Banfield Success Story: Ziggy

Ziggy is a 2-year-old French Bulldog who is quite the party animal! She had a little too much fun on the Fourth of July, and ended up rupturing her cranial cruciate ligaments (CCL)—a ligament that connects the thigh bone to the lower leg bone and stabilizes the stifle joint, which is essentially a “knee”. For a small girl, she was in a lot of pain and very uncomfortable with this injury and the vet said the only way to help would be to have surgery. 
 
Ziggy’s mom is sick with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and her dad’s hours were recently cut at work. The family is also facing a foreclosure, so they knew that they couldn’t pay for the surgery without some help. They reached out to FKF for assistance and we were happy to help. Ziggy had her surgery at Red Hills Veterinary Hospital, and we’ve been told that Ziggy is on the mend. She’s also learning not to be quite a party gal!
 
Most owners of dogs with CCL injuries—also referred to as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)—first notice a sudden onset of lameness or limping in one or both rear legs. Most of these injuries happen when a dog is running, jumping or engaging in other playful antics. Often an owner will report that their dog stumbled and then came up lame. According to PetWave, other symptoms include:

1. Abnormal posture, especially over the back and hip areas
2. Atrophy (withering away) of the muscles of the affected limb
3. Lameness or weakness in one or both hind legs
4. Limping or reluctance to use one or both hind limbs, which worsens with exercise and improves with rest
5. Reluctance to rise, run or jump, especially in the morning when they first wake up
6. Sitting at an odd angle, with a hind leg slanted off to one side
7. Swelling around the knee area

 
Regardless of the severity of the injury, the signs of CCL damage usually become worse if they are not treated, because the pain felt by the dog increases as the stifle joint progressively deteriorates. Also of note, all breeds and both genders are susceptible to this injury; however, Rottweilers, Labrador Retrievers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Newfoundlands and other active, large-breed dogs have an an increased risk of suffering from CCL rupture. Rupture of the CCL can happen in any dog at any age, but it seems to occur in young, active pups. When a cruciate ligament ruptures in one leg, there is an increased chance that the CCL in the other leg will eventually become compromised, probably because of the increased weight that will be required to support the other leg as it heals.
 
If you notice any of these symptoms in your pup, Fur Kids Foundation encourages you to take them to the vet for a full examination.
 
Fur Kids Foundation was recently awarded a $3,500 grant from the Banfield Foundation® to be used to help the Gillette, Wyoming charity with their emergency veterinary assistance program. This funding helped the Foundation grant money to help Ziggy’s family with her vet trip. ​If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help families with animals, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. The money helps families during a time when they may not be able to afford adequate veterinary care. Check out more Success Stories.