Dr Theoret at Centrepointe Animal Hospital recently saw Holly, a 7 year old female King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who had a history of limping on one of her hind limbs. After examining and taking radiographs of Holly’s leg, Dr. Theoret confirmed that Holly had ruptured one of her knee ligaments, specifically the cranial cruciate ligament.
Such a diagnosis often requires expensive surgery. Fortunately, based on knee palpation findings and because Holly is a small breed dog, there was the possibility of healing the joint with conservative treatment. This approach requires complete rest, pain medication, glucosamine supplementation and, more importantly, a good weight loss program if the patient is overweight.
In Holly’s case, she was overweight which added more stress on her knee, putting her at higher risk of requiring surgical intervention. Unfortunately, being overweight can cause many health issues, such as added pressure to joints, bones and ligaments, therefore increasing chances of degenerative joint disease, arthritis and ligament tears.
Holly’s initial weight was 25 pounds and needed to lose about 4 pounds. This may seem like a small amount, however, to put it in perspective, it is the equivalent of an average person losing 35 pounds – a rather significant amount. Due to the mandatory rest required because of her knee injury, the weight loss program was even more challenging. Holly was prescribed a special weight loss diet and pain medication. She was instructed to take a glucosamine supplement to help protect the joint from further damage and to reduce arthritis.
Holly and her owners worked very hard to ensure that the weight loss would be achieved in a timely manner. Four weeks after her initial assessment, there was a significant improvement with her weight. In just one month Holly had managed to lose 5 ounces, similar to the average person losing 4 pounds. Drastically losing weight over a short period of time could have been very unhealthy.
After a few months of rest, Holly’s knee was showing great improvement and she was allowed to slowly start increasing her exercise level. Her weight loss was coming along well. In 4 months, Holly had lost 2.8 pounds, equivalent to someone losing almost 23 pounds.
Two months later, Holly had successfully lost her excess weight. She had reached her ideal weight of 21.6 pounds. She had lost the equivalent of 28 pounds for the average person. Holly was switched to a mobility maintenance diet and continued taking glucosamine to help with her joints and reduce arthritis to the injured leg.
Holly’s excellent weight reduction will help prevent reinjuring her knees and prolong her life. She is now living a happy and much healthier life and is back to being her rambunctious self.
