  An x-ray helps in the diagnois, however you cannot tell from an x-ray alone if the ACL is actually torn, since it's a ligament, not a bone.  I would suggest seeing an orthopedic specialist if there is one in your area.  There are several other injuries that it could be.

there is no way I would be doing this kind of surgery on a 17 wk old dog based on one opinion.  it is not diagnosed that easily from what I understand.  schedule a second opinion at a vet school or specialist and start crate rest and leash only potty trips.  wow.  vets scare me sometimes.

tell us what state you are in and maybe someone on here can tell you who to see for a second opinion. 

Darcy

Thanks for all the advice i have received from all..... update!

Skye's leg has swollen to twice it's normal size.... i had a gut feeling that something was not right, so this morning we revisited the vets, and we were told this isn't constant with a torn acl, she also has a temperature.

The vet is going to do a x-ray and a possible and a joint tap? today.

I am now totally confused and fear it may be a broken bone or something other than a torn acl.