PetCaseFinder

Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

MRI helps diagnose and treat common calcaneal tendon rupture in a dog

By Lin, Megan et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2020·Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed

PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →

Original publication title: Utility of MRI for Evaluation of a Common Calcaneal Tendon Rupture in a Dog: Case Report.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

An 8-year-old male German shorthaired pointer was brought in for limping on his left back leg. The vet found swelling in the tendon at the back of his leg and discovered through an MRI that he had a partial rupture of the common calcanean tendon, which connects several muscles. The dog underwent surgery to repair the tendon and had his leg immobilized afterward. After 10 months of recovery, including physical therapy, he was able to return to normal activity.

People also search for: dog limping left leg · German shorthaired pointer tendon injury · dog surgery recovery time

Abstract

An 8-year-old intact male German shorthaired pointer was presented for a left pelvic limb lameness. Examination revealed a plantigrade stance with flexed digits in the left pelvic limb, and swelling of the left common calcanean tendon distally. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a partial rupture of the left common calcanean tendon, involving rupture to the tendons of the biceps femoris, gracilis, and semitendinosus muscles. Surgical repair was performed using a modified 3-loop pulley suture. Postoperatively, the tarsus was immobilized with external coaptation. Destabilization of the external coaptation occurred over 9 weeks followed by physical rehabilitation and complete return to function at 10 months post-operative. This case report illustrates the utility of MRI as a diagnostic tool for evaluation of tendon pathology. MRI provided exceptional detail of the tendons that comprise the common calcaneal tendon and the anatomical relationships to surrounding structures which facilitated appropriate surgical correction.

Find similar cases for your pet

PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.

Search related cases →

Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33088830/