Orthopedic Evaluation vs The Sports Medicine Evaluation
Doing a thorough sports medicine evaluation is different from doing an orthopedic evaluation. In my surgery residency training, I learned how to examine the injured limb. We concentrated mostly on the bones and joints.
When I started doing sports medicine, I learned how to do a more thorough exam. I examine the whole dog: the neck, the back, and all four legs, no matter what leg is injured. I thoroughly evaluate not only the bones and joints, but the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.
Many times, we don't even know what leg is injured, or if it is a leg that is the problem. We have a history of a dog that is popping weaves, or knocking bars, or running 1-2 seconds slower than normal in agility, or running around the jump on the retrieve over the high jump, or not herding quite like she used to. Sometimes, the history is, "My agility instructor thinks something is wrong," or "My handler thinks my dog's gait is a little off," or "My dog hesitates slightly before she jumps." As a handler, I know these things are important. As a veterinarian, I take these concerns seriously. I know that 1 second in agility is an eternity!
Diagnosing Sports Injuries in Dogs
No matter how great your regular vet is, he/she may not have the training or experience to diagnose some of the common sports injuries we see in dogs. Also, some injuries are very subtle, and it takes time to do a thorough exam to check for tiny changes that may be causing the dog's problem.
Fortunately, as canine sports medicine becomes more and more requested by owners, more veterinarians are being trained in the field. They are still few and far between, and you may not know how to find them, but they are out there. You just have to know where to look.
Not every front leg lameness is a shoulder problem. Not every hind leg lameness is a cruciate ligament injury or iliopsoas strain.
There is a lot of dog between the tip of the nose and the end of the tail. Although some injuries are more common than others, almost anything can be sprained, strained, torn, broken, stretched, compressed, or contused. Once we have the correct diagnosis, the next hurdle is getting the proper treatment. But that's a subject for another blog
Sue graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, NY, in 1980. After three years in private practice, she joined the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. While on active duty, she completed a 3 year residency in small animal surgery at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. She retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2004, after almost 21 year on active duty. After working for a year on a horse farm in Idaho, she returned to Ithaca to join the staff at Colonial Veterinary Hospital as their second surgeon.
Sue retired from Colonial in December 2009. (Her on-call schedule was interfering with her dog show weekends!) The following month, she started working for Shelter Outreach Services, a high quality, high volume spay-neuter organization. About the same time, Sue joined her colleague, a physical therapist/licensed veterinary technician, to start a canine sports medicine practice at the Animal Performance and Therapy Center, in Genoa, NY. The practice is limited to performance dogs.
Sue showed her first obedience dog, a beagle, Tristan, to a CDX in 1978. Her second beagle, Devon, earned a UD. Her third beagle, Charm, earned a VCD2, and was one of the most titled breed champion bitches in the history of the breed: CH Wilkeep Third Time's A Charm UD, RE, MX, MXJ, AXP, AJP, TD. Two golden retrievers, between the beagles, were great pets and therapy dogs. Sue currently is preparing her beagle, Ivy (CH MACH Wilkeep Ivy League, CDX, RN, TD) for the utility ring.
Author's recent posts
- March 29, 2021
- April 7, 2020
- March 25, 2019
Unintended Consequences: Understanding Poisoned Cues
January 29, 2019
