Anything can be done about

knuckling over?  My pup had surgery on his left hip and now he is knuckling.  The vet says it will take time.  Anyone know anything about this?  Will this eventually go away?  Could physical therapy help with the situation or is it a waste of time and money?

[bluetongue]

answer to my question?

[Jaybay]

By "knuckling" I'm assuming you mean that he isn't properly standing on, or moving on, his left paw?  It's kind of limply rolling over when he walks?   When was the surgery, and exactly what was done during surgery?  What meds and other care are being used for post-op recovery?  Any physical therapy?

My guess is that (1) post-op swelling is putting pressure on the nerves that govern use of the entire leg and paw.  If that is the case, it will get better over time.

(2)  Your pup could still be in quite a bit of pain and is simply compensating for it by not properly using the entire leg, including the paw.  If so, that too will get better over time.

(3)  Some kind of nerve damage occured at the time of injury or during surgery.  Sometimes damaged nerves can recover enough without major life issues.  If not, amputation of the leg would be necessary.  From what your vet is saying, I doubt this issue is even on the radar.

You might consider posting an expanded version of your question on the Ask a Vet forum including answers to some of the questions I brought up.  Dr. Cheng is a veterinarian and could certainly provide a better opinion than I have.  :-)