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Dani - a Staffordshire Bull Terrier
suffering from Luxating Patellae, Degenerative Arthritis and Hip Dysplasia
a diary by
Andrina Morton, Scotland
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I am a “pet owner” and have owned Staffordshire Bull Terriers for 25 years.
The following pages are a diary of events describing my experience with luxating patellae, hip dysplasia and arthritis suffered by my Staffordshire Bull Terrier bitch, Dani.
Dani has had some problems with her back legs since she was a youngster and I had always believed her short periods of lameness and stiffness, usually following exercise, was caused by muscular strains. Sometimes she would stop during exercise and wait a minute or two before carrying on. At other times she would carry one of her hind legs for short periods of time during a walk or run. She also did a little skipping movement every now and then and occasionally what can be described as a “bunny hop” movement.
At first she would be lame for only a few minutes as she got older it could last a day or so, then she would be back to normal. She didn't like jumping in to the car.
I had a Stafford who suffered from leg cramps after exercise when he was young and he grew out of this as he matured. I thought Dani would too.
I was wrong. Dani started limping quite badly. It came and went for a week or so and I thought she must have pulled a muscle quite badly and massaged her back legs regularly.
She was particularly bad on Sunday 1st February 2004. She tried her best to avoid moving all day and that night could not walk upstairs to get to bed. I took her to the vet first thing on Monday morning. Unfortunately I had fed her so she could not be anaesthetised and X-rayed that day but she was booked in the next day for a full set of X-rays to be taken.
Tuesday 3rd February 2004
Today the vet gave me the news I was dreading and praying not to get. Dani's problems with lameness are indeed caused by problems with her hips. I'm devastated. The vet took a lot of time going over the X-rays,etc with me but to be honest half of it didn't quite sink in because I was upset.
Click here to see copies of Dani’s hip X-ray - these are photographs I took myself and are not the best images I'm afraid!
Friday 6th February 2004
I have spent a lot of this week surfing the net for information on Hip Dysplasia. I have also been looking different food supplements said to be beneficial for dogs suffering from conditions like this such as Green Lipped Mussel capsules. To be honest the more I read the more the information can seem to conflict and the further confused I get.
I decide to phone the Orthopaedics department of the Small Animal Hospital at the Glasgow Vet Hospital for advice and they tell me to phone my vet and ask for a referral to see one of the specialists.
My vet arranges all this very quickly for me and within a few hours I am told that I have an appointment on Tuesday. I’m really pleased at how quickly Dani will be seen.
Tuesday 10th February 2004
Dani saw the specialist early this afternoon. An assistant took her details and history whilst the specialist looked over her case notes and X-rays.
The specialist told me that her hips are not the main problem. She does have mild hip dysplasia and degeneration of the hip joints but the specialist said that it was not the cause of her lameness.
Dani has a degenerative arthritic condition. Pretty much what the vet said. Apparently, this is not something to be overly worried about at this stage.
Dani has luxating patellae. The vet did not pick up on this and the specialist said it was not something that was easily detected on the
X-rays that had been taken.
The specialist recommended surgery and since Dani was not willing to take exercise or go for her usual walks, the sooner this took place
the better. I was told to leave her at the hospital there and then which was a bit of a surprise.
She will be X-rayed further and tomorrow she will have her first knee operation. All being well, and after her first knee has had a chance
to heal properly, her other knee will be operated on in six to eight weeks.
Dani will be staying at the hospital until Friday, maybe later depending on how she copes with the pain following the surgery.
I'm very glad I took her to the specialist and that she is being treated for a problem I had no idea she had and which the vet had not picked up.
I felt really bad leaving Dani there and the look of distress on her face when I left Wednesday 11th February 2004 tore me up.
This evening I had asked people on the SBT Forum if any Stafford owners had experience with this condition and with the surgery involved and learned that a two year old bitch had died today on the operating table whilst undergoing the very same corrective surgery Dani is scheduled to have in the morning. I know the owner and am shocked and very upset to hear this.
Wednesday 11th February 2004
I hardly slept a wink last night. I spent most of the night debating whether to cancel Dani’s surgery or not. After talking with my mother I decide that I have to let this go ahead. Dani has to have a chance at a better quality of life. I felt sick and jumpy all morning at work.
There was a message on my answering machine when I arrived home at lunchtime. I must have just missed the call.
Dani came through her surgery OK. She is going for further radiographs this afternoon. The surgery went absolutely fine. She does have erosions in the cartilage, which means she has worn the cartilage away in places, but the specialist says that hopefully that shouldn't affect her too badly in the future.
The specialist is in surgery all day but says he'll phone first thing tomorrow morning. I'm miffed at missing the call but so very happy to learn that she is OK.
I had a little crazy dance around the room with Max who enjoyed it. Probably relived to see me happy after all the gloom and tension lately. Staffords are very sensitive to their owner's moods.
I ordered a Crufts puppy pen for Dani to convalesce in tonight. It’s very roomy and I think she will prefer this to a crate. I really hope it gets here before she is discharged.
What does it all mean? Well apparently it gets worse with age. How bad and how soon is not so easy to diagnose it seems. There is no operation that can be done to cure her.
She has painkillers to take just now. The pain is very obvious in her face and when you see pain in a Stafford's eyes you know its bad. That really upsets me.
Dani will have to take tablets called "Seraquin" for the rest of her life. These are nutritional supplements - the box says "Glucosamine and chondroitin are building blocks for the synthesis of cartilage. Turmeric extract (curcumin is a potent biological antioxidant which protects the dog's body from the destructive effects of free radicals)".
The vet bill today was £186.14. That included the cost of her X-ray plates and the prescribed tablets. Her tablets alone cost £46.00.
I am extremely relieved that she has good insurance cover with PetPlan and that she can get every thing she needs now without me having to worry about the cost.
She would have had everything anyway, I would make sure of that but having insurance certainly takes the worry out of the treatment
costs and vet bills.
A lot of things click into place now. Like her crying loudly whenever Max mounted her (boys will be boys). How she doesn't like
jumping into the car any more, and now how guilty I feel now for thinking she was just being lazy :-(
Then there is the extreme guilt I feel now that I should have had her X-rayed and checked earlier and not mistaken this for muscular
cramps.
Dani should continue to be exercised regularly and we'll need to restart this gently shortly. She's been lame on and off for weeks
now and because of that hasn't been getting proper walks. I need to try and get her as fit at possible over the coming months and
get her to lose her little winter tummy and keep her slim.
Dani loves running so much. She loves her long walks in the country and on the beach and I am hopeful that once we get her fit
again and the pain under control she can have many more of these.
Dani has poor coverage of both femoral heads by acetabulum and there is flattening of both femoral heads. She has mild hip dysplasia also.
My understanding of this is that the hip ball joints are not shaped correctly - they looked quite different from the healthy comparison pictures I was shown - and also they ball joint isn't fitting into the socket correctly. Her right one is the worst but she is limping badly just now on her left leg.
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Thursday 12th February 2004
I had very little sleep again.
The specialist phoned at 9.00am to say Dani was doing OK and was fairly settled. She is in a lot of pain though, understandably.
If we are lucky and she is well enough we will get her home tomorrow.
We are all missing her.
Max is a bit lost and doesn’t know what to be doing with himself. Francesca cried a lot.
Friday 13th February 2004
A vet nurse called at 9.30am to say Dani was well enough to come home.
Two minutes later my father phoned to say the playpen had been delivered and it was huge!! We got that built up very quickly – it looks great. Exactly what I had in mind for her.
Francesca and I went to the hospital early to sort out the account. It is standard practice that the client pays for the first treatment then all subsequent treatments are claimed directly from the insurance company. The first account is £715.98 though and I don’t have this amount of money easily available. They agreed to claim payment for this direct from the insurance company too, which is great.
I spent well over half an hour talking to the specialist. He was very patient with my 101 questions.
The X-rays the hospital have taken are amazingly clear – far superior to the ones the vet takes. They have a brilliant radiography department he says.
I was kicking myself for not taking the camera. I had charged the batteries up ready but in the excitement of leaving for Dani we forgot just about everything, including her collar and lead!
The before and after pictures of the knee were crystal clear and it was very easy to see the difference.
Click here to see the “Discharge Instructions to Client” which provides further details of the treatment, management, etc.
Words can’t describe how happy I was when I saw Dani hobbling through the corridor with the vet nurse. She
had her back leg totally shaved with a sticky dressing over the top of the wound. We got her straight home
and into her new playpen. Max was over the moon to see her. It was touching to see how incredibly happy
he was. I have never seen him so pleased about anything.
Dani is not at all normally vocal but after any time away from home at the vet’s she cries loudly for ages. I am
sure this is her voicing her protests at having been abandoned. Max helped her by standing alongside the
playpen prison barking in tune to her cries of woe.
Dani was sick shortly after getting home and she needed faeces wiped off her too. She finds it hard to
balance when toileting. She was cleaned up and her bedding changed and, after a very light meal of roast
chicken, spent the next few hours fast asleep.
Saturday 14th February 2004
I had to take Dani to our local vet clinic this morning because she developed a nasty rash on her leg and I wanted it looked
at. The on-duty vet did not think it looks anything serious, probably just with the shaving and her licking at it.
The on-duty vet was very impressed with how well Dani’s wound is healing. The wound is 3 days old in this photo
and I agree it looks really good.
This page was last updated: 23 December, 2007
The vet also explained to me the benefits of giving an epidural during and after surgery
for pain control (see the small shaved square on Dani’s back). I had wondered about the
use of this yesterday but forgot to ask the specialist during our talk.
Tuesday 17th February 2004
I'm very, very happy with Dani's progress on the whole. She is coping very well, all things considered. She is cheerful
and in good spirits most of the time although very obviously a bit frustrated at her lack of mobility sometimes. She's not happy at spending so much time in the playpen but there's not much we can do about that because when she is let out
she spends too much time walking around. Her appetite is back to normal too now, which is a good sign.
I took this photo of her sleeping today. She seemed very comfortable and content and was snoring like a little pig!!
Friday 20th February 2004
Dani had the stitches taken out of her leg today at our vet clinic. Her wound is continuing to heal very nicely.
Saturday 28th February 2004
Dani is continuing to heal very nicely. She's still limping on her leg quite a lot but she is using it a more
and more each day. She is very, very bored with the confinement though. Its hard trying to amuse her
when she isn't allowed play or exercise. Max spends a lot of time lying beside her in the playpen now
and they both use it for chewing on their toys.
Wednesday 10th March 2004
Today is the end of Dani's four week total rest period. She has had one very short walk - about 5 minutes long - and she was over the moon to get out of the house and have a change of scene. Her tail wagged the whole time she was out and it has definitely lifted her spirits. We'll walk her three times a day, starting off
at five minutes each then building up to ten minutes. She sees the consultant at the hospital again on 30th March 2004. We'll find out then how things
are and a decision will be made as to when to operate on her right knee.
The photo on the right shows how Dani's leg looks 4 weeks after the operation.I feel there is a lot of muscle wastage
on both back legs already. She won't beable to build her back legs up properly until she has had her 2nd operation.
Tuesday 30th March 2004
Dani's second operation was due to take place today. However, she has not recovered as well as I had hoped. She is still limping quite badly and can't comfortably manage any more than a few minutes walking at a time. After our consultation with her vet at the hospital it was decided she would greatly benefit from another few weeks recovery. Her surgery has been rescheduled to take place in two weeks.
Saturday 10th April 2004
Dani had a short play today in the garden today with one of her favourite toys. Today is the first she has really started to act like her old self. It's a shame that she has to go through all that again in a few days, just as she is really starting to feel brighter and happy again.
Wednesday 14th April 2004
I dropped Dani off at the hospital at 8.30am this morning. It was a real wrench leaving her there but I have a great deal of confidence in her vet which helps. I received a phone call just after 2.00pm to let me know the operation was a success and she was just starting to wake up. What a relief to hear that news and to know she was safely out of the anaesthetic! Apparently her right knee has very bad arthritis. I'll discuss this in more detail with her vet when I collect her.
Friday 16th April 2004
I collected Dani at noon today. She is, of course, limping very badly on her right leg and is obviously in pain but she is coping brilliantly, all things considered. I hope to have photographs of her before and after X-rays soon and will upload on the web site. Click here to see the “Discharge Instructions to Client” which provides further details of the treatment, management, etc. She cried a lot today, which is very unlike her. I think the crying was in protest at being away and not because she was in pain .
We let her lie on the couch for a while which helped her settleand at least she got a decent sleep. Max
makes a lot of allowances for her, moving out of her way, etc. He is very curious of the wound and
bandage and although Dani lets him sniff her leg she watches him very carefully and is naturally wary.
The account for this treatment amounts to £694.84.
Sunday 18th April 2004
Dani's leg has bled slightly a few times in the past two days but only a very little. We haven't touched
the dressing although we may try and change it later tonight. Francesca isn't squeamish at all (she
wants to be a doctor) so I'll let her do this. She's very good with dealing with the dogs and can clean up
cuts, etc with no problem. Dani's ankle is very swollen. Although this happened with the left leg there is
quite a bit more swelling after this operation.
The photos below were taken after the operation. Clicking on the small images will take you to enlargements.
3 days after the operation
3 days after the operation
3 days after the operation
4 days after the operation
4 days after the operation
4 days after the operation
Thursday 22nd April 2004
I didn't give Dani any painkillers today. We'll stop giving her pain relief from today. She is moving around too
quickly when she is out of the playpen and I am worried she will overdo it. I'm hoping if she feels a bit more
pain it will stop her trying to do too much too soon.
Monday 26th April 2004
Dani was at the vet today to have the stitches removed. Two were taken out and the rest were left. This wound
is taking a little longer to heal than the wound on the left leg.
Friday 30th April 2004
Dani was back at the vet today. 16 days after the operation and the rest of the stitches were removed. The wound looks very good. She is still limping a lot but, on the whole, she has coped brilliantly. I am now having to make sure she doesn't overdo it. The playpen has been an excellent investment and she spends a lot of time in there. She is really used to it now and heads in herself now after meals and toilet trips.
16 days after the operation
27 days after the operation
Clicking on the small images will take you to enlargements.
6 days after the operation
I would like to thank to Dylan Clements BSc BVSc MRCVS,
and Stephen Clarke BVM&S CertSAS MRCVS &
the staff at the Orthopaedics Department of the Small Animal Hospital
at the Glasgow Vet Hospital for taking such good care of Dani.
Monday 17th May 2004
Dani spent last night in hospital, At around 5.30pm she started limping very badly. I gave her a painkiller but an hour or so later she did not even want to walk and it seemed she found it almost impossible to stand up. Even trying to tempt her with a biscuit could not make her move and I was very worried. After calling the hospital several times I was asked to take her in. The on-duty vet gave her a thorough examination and although Dani was now walking around she was still limping rather badly. The vet thought it best to keep her in overnight for observation and further examinations. I received a phone call from one of the consultants this morning to say that her vet, Dylan Clements, had examined her last night and she showed no problems with lameness at that time. She was examined again this morning and thankfully as seemed well. Her patellae are still in place and (thank heavens) and the pins are also still OK which was a huge relief. The diagnosis is "probably a flare up of the pre-existing osteoarthritis". I had been warned she would probably have "flare-ups" but really had no idea they could be so bad and make her totally lame. I have a supply of anti-inflammatory painkillers now and if this happens again I'll be able to medicate her with Zubrin immediately and I'll know how to deal with it.
She is also now back to play-pen confinement, which is a real shame for her. On the plus side it should only be for a couple of weeks. She can only have two short walks daily of no more than 5 minutes each.
She goes back to the hospital in two weeks for X-rays and hopefully her final after surgery check-ups and with any luck everything will be where it should be and she can start getting back to her normal routine.
Tuesday 25th May 2004
Dani goes back into hospital next Tuesday for her final X-rays and I am praying it is good news and I can start exercising her again.
It is very frustrating for her being kept in all the time. She's bored and fed up and more than a little depressed at times now I feel.
She's also still limping a lot though and is only getting two very short walks twice a day. I'm not sure if these make her feel better or worse because she is back almost as soon as she leaves the house.
I've noticed that she's reverted back to some very puppy-like behaviour too recently. She has been play-biting us which is something she has not done for years. She is also crying quite a bit too - especially when she sees Max getting ready to go for his walks. Dani never cries!
If she gets the all clear next week then things will start improving for her almost immediately I hope once she starts a proper exercise and fitness routine.
---------------------------------------------------
Click here for article “Patellar Luxation in the S.B.T. by Paul Boland B.V.Sc. M.R.C.V.S”
Dani has straight stifles. Click here to read extracts from The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Encyclopedia by John F Gordon (1st Published in 1967) regarding "patella" and "stifle".
Metacam : Companion Animal Products - Canine Osteoarthritis and Acute Pain - to read article CLICK HERE
also An Owner's Guide to caring for the dog with arthritis (pdf document).
Zubrin - very good web site which contains two sections (1) Veterinary Professionals Portal and (2) Dog Owners Portal "provides an easy-to-understand explanation of osteoarthritis, covering such topics as causes, symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. The mission of this Portal, is to give you, the concerned dog owner, a better understanding of osteoarthritis and help you realize that, while it is a chronic disease, there are many things you can do to keep your osteoarthritic dog healthy and happy."
Click here for article "What is Osteoarthritis?" "Canine osteoarthritis is a chronic, degenerative joint disease that affects both the soft tissues and bones of a joint. It causes pain and decreased flexibility in the affected joint(s)."
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Tuesday 1st June 2004
Dani was examined again today and all seems to be going very well. Her knees are in place and so are the pins. We can now start exercising her, starting with 10 minute walks on leash, three times a day.
She didn't have any X-rays taken today. The specialist didn't feel it was necessary and that things were going well enough to avoid putting her through a further sedation. She was delighted that she left the hospital with me today. She had spent quite a bit of time in the consultation room staring at the door, giving me her paw and begging me with her eyes not to leave her behind :-)
I now have about four weeks to get her a bit fitter before we go on holiday and if all goes well she can have some off-leash walks and a maybe few gentle runs.
She goes back for another check up on the 24th June, which should be her final hospital appointment if everything is still OK.
Thursday 3rd June 2004
A week or so ago Francesca found an opaque patch on Dani's left eye.
I had Dani checked over by the vet today and I am really pleased to say that what she has is nothing serious at all. I am very relieved!!
I had been really worried she was getting a cataract (or some other problem) but seems what is on her eye is a lipid plaque and not a big issue.
She wasn't best pleased at being taken to the vet so soon after the hospital! She had her annual booster while she was there. The vet also pointed out her teeth were not as clean as they should be. We have been a little lax with teeth brushing lately because of her leg problems but seems we need to now get back into a nightly routine with this - even though she hates having her teeth brushed.
Saturday 12th June 2004
Dani has been doing very well. She is walked twice a day now for about 20 minutes and one shorter walk of about 10 minutes. We took her to the park with Max once but she was very frustrated that he was off leash and she wasn't. It really upset her so we haven't done that again! I really feel she is now desperate to get running around off leash now. Its hard to stick to leash walks but its what we have been told to do for now. We have followed the hospital's instructions to the letter and she has recovered brilliantly so there is no point in losing patience now! She is back for her final check up in less than two weeks and after that I am sure she can some off leash freedom on her holiday.
Tuesday 6th July 2004
Dani enjoyed her holiday. She wasn't able to take much exercise but what she did have she enjoyed very much. She loved the daily woodland walks. The chalet backed onto a wooded area and she enjoyed just sniffing about there. She found a dead, rotting fish outside which she rolled around on for a while (yeuck) and earned herself a bath as soon as she went back inside!
Dani after having green fluorescent dye put into her eye by the vet
playing outside the chalet
running wild in the Scottish countryside - FREEDOM !!
Tuesday 10th August 2004
Unfortunately Dani has been limping badly for weeks now. She has always had a slight limp in her left leg but it is much more pronounced now. She also sits holding her leg up in the air and makes biting motions at her leg from time to time. She has a hospital appointment on Monday and I am hopeful it is not a serious matter and hopefully just an irritation caused by the pin which can be then be surgically removed.
Monday 16th August 2004
Dani is home from hospital, still drowsy and very unsteady on her feet. She's had a little to eat and is now resting.
Today she had some X-rays taken and fluid was removed from the knee joint, This has been sent to the lab for analysis and the results should be available tomorrow or Wednesday. It is apparent that the implant is aggravating her and this will be removed. It is also suspected that she has a diseased or damaged cruciate ligament.
Next week she will have surgery to remove the implant in her left leg and at this time they will
(hopefully) perform a arthroscopy of the knee joint (which is basically a surgical procedure
orthopaedic surgeons use to visualize, diagnose and treat problems inside a joint).
If there is a problem with the cruciate ligament then she will be operated for that a few weeks
later - unless they are unable to successfully perform the arthroscopy in which case they will
carry out an evasive procedure. If this was the case and the ligament is diseased or damaged
they will probably proceed to repair the ligament at that time.
She's got quite a bit to go yet unfortunately but I remain hopeful that she will be mobile,
happy and pain free in a few months!
Wednesday 25th August 2004
Dani had her implant removed today. I am hoping this will finally make her leg feel better. The good news is that her cruciate ligament isn't damaged or diseased. The bad news is that her knee has extensive arthritis. She should be home tomorrow, all going well, and will have to have two weeks total confinement in her playpen again.
Thursday 26th August 2005
Dani came home today. I am praying that she makes some decent progress after this
operation. It really isn't much fun for her spending so much time in surgery or recovery.
She's definitely in pain tonight and has cried almost non-stop since she got home. She
only stopped crying long enough to eat her chicken, which she loved, and she's had a few
very short naps. Max is demented when she cries, and he's not the only one. It's awful
seeing her so upset.
Friday 27th August 2004
Dani is still crying on and off. She is normally very quiet so this is very unlike her. I took the day of work to stay at home with her. She urinated in her bed through the night which upset her. She is having a terrible time trying to go to the toilet because she can't balance properly. Its obvious she is in a lot of pain but she is on the maximum dose for painkillers already. I'm really hoping there is some improvement over the weekend.
Tuesday 31st August 2004
Dani has settled back down to life in the play-pen. She is managing the toilet a bit better now too which is great.
Monday 4th October 2004
Dani is using her leg today. I don't want to get overly excited but she hasn't used the leg for ages and seeing her walking on it a little today was brilliant. This has given me some real hope that she just might get back some proper use of her leg.
She was outside for ten minutes today enjoying a little sunshine. She looks like a patchwork quilt with all the shaved areas bits and has a bit of a belly on her with the lack of exercise but otherwise I think she looks great and she is definitely in good spirts.
Tuesday 5th October 2004
Dani had a check-up at hospital today. Everything seems fine and she should not need to return for further visits, which is great news.
Wednesday 13th October 2004
Dani is managing her two twenty minute walks a day no problem and has only a slight limp some of the time. She had her first visit with the physiotherapist this evening. She was none to impressed when she realised she was there for her legs but it was all very relaxed and gentle. There was talk of using laser treatment next week which should be interesting. Francesca, of course, asks 1001 questions (more than me) so everything is a bit of an education :-)
Wednesday 24th November 2004
Dani has completed her course of physiotherapy and laser treatment now. She seems to have really benefitted from this.
Thursday 10th February 2005
I am happy to say that Dani now enjoys regular walks and off-leash exercise. She still walks with a pronounced limp and holds her left leg in the air when she is sitting. I am not sure what the future holds for her with regards to the Osteoarthritis or her Hip Dysplasia. She takes a daily supplement which contains glucosamine and chondroitin and turmeric extract. It upsets me knowing Dani will never enjoy full use of her legs. I am also painfully aware that in all likelihood her lifespan will be dramatically reduced. At the moment she is enjoying life and my daughter Francesca and I get a great deal of pleasure from having her in our lives.
