Last week we discussed Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) disease, causes and predispositions. Click here to read that post. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) suggests that pet owners not consider conservative, medical treatment, as patients with complete rupture of…
According to James K. Roush, D.V.M., MS and Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, “cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is the most common cause of hindlimb lameness in dogs.” Untreated cranial cruciate ligament injury quickly results in osteoarthritis…
Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD) is a condition of young dogs. The cause of HOD is unknown. It has been reported in young, rapidly-growing dogs since the 1930s. Signs can range from local pain near the growth plate of a long bone…
A veterinarian never knows what he’s going to see from day to day. I sure got fooled by this one. At least at first I was surprised. A cute little puppy came in for her first examination after being adopted…
Lateral patellar luxation, unlike medial patellar luxationoccurs almost exclusively in large-breed dogs. However, large-breed dogs can also experience patella luxation to the medial aspect of the femur. Let’s break down the term. Lateral comes from the Latin lateralus, meaning “belonging…
Medial patellar luxation in dogs is very common in those under twenty pounds. Let’s break down the term. Medial comes from the Latin medianus, meaning “middle.” Therefore, when something is medial on the body, it is relatively further toward…
Harley the Great Dane had a run-in with another Great Dane, Maverick, with whom he lives. Unfortunately, Harley came out on the short end of that encounter. Harley, the last of the puppies at home (previous posts on the litter: …
Canine Hip Dysplasia is a highly preventible condition of dogs (cats can also suffer from hip dysplasia) which is genetically transmitted from one or both parents to their offspring. The end result is poor hip conformation. Read here about the…
This started out to be a story about numerology. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m fascinated by numbers. I was examining Jabba because a family was considering purchasing him from his current owner. Jabba had been diagnosed with “some kind of…
Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD) is a common condition in dogs and people, much less common in cats. As in people, the canine and feline disk (or disc) consists of an outer fibrous ring called the annulus fibrosus (annulus) and an…
