Our 6 year old yellow lab tore her first ACL 2 years ago. After 4 months of limping and unsuccessful medications we had a traveling surgeon Do a TTA. She came home with 15 pages of instructions. It took months but she did finally regain all use of that leg.

Recently she tore The ACL in her other leg. We found a fantastic Vet in Faribault MN that does both TTA and TPLO. Lacey got a TTA like the first, but our experience was SO much better. We actually met the surgeon and felt a lot more informed. Lacey just got her staples out and is started on a rehab program. She is nearly normal already! Lacey is doing fantastic and we actually saved $1000 over the first surgery. It pays to do research and shop around. Our Vet did not refer us, we did our own homework.

TTA Surgery on Both Knees – Lacey is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

I adopted Mousse, a pure bred chocolate lab, a little over 2 years ago – she was 15 months old. In the words of my vet, Mousse is exuberant. She was always ready to run, fetch, swim etc. etc.

Then, about 6 months ago, she started having problems with her back right leg. I took her to my vet several times and was told each time, she was okay. I had the vet take X-rays of her hips and her right knee. They looked OK and he said she might have strained a muscle and I was to give her Rimadyl and Tramadol. I did and it was slightly better and then … worse: she was having trouble going up the stairs and getting in and out of the car.

We went to Oradell Animal Hospital with the X-rays and the orthopedic specialist there said she had torn the CCL’s in both back legs. The good news was that it was repairable and he proceeded to show me how the TTA would work and then said it would cost $4300 … each leg!! I’m sure he saw my jaw drop to the floor, and he was decent enough to suggest that if I could go outside the NY Metro area, I might find it less costly.

I started talking to people and got numerous recommendations for veterinarians, animal hospitals, veterinary schools. I read whatever I could on the internet and became more knowledgeable about TPLO, TTA, extracapsular – traditional and Tightrope.

TPLO and TTA were scary to me on two fronts – the actual surgery where they cut the bone and then plate/screw it into a different angle, and the recovery period during which the patient cannot be active or the repaired bone could be damaged (lots of horror stories about permanent damage, lameness, even amputations!)

Knowing my Mousse, traditional suture was not a good option – she’s too active and too big … even at a svelte 67 lbs. So I started to ask about Tightrope. Although they don’t do it there, the vet at Blairstown (great place) thought Tightrope might be a good choice. Mousse and I went to Univ of Penn Vet. – very good session but they don’t do many Tightropes and they were recommending TPLO. I had also contacted Cornell Vet College, but they don’t do Tightrope.

I then emailed Dr. Cook at Univ Missouri (who came up with Tighrope) and he was kind enough to send back information and a list of facilities in NJ and NY. I researched the list via the internet and made an appt. with Dr. Henrich of Tranquility Vet Clinic (western NJ). About halfway into the appt., I felt we were in the right place and scheduled the surgery. Oh what a relief to finally be able to make the decision!

We drove (it’s about an hour west of us) back to the clinic on Monday 11-8-11 and they put a pain med (Fentanyl) patch on the back of her neck. The surgery was the next morning; I dropped her off. Dr. Henrich called me around 12 to let me know the surgery went well and I could pick her up late afternoon/ early evening. I drove back to get her around 6pm – my poor Mousse was still groggy, her entire back left end was shaved and she was wearing a giant E-collar – she looked miserable!

The incision is about 6 inches long, held together by 15 staples. (I count them regularly : )

The first few days were fraught with anxious moments but I muddled through. I have her harness on almost all the time to control her forward momentum and a beach towel knotted around her waist makes a good handle so I can keep her from putting full weight on her back legs. We only go outside to pee/poop and she sits in the sun while I rake leaves.

Sat. 11-12-11 we went back to have the patch removed and to get another laser treatment (it helps to reduce swelling and promote healing). The Dr. was pleased with how the knee looked and that Mousse is able to put it down (not putting weight on it though).

She is more active than she should be and they had given me some tranquilizers to keep her calmer which definitely help. She does not like the crate or the E-collar, but I have no choice if I have to leave the house. I still get kisses on my chin so I take that as a good sign.

Sat the 19th she is scheduled to have the staples removed … one less thing to worry about.

Follow Up: November 16

Mousse is putting more weight on the repaired (left) leg and would love to go for a real walk. She seems more comfortable with the reduced-size cone but is getting more obstinate about going in the crate when I have to leave for work.(I didn’t crate her before the surgery.) Hopefully I can pack up the crate again after the staples come out this Sat. The knee and suture line look very good to my unprofessional eye so I’m feeling positive about the future.

Staple Removal: November 19

Just back from staple-removal. The vet is very pleased with Mousse’s progress and we now have some physical therapy exercises.

Unfortunately, the cone is still required as there are still two small openings in her suture line. These are expected to close in the next few days … as long as she doesn’t lick and irritate them. I can also extend her walks a bit. So small steps forward … but it’s all good : )

Recheck: December 1

We met with Dr. Henrich, the vet who did the Tightrope surgery and he was very pleased with Mousse’s progress. She’s walking so well that there’s even a chance he may not have to operate on the right knee.

We reviewed the exercises for physical therapy which I do at home and he gave us the okay for moderate walks. We go back on 12-15.

I’ll keep you posted.

Follow Up: December and January

I’m very happy to report that we had 2 more follow-up visits with the vet and during the Dec. 29th appointment, Mousse was given clearance for normal activity.

The surgery is completely healed and her left leg is now the stronger of her 2 back legs. Her right leg showed and still shows very little sign of her original difficulties. The vet said it has happened before where he had a dog with bi-lateral CCL injuries – he operated on one leg and the other leg seemed fine on its own. We (the vet and I) decided not to put Mousse through a second surgery unless that right leg starts giving her problems.

Obviously, I’m hoping for the best but am prepared for what will probably be another surgery. At least this time, I know exactly who I will take her back to. I have only good things to say about the entire staff at Tranquility Veterinary Clinic.

My Decision to Pursue Tightrope Surgery – Mousse is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Here’s a story that should provide hope to anyone with a pooch with a CCL problem…

We have a 140lb. Newfoundland. He is very active and blew out his right CCL 6 years at 18 months. It started with a tear. He wiped out on our tile floor. We were devastated.

We took him to a specialist. He immediately wanted to cut. That didn’t give us the warm and fuzzies. We then went to another about an hour away from us. He said the ligament was torn, but not ruptured so there was hope. He suggested waiting to see what happened.

Well, a month or so later, Porter blew his knee completely. Started just toe tapping and wouldn’t put much weight on it. We went back to the vet and he suggested TPLO. We went through with the surgery. About $4,000! It’s heavy duty surgery. But, Porter came out in flying colors. Took a solid 7 or 8 months before we let him off leash, but the surgery worked pretty well.

I say pretty well because he’s always been a bit light on that leg since then, but he runs, jumps and doesn’t show any signs of discomfort.

Everything was great until December, 2009. That’s when he started limping on his left side. He had now injured his other knee, which is about a 50/50 chance with large breeds after they have one knee rupture. We’re not sure what he did, but he is very active and runs/jumps all by himself, so he probably fell in our yard or running up our stairs.

This time we did a lot of research about Conservative Management. We really didn’t want to put him or us through surgery again. After speaking to a couple of different vets and people who had gone this route, we decided to take a chance. The vets really didn’t give us much hope as they said usually CM only works on smaller animals, but it was worth a shot.

Porter was confined in a small room and when we were home we’d let him out, but only under VERY close supervision. He was always on leash. No stairs, no walks except for potty breaks in the yard. He was confined to a 3×5 area when we weren’t home. This went on for 3 months.

At that point we started short (5 minute) walks a couple of times a day. still always on leash. From that point we increased his walks over time to about 15 minutes by 6 months.

We had one setback about 2 months in. We didn’t pay attention for a second and he bolted (as I said, he’s very active and wanted to run badly). He ended up limping again! From this point we were militant about keeping him calm. This is easily the most important thing to keep in mind during your dogs recovery. DO NOT Rush…healing takes a long time to occur.

At 6 months we let him off leash in our yard. He was still supervised and we didn’t let him run. A little trotting was about it. We continued to walk him 2 or 3 times a day for 10 to 15 minutes a time. Every month we’d give him a little more freedom. By 12 months you’d never even know he was hurt!

Now (Nov, 2011), He’s now back to full activity…swimming, running, acting like a nut! We still don’t allow him to jump off things and we don’t chase him a lot or let him deak back and forth, which puts a lot of stress on knees. But, other than that, he’s free to do as he wishes. He couldn’t be happier.

We put Porter on various supplements…fish oil, vitamin E, Glucosomin/chondroitin. We also cut his food slightly to be sure he didn’t put weight on. We continue with the supplements to this day.

We also started him on Adequan. This is a miracle drug for arthritis pain! we give it to him once every 6 weeks and you can see the difference in him. It’s incredible. I highly recommend it. Find a vet that will let you inject it and you’ll save a ton of money.

We read much of this site before deciding on CM. Many people make the same comment about their dog being too active and thinking they won’t be able to control them or the dog will be too sad sitting around all day. Believe me, it’s harder on the owner than the dog. If you have the willpower to control your dog, you can do this. Really, it’s not much different than TPLO. You’d still have to keep the animal calm for months.

One interesting thing, last year we had Porter’s right knee xrayed. It was quite damaged by arthritis. We were told that was one of the main reasons to undergo surgery…to reduce arthritis. That apparently didn’t work! Some day we are going to have both knees xrayed to see the difference.

A final thought…my wife blew out here knee for a 2nd time last year. We went to one well known surgeon…he said he needed to operate.

Based on Porter’s outcome, we were somewhat skeptical. We went to NYC to see another top notch surgeon. He said no surgery…basically follow the same CM idea. It’s been a year now and her knee is doing very well without surgery!

To sum it up, CM worked very well for us. I would highly recommend trying it, but you HAVE to COMMIT yourself to it. It’s going to be hard, but if you stick to it, it can work. I’m sure there are cases where surgery is the only way out, but don’t be too quick to decide on this route. I don’t see any reason to not try CM before cutting.

I definitely don’t buy the idea that arthritis will be worse if you wait…we didn’t wait and Porter still got pretty bad arthritis in the repaired leg.

I know if you’re just going through this now with your dog, you’re probably very upset. Believe me it’s not the end of the world. Your dog will get better…it’s just going to take some time and a lot of care.

TPLO and Conservative Management – Porter is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

About a month ago my dog Zep began mildly limping. I took him to my vet. and he prescribed an anti-inflammatory and rest. Zep seemed to improve and then all of a sudden he wouldn’t put his right leg down for anything and had a horrible time getting around and going outside.

I started to rest him again but it did not help. I returned to the vet. and they sedated him and did a drawer test. Both vets at the practice agreed that there was no question Zep had a full ACL tear. My vet diagnosed him as having a full tear of the Cruciate ligament in his right knee. My vet suggested rest or surgery.

While waiting to see if Zep would improve I researched all the surgical procedures and their various success rates. None of the surgeries which I researched showed anything better than a 50/50 chance of a good recovery.

I decided to opt for the A Trac Dynamic Brace because of all the the success stories and this brace seemed to make the most sense when compared to the others. None of the surgeries which I researched showed anything better than a 50/50 chance of good recovery, so the brace seemed to be a good conservative treatment.

From the moment I put the brace on Zep he began to put more weight on his right leg. After 3 weeks he is putting full weight on the leg and even has started to use the right leg when he urinates.

Although I had my doubts because of the severity of Zep’s injury. It has performed beautifully!! WoundWear has created an outstanding product, and has helped me along with excellent technical support when I needed it. It seems to me Conservative Management is the sensible first step for most injuries. The A-Trac Brace is a no brainer. Thank you WoundWear for helping Zep. I now have my best friend back.

I took video of Zep’s process to see if the brace would actually work. Well, it did! I sent it to WoundWear and they put it online!

Conservative Management with Brace for Full Cruciate Tear – Zep is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

TPLO and Conservative Management – Porter is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Advice on Senior Dogs and Ligament Injury – Bailey is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Basics of Ligament Injury and Arthritis – Video is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Stair Exercises – Video is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

TTA Surgery on Both Knees – Lacey is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

My Decision to Pursue Tightrope Surgery – Mousse is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Walk to Jog – Video is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Passive Range of Motion Exercises – Video is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Massage Therapy for Dogs – Video is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Conservative Management with Brace for Full Cruciate Tear – Zep is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Our golden retriever Bailey is ten and a half years old and has endeared two surgeries(TTS) for a torn cruciate ligament, the second time being to remove one of the failed/broken implants.

He has now torn the ligament in the other leg, our vet said he is healthy and would benefit from surgery, but we are very hesitant about surgery/recovery at his age.

Considering the first surgery was not completely successful we do not want to put him through that again. We want to do what’s best for Bailey to improve his quality of life and to keep him happy and healthy for years to come.

Any advice from similar situations would be very helpful and appreciated!

Advice on Senior Dogs and Ligament Injury – Bailey is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Arthritis After Ligament Surgery – Cinny is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Cinny is a 4 yr old female pitbull that had torn ligament surgery (unsure exactly which procedure) about 5 1/2weeks ago. She is walking worse now then she did before surgery.

The 1st 2 weeks she was doing good. I was helping her with walking outside using a towel under her while I held her lower body up; she wasnt happy with me helping, but finally was settling in with it.

Now at 5 1/2 weeks she is doing worse then before surgery. She has an appt next week with doctor. She can’t even stand on all 4 without wanting to lay down. It breaks my heart to see what I think now was a very bad idea…

Since day 1 I have done exactly what i was told by my vet. I gave the pain pills, used a hot pad and ice pack when appropriate. Any help or advice anyone is willing to offer would be appreciated.

Update – After Vet Visit

Since I wrote my story it seems Cinny has taken a turn for the worst. She can not walk at with falling.

I called the vet that did the surgery that morning, and was told they can not see her until Monday; I told her she is a 5 week post op and can not walk. Still could not fit her in.

I called another vet which told me to bring her right in. They took X-rays and gave me the bad news. Cinny has arthritis in both hips and both back legs. Surgery will not help.

They started laser therapy on her right away and will do this for 2 weeks to see if it helps with her pain. She is also now on rimadyl and tramadol for pain, and I do give her joint vitamins too.

I went hope crying and haven’t stopped yet. I did order a wheel chair for her which will not be here for another 5 days. I don’t want to let her go, and I don’t want her in pain.

I just let my min pin go with God not even 2 months ago. what a holiday im having losing all my best friends.

Why didn’t the vet that did the surgery tell me about her arthritis or… Guess no X-rays were done? What have I done to my dog?!

Update – 2 Week Laser Therapy

Cinny had her 2 week laser therapy which seem to help some. One day she seems to be doing great, then next she is back to laying and depressed.

No x-rays were taken before surgery if so he would not have seen arthritis. She does eat and drink and go outside to do her thing. My husband has bulit a great ramp for her, and she seems to be happy with using it.

I take her outside everyday for 5-10 min; seems all she can handle. She still in pain, of course I keep giving her the pain/arthritis pill and her joint vitamins. She is giving me a hard time tricking her.

The therapy is supposed to last 3-4 weeks before she will need more. I see she needs it everyday. I don’t have the money to put in her, which is breaking my heart.

She is so alert and gives me dozens of kisses everyday. I have a feeling I will need to let her be with God.

We decided not to use the wheelchair for 2 reasons – 1 too small and 2 I would never be able to lift her to put her in it alone. I have a bad back now from carrying her up and down stairs to be with me haha, she hates to be alone.

God Bless and thanks for all the advice and help!

Arthritis After Ligament Surgery – Cinny is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Asia the Pit Bull’s story came to me via email. I thought it was important to share both to help Asia’s owner get some feedback on how to proceed with recovery, and to also illustrate many of the questions that plague us as we decide what the best approach for our dog.

As you will read in Asia’s story below, one of the most common questions I am often asked is whether or not someone should get a second opinion for their dog’s cruciate ligament diagnosis.

To put it simply, my answer is always YES – if you are questioning whether or not to get a second opinion you should do it. Veterinarians vary greatly in their approaches to CCL injuries, and it is important for you to find someone that you feel will work with you to resolve your dog’s issue in the way you find most suitable; whether that be a more conservative approach or going right into surgery. There really are no “wrong” decisions here, it just depends on your particular dog, situation and preferences.

Asia’s Story

I have a 12 year old Pit bull. Sweetest dog I’ve ever had in my life. She’s never acted old, she’s very healthy, vibrant and fun as ever, people even think she’s a puppy.

Last Sunday she ran around a little too rough with the other dog and came in the house limping. I didn’t think it was anything serious. But then I noticed it wasn’t getting any better. I thought I’d check both legs, check her paws, her ankles.

5 days later I noticed her knee was POPPING, I could feel and hear a clicking sound going in and out when she would sit down. I then had a sick feeling overcome me, just predicting it was going to be bad. I researched on-line and everything I read was terrifying.

I called the vet the next day and got her an appointment. He explained that the ligament had possibly torn, and that the bones were rubbing together. He compared it to an acl tearing in a human, but he said to be careful because it could rupture. He told us to wait two weeks to see if anything would get better.

The longer we wait, the more I feel we should get a second opinion. What if waiting causes more damage, irreversible damage? I’ve read that arthritis could quickly set in if injury is not treated with surgery right away, or surgery can have a harder time recovering the more I wait.

My dog is depressed, lonely, gaining weight and in pain. It hurts to see her like this. I have limited funds, I am a student and it’s Christmas time and I’ve never been more stressed.

My question is.. should I wait the two weeks or go with my instinct and get surgery as soon as possible? I am willing to take out a big loan from the bank to pay for my dog. The other issue is, she is older. And recovery may be very, very, very had for her. I have put her on a raw holistic diet, and I mix a senior multi vitamin supplement in her food. I have given her omega 3 as well..

Anything else you can reccommend?

1 Month Update

Since the injury I’ve put Asia on Holistic raw food, omega 3 fatty acids and a natural anti inflammatory supplement for bone heath as well as doing conservative management for over a month now.

Some days Asia seems like she’s not in pain at all and will try to run with the other dog (which I have to stop her!), gets excited when she’s about to eat, if she sees another dog she gets excited, and heck she even acted like she wasn’t in pain at all at the vets.

But other days she limps around, and lays down at every chance she gets…and that popping sound is terrifying me. It’s almost impossible to tell if conservative management is working. We took her to the vet again and he asked us if she was getting better, and I honestly couldn’t tell him. I told him I was worried that it may get worse the longer we wait, or that the other leg will give out, or the other front legs will be over worked. He understood my concerns and talked about the TPLO surgery. Because of her age he seemed apprehensive in performing it. He discussed with me the risks/ cons to the surgery. He said he wanted to give Asia a blood test to see if she would be healthy enough to handle the anesthetic. I agreed.

The blood test results were very good. He’s surprised at how healthy she is for her age. He then referred our Asia to a specialist outside of town who performs the TPLO surgery. He said they did it at their hospital, but their way isn’t as advanced. All her information is now sent to this hospital I just need to contact them to set up a date to see Asia. So as it stands, we are deciding on whether Asia should do surgery or continue the conservative management. I am going to call the hospital our vet referred us too tomorrow and get that second opinion.

Should I Get a Second Opinion? Asia’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Should I Get a Second Opinion? Asia’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Well I thought I may have been lucky but now, I think not. My beautiful Sophy had her first TPLO at 4. She is a very active, joyful Lab and after doing the research I thought the TPLO surgery was the best option. Three years later, she has just started holding up her other leg. I have been treating her with Acupuncture and chiropractics but the vet said she would not be doing her job if she took my money for alternative treatment and my Sophy needed surgery after all.

So I will try alternative therapies and conservative management, but I have to say I am so torn. Sophy is a joyful lab that absolutely loves to run full-out, all the time. Restricting her activity forever just seems so wrong. I do not want to put her through TPLO but at 7; I just think maybe I should get it over with and let her be Sophy again.

The TPLO is a brutal surgery but in 12 weeks she will be right as rain. Conservative management and/or alternative treatment may avoid it but I would hate to string it out for a year or more and then have to do surgery anyway.

Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks!

Deciding Between Alternative Treatment or Surgery – Sophy is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information