Dog diagnosed with partially torn knee cap

[Team Chaos]

My boy Jack hurt his leg playing 2 weeks ago. It'd get better for a while, then he'd re-injure it and be stuck limping around on 3 legs. We went to the vet last week and she diagnosed him with a partially torn kneecap and said I need to take some weight off him and keep him pretty inactive for a while to see if it will heal. Jack is about 4 years old, a giant mixed breed rescue and his idea of torture is spending the day inside the house. He's a pretty sad guy right now- reduced amount of food, on "house arrest" and with a gimpy leg. From what I've read online, it seems like these sorts of injuries rarely heal themselves satisfactorily and most cases end up heading toward surgery or dealing with degenerative arthritis. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks!

 

[Hinotori]

I've never had a dog tear the knee cap.

Just had broken knee joint which took pinning in my boy, and the vet still worries he'll get arthritis.

Way back in 1996 my little schipperke girl did something to her hip that the vet couldn't figure out. She developed nasty arthritis there that was so bad the vet was shocked she actually could move it still. She was only 12 pounds, I can't imagine what that would do to a large dog.

Best of luck on the healing. I really hope some rest fixes it for your dog.

 

[hqueen13]

My friend's dog had an ACL injury that sounds similar to your issue. They put her on complete kennel rest (yes, KENNEL rest, in her crate 24 hours a day except to go to the bathroom). Dog hated it, but she recovered fully and romps around to this day.

My suggestion would be to do some in depth research on ligaments and tendon healing in humans. Many of the same natural remedies that we use for ourselves can be used on animals. I use therapeutic grade essential oils, and would be slathering the dog good! Marjoram is good for muscles, lemongrass is good for ligaments. Juniper, pine and the other "tree" oils help support bone. Helichrysum, Cistus, and Copieba have amazing healing properties.
I don't hesistate to use my oils all over me, and often ingest them, but you MUST know the quality of your oils. Many oils that are sold in health stores are very poor quality. If you don't know the quality, please be careful as you could end up harming yourself or the animal.
Feel free to PM me with questions or more info if you want.