Unfortunately, the news about Star is not good. She has ruptured her cruciate ligament and will need surgery. After her x-ray we had a difficult conversation with a very nice surgeon who took us through all the options. The good news is that he can give her a functioning knee joint again. The bad news is that it will be a long, slow recovery, and she will have to take things extremely steady over the summer. There could be complications like post-op infections, or problems with the cartilage in the joint, plus the cruciate in the other leg may rupture at some point too. So all in all we've had a lot to take in and think through.
It has been a great help to receive good wishes from many friends, and it's lovely to know that so many people have held Star in their thoughts. You can find out more about cruciate ligament problems at the Pet Education site, at the Pets site, and at the Webvet site. Thanks to the lovely LaDonna Sellers for those links. Also, the equally lovely Steven Pam, host of HoundTV has sent me the link to a HoundTV show focusing on Canine Myofunctional Therapy. The dog includes a dog who suffered a partial cruciate ligament rupture and has made a full recovery - thanks Steven.
I'm so sorry that this injury has happened to Star who is a very cheerful determined little dog. I hope her strong spirit will help her get through the long haul back to hopefully full health ahead of her. We are busy working out how we can support her through that process. Apparently cruciate ligament problems are very common in dogs, and it's an area we'll be investigating to educate ourselves about and hopefully to provide resources and help for others going through similar experiences.
Take care,
Julie x