Expert: Jannie Balliett - 7/7/2009

Question
Hi Jannie, I have a two year old female boxer. About a month and a half ago she injured her left hind leg. I took her to our Vet. and they said she has a partial tear in a ligament. They gave me 75mg RIMADYL and told me to give her half a pill twice a day and lots of rest. There was some improvement but not much so I took her back in for a check up, now she is not using the leg at all and seems depressed. She will lay on the floor and whimper and has lost her appetite. I'm very concerned about her. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Joey,

Rimadyl is a pain medicine for arthritis and not the right medicine to treat her.

Get another vet.

That was a mistake.

It is alright to give a pain medicine to get her through the pain of the torn ligament, but not a solution and repair of it. It was a bandaid without a fix.


She needs an ace bandage on her leg to help support it in the meantime, and to see a new vet ASAP as an emergency.

The depression is due to pain and inability to move and do what she wants-- handicapping her. This will cause a lack of appetite and everything. It literally hurts too much to get up and walk to eat, and participate in life.

A new vet can put a cast on to protect it while it heals, or surgery to fix it if it's bad and needs repair.

Either way--- get a new vet ASAP.