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Post by Dave Lonergan on Mar 26, 2014 15:34:00 GMT 10
Hi Tom I have a friend who is schooling pups and they have diagnosed with with sore metatarsus......can you tell me treatments for this please? thanks
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Post by Dave lonergan on Mar 27, 2014 3:46:43 GMT 10
this is how he describes it...............she just shows she is feeling it when pressure is applied and her tail is all over the place at the bends......she has done that previously and when left alone for a week/10 days she seems alright for her next run but then back to not taking the bend properly again the run after........personally I think its just soreness in the metacarpal........rather than anything more serious
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Post by Tom Meulman on Mar 27, 2014 5:30:23 GMT 10
Hi Dave,
Whenever youngsters being schooled show signs of soreness going through the turns on the track, bone damage to the rail side metacarpal on the rail side front leg is the most common cause.
The repeated stress on the bone as the pup leans into the turn causes micro fractures in the surface of the bone.
This is by no means unusual as increased stress on bone causes it to “remodel” so that it is better able to take that same stress in the future.
The remodelling is triggered by the inflammation in the bone surface which is a direct result of the stresses placed on the bone, and takes the form of the body increasing bone thickness at the point of the most inflammation.
Where the problem comes in is that for the bone cells to do their job in increasing bone strength the very surface of the bone softens slightly as a new layer of bone is laid down, and if the greyhound during this remodelling process continues to run the bends on a track, there is a strong chance that the bone could fracture.
There is no doubt that 10 days rest will allow the bone to settle down but unfortunately it is not enough time for the bone remodelling to be completed, and the bone inflammation starts all over again.
It takes 4 to 6 weeks away from running tight bends for the bone strengthening process to be completed, and the surface of the bone to harden again so that it can take the strain without further problems.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Dave Lonergan on Mar 27, 2014 9:54:05 GMT 10
Thanks very much Tom
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Post by dave lonergan on Mar 27, 2014 15:43:19 GMT 10
tom this is left back leg...
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Post by Tom Meulman on Mar 27, 2014 19:05:35 GMT 10
Hi Dave,
In the case of general soreness in the left hind leg metatarsus it becomes a little more complicated as it could be bone damage as described with the metacarpal, or it could be hock ligaments causing problems, or even an injury in the rail side toe joint such a ligament damage or a fractured sesamoids.
Too hard to pick mate, and if it is affecting the dog to the extent that its not running the bends comfortably it really needs a thorough examination by someone that knows what they are looking at, or just some time off to heal these types of nigly problems.
At the same time I have never know a greyhound to falter severely on the bends due to a left hind leg injury, as that type of reaction is more likely to occur due to right hock damage or wrist problems.
As with all bone and ligament injuries in my honest opinion time off is still the best way to heal these as there often are undiagnosed injuries that also get a chance to mend.
There again if time is of the essence a light blister every second day for 3 to 4 applications can certainly speed things along and reduce the time off the track by a couple of weeks. So instead of having 6 weeks off, blistering allows that to be reduced to 4 weeks.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by dave lonergan on Mar 28, 2014 14:43:43 GMT 10
cheers Tom
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Post by dale on Nov 1, 2014 6:08:05 GMT 10
hello tom i have a 17 mont hold bitch with a stress fracture of the 5th metacarple of the nearside front foot and a slight stress fracture of the nearside rear tibia could you please tell me the recovery time of both injuries and any treatments other than rest.
regards dale
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Post by Tom Meulman on Nov 1, 2014 8:56:00 GMT 10
Hi Dale,
While healing a metacarpal with a simple stress fracture generally does take 4 weeks rest, and then a couple of weeks where running is limited to a straight track only, any treatment during the first couple of weeks does depend on the state of the injury when first detected.
Let me clarify.
In some instances this type of injury is not detected when it first occurs, and the greyhound is allowed to continue to run over several weeks until it becomes quite obvious that something is drastically wrong.
The reaction of bone when placed under stress is to thicken and strengthen the area under stress so it can cope better. Therefore when a fracture occurs and the greyhound is allowed to continue running, the same thing happens but far more rapid and drastic. The end result being a raised area of bone calcification just above the fracture.
This raised area can if excessively large eventually cause pain to toe tendons that are located in that area, and in some instances the bone thickening also extents into the internal surface of the bone narrowing the hollow where the bone marrow is located, and this can also affect the long term health of the bone.
Because of all this you can have two different scenarios where the treatment to get the best end results will vary.
Firstly a simple stress fracture where there is some inflammation and a slight raised area on the bone more like a smooth bump.
The treatment in this instance is to immerse the wrist in cold water twice daily for five minutes until all inflammation has gone (generally three or four treatments). The area of the fracture and 25 mm each side of it is then painted with a heat producing liniment daily for five days, allowed to rest for five, and then the that treatment is repeated. A further ten or fourteen days rest, and then the greyhound should be able to have a couple of straight runs. If it is part of the normal training routine there is no problem with maintaining any walking exercise usually undertaken during all of the fracture healing and treatment period.
With a fracture that already has a large thickening on the bone above the fracture it is best if a slightly different treatment is undertaken that as a part of that treatment attempts to reduce the size of that thickening which is likely to add at least another week to the overall treatment time.
To reduce the size of the thickening on the bone reasonable results can be obtained with anti inflammatory creams such as phenylbutazone cream or even an over the counter cream such as Voltaren gel being rubbed into the area twice daily for seven days, and allowing a further three days rest after that treatment.
Then for the next five days rub iodized oil liniment into the area twice daily rest for five days and repeat the treatment. The iodized oil will provide warmth to the bone surface and will stimulate healing without the inflammatory reaction that could start the bone surface thickening up again.
A further three weeks rest after this and the greyhound should be right for a couple of straight track gallops.
The fracture in the tibia will have healed all by itself without any treatment during the time it takes to heal the fracture in the metacarpal.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by dale on Nov 1, 2014 9:15:16 GMT 10
thank yuo very very much
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