Right Rear Leg Limp

Question
Hi Marjorie,

About two weeks ago I took my bully(5 months old) to a dog park and another dog wrestled with him(pretty rough I might add) before I could break them apart(trust me that will never happen again). He started limping after we left there. The following day I took him to the vet and he examined him and said that if it didn't go away to bring him back.

 Fast forward, I brought him back this week to the vet and he said it may be his kneecap isn't growing in place. I asked about X-ray's the first time and he said it wasn't necessary unless I wanted to, and I asked the second time but he said there was no need since he knew it was the knee. He referred me to a surgeon for surgery. I'm confused because his diagnosis went from a slight strain to a kneecap not growing properly without even an x-ray...

 My poor bully doesn't seem to want to put pressure on his rear foot. I've scheduled a vet visit with another vet but am extremely concerned about what surgery will do to my dog and the information between the first and second visit. Thanks for your time.

Answer
The dog could have a torn ACL or with a little luck, just a strained ACL. He needs crate rest and leash walking only. It may take weeks for this to heal but he must be kept as quiet as possible. There's no way to judge what's going on without an xray and don't let a vet talk you into surgery at his age. If the ACL is torn, it has to be repaired, but don't go for anything like knee surgery on the patella. That hasn't even had time to fully develop.