So I have a large white Labrador retriever. He has been limping on his back hind left leg for about a week and a half. As of 2 days ago, he wasn't putting any weight on it at all, so I took him to my vet. The dr said he wasn't sure if he tore it or not, and prescribed him 2 doses of 100mg of rimadyl twice a day. The vet said to bring him back in a few weeks to make sure the medication isn't hurting him, and to recheck the leg. My concern is that, if he already tore the ACL, isn't waiting a few more weeks going to make it worse? Or might a few weeks heal the ACL by itself? I'm so confused as to what's going on, and what symptoms I should be looking out for. Any help would be very much appreciated . Thanks folks!
Did your dog jump off of anything like a deck/truck/etc before the limping started? Do you remember anything hurting your dog or something that might have caused the limping?
If he tore a cruciate ligament, there might be bony changes or a joint effusion/fluid that might be seen on an XRay if your vet can do them - you might ask about that if you go back. That being said, changes like that may not show up for a few weeks after the injury. Its worth asking, though.
As for Panolog - its a broad spec/activity cream that contains anti inflammatories, antimicrobials, and an antifungal. I'm guessing he gave it to you in the hopes that one of the active ingredients would help decrease the size of the cyst.
I'd suggest calling your vet again and having a chat about your concerns, and asking what proactive measures you can do to try and diagnose the cause of the lameness.
