Explanation of Facts

The facts all appear to be non-critical.  Nothing appears to be life threatening 
or in need of urgent need of urgent care. 


Partial weight bearing lameness in left hind leg Ð This gives us an indication 
of lameness localization and the degree of severity

Difficulty getting up, walking up and down stairs- Clues as to what is painful 
or unstable for the dog.  It shows us how normal activity is being affected and 
what changes in behavior the owner is observing.

Stands barely toe touching on left hind leg when standing- Indicates that dog is 
painful/unstable in LH leg when weight bearing is attended. 

Effusion of left stifle joint- Indicates possible stifle joint inflammation/ 
involvement.

Stifle joint capsule distension on either side of patellar ligament- Indicates 
excess fluid or material in stifle joint capsule. 

Pain on manipulation of stifle- Indicates likely involvement of stifle joint.

Overweight- Possible contribution to etiology due to excess stress being placed 
on the limbs. 

Joint tap performed- No results are available yet.  Results will possibly help 
with the diagnosis.  

No cranial drawer sign while awake- Does not rule in or out CCL rupture.

4-5mm cranial drawer sign in left hind leg under sedation Ð Indicates the 
presence of cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

< 2mm cranial drawer sign in right hind leg - Rules out CCL rupture in right 
hind leg.  

Patellar position and mobility ok- Indicates that patellar luxation is probably 
not present.  

Collateral ligament ok- Indicates that these ligaments are probably not 
ruptured.

No laxity or pain on ROM and palpation of hips- Indicates that the hips are 
probably not contributing to the lameness.  

Dog has been healthy since adopted 5 years ago- Rules out that the probability 
that old injuries or illnesses are being exacerbated.

Dog active with owner: jogs, walks, hikes- Indicates that there is a possibility 
that the dog could have been injured during activity.  Also, the amount of 
exercise seems like a lot especially considering that the dog is obese.   

Dog chases cats and other dogs- Indicates possibility that dog may have injured 
herself acutely while chasing something.

Dog goes for walks in woods- Indicates that dog could have possibly picked up a 
tick-borne disease.

Only one joint involved Ð This makes the possibility of diseases such as 
Rheumatoid arthritis or Lyme Disease less likely.  These diseases are usually 
manifest in more than one joint.