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Mina the Great!
Mina is a 6 year old Great Dane, who came to The Ralph with a painful swelling in the stifle (knee) region of her left hind leg.
Mina has a history of cruciate ligament disease which was managed with a tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) performed a few years ago. Mina recovered well from this surgery, but her leg became lame again a year later. Mina underwent additional surgery after which she developed septic arthritis in this stifle (knee) region. This was treated and resolved by her primary care practice last year.
Recently, Mina’s carer noticed the swelling had returned, and when assessed by her primary care vets the joint area was very hard to touch. Mina was also struggling to put any weight on her leg due to the pain around the joint. Mina had a reduced appetite, and appeared to have lost muscle over her dorsum (back).
Mina was seen by Sam from our Soft Tissue Surgery Service, who performed a physical examination along with diagnostic tests to assess the cause of the swelling (mass). After reviewing Mina’s histology (tissue) and cytology (cells), the mass was diagnosed as Chondrosarcoma (a type of bone cancer).
After consultation with Mina’s carer the decision was made to amputate the leg, allowing Mina to be more comfortable. We were delighted with Mina’s recovery, and she returned home three days after surgery. She is adapting well to life on three legs, and appears much brighter and more comfortable.
Mina is now undergoing treatment with our Head of Physiotherapy + Rehabilitation, Kim. This includes hydrotherapy to strengthen her remaining hind leg, and fitting a brace to the stifle (knee) joint of Mina’s remaining hind leg to protect the cruciate ligament. We will be keeping you updated on Mina’s progress as she visits us for her hydrotherapy sessions.
To find out more about our Soft Tissue Surgery Service and Physiotherapy + Rehabilitation Service please click on the links.
Take care,
The Ralph Team