A month ago my ten year-old GSP male hurt his rear right leg out hunting. When he came out of the water with a retrieve he could not put his leg down. I thought he had caught it underwater on something. A couple of days later when little improvement I took him to the vet. Xrays revealed nothing:diagnosis soft tissue damage :cure-rest.

Today, 3 weeks later I took him out again hunting. He ran well for a couple of kms then he limped again badly ;but this time it was the left rear leg.Is it something like a pinched nerve in his spine or hips? Any ideas or similar experiences please?

Thanks Don

  Dear friends,
Unfortunately I learned today from the vet that Toghue has snapped his anterior cruciate ligament on his left rear leg and will require an operation.The vet who will do the operation is a specialist who has done 600 of this particular operation. It was Toghue’s tenth birthday last week so it will probably signal the finality of his hunting career , but I hope to have him strong enough to show the next pup manners around pointing and backing so his legacy can live on.Then, knowing him, I’m sure a little water work will be tried from time to time.

T. had injured his right rear leg a month ago in a water retrieve after a hard session in the field . I had him X-rayed and checked out then because it was the leg that he damaged the cruciate on as a 15month old dog in a farm accident with a cattle grid.The prognosis was a soft tissue injury, his old operation having held firm.

I rested him for 3 weeks and Saturday was a light run to start him back into things. But on that run over uneven ground and heavy-ish cover some trauma must have wrenched his stifle badly.
I thought in the way he had carried his right leg some weeks ago and wondered if it was higher up in his hip or back, because he did not respond to any of my feeling his leg and checking the joint , the stoic that he is. But no it was the cruciate.
 So onto the operation,
 Best , Don