Jelly, a 3-year-old, English Bulldog came into Aldgate Vets because her owner noticed that she was becoming less active and was favouring using her right hind leg over her left and avoiding jumping up or putting weight on it.
She was brought in for an examination, where the vet noticed that she was in slight discomfort and was putting less weight on her left leg. For Jelly there were no classic symptoms of cruciate injury or disease (this would look like pain, stifle swelling, holding the leg out to the side, limping, or non-weight bearing).
After the examination, the first step was to try anti-inflammatory medication, after a week of this there was no improvement. Our vets then decided to investigate further and it was decided to do some x-rays which showed evidence of cruciate ligament degeneration. Patrick the orthopaedic vet advised surgery to repair this. Jelly had a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) which is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures; she was so very brave!
The great thing about our Bridlington practice is that because we have a veterinary surgeon-led rehabilitation service we can provide a multi-disciplinary approach to our patient’s care, meaning that all their needs can be taken care of in one place.
After the surgery, Jelly quickly began treatment with the rehab team for laser therapy on her wound, this stimulates the body’s natural healing process and reduces post-operative pain.
Once the wound was fully healed, around three weeks post-surgery, Jelly started hydrotherapy in our underwater treadmill and physiotherapy twice a week; this will have numerous benefits for her including, increased joint mobility and muscle strength.
Combining complementary therapies with conventional medicine has greatly benefited Jelly. She is now fully weight-bearing and getting back to her mischievous self.
You are such a superstar Jelly!
