Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
Is surgery the only option to treat your dog’s cruciate ligament tear? Are there other, non-surgical solutions to your dog’s knee injury? Thank you, Mandie, for sharing your conservative management experience and success the second time around. Tucker’s story Tucker is my (almost) 6-year-old American Bulldog. I should have known from our first meeting at the shelter when he jumped…
The extracapsular repair is an old technique but it can work and it is the least invasive surgical technique to date. It is not recommended for large dogs but it can be done successfully. It is, however, more vulnerable during the post-op recovery. Thank you, Luanne, for sharing Sandy’s story. Sandy’s story Sandy’s conservative management for her ACL injury had…
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is one of the big questions. However, even the experts who believe that we are over-vaccinating our dogs agree that there are at least three infections for which vaccination is a must. These are rabies, parvovirus, and canine distemper. Canine parvovirus Canine parvovirus is an acute, highly contagious disease that is often deadly,…
Spondylosis is a type of osteoarthritis that affects the spine. It is common in older dogs, although dogs with early stages of the disease will often show no symptoms. It is characteristic of abnormal bony growths, or osteophytes, around the joints between vertebrae. Osteophytes/bone spurs Osteophytes are bony growths that form in response to damage to a joint. These are…
Can conservative, non-surgical solution work for canine cruciate ligament tears in large dogs? The best answer to the above question is that it depends. It depends on the type and degree of the tear overall health, and condition of the dog the solution used and the ability to get your dog to cooperate Is there any harm in trying? The…