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

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

My golden retriever Carly was diagnosed with a CCl injury. My vetnarian gave me a list of orthopedic surgeons. I came home and started researching everything I could about this injury and all of our options.

I contacted several surgeons over the phone and came to a conclusion. The cost of surgery was very expensive and I had read many reviews of dog owners who had decided to opt. for surgery and stated that their dog either re-injured themselves on the same leg or the oppisite leg. I did not want to put my dog through surgery and the amount of pain associated with that.

I decided to try conservative management first. I spoke with the vetnarian and she was very supportive of my decision. I ordered a casting kit from Ace Ortho Solutions and when it arrived at my vetnarians office she casted my dogs leg so that she could be fitted for a custom leg brace. The brace cost about $650. Since the company did not accept care credit my vetnarian allowed me to pay her using the care credit so that I was able to make payments and she paid the company for the brace. It couldnt have worked out better.

It has been approximately 4 months since my dogs injury and she had to wear the brace for about two months. I would leave it on during the day when she was most active and took it off at night. I am very happy that I made the decision to choose conservative management. The surgery is not guaranteed.

I also bought Carly a dog life jacket and let her swim as much as possible with a feeling of security. I purchased a handheld lightweight massage and Carly enjoys every second of it! Also, not to mention that the brace I purchased was waterproof so she could swim with it on.

If you are struggling with the costs I just want to inform everyone that their are other options and resources you just need to do your homework. I hope this will be of some helpful information to anyone who is in the position I was in 4 months ago and had never even heard of this injury before.

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

Our Dogue de Bordeaux (very large at 145 lbs) had his 1st TPLO in June 2011 for a partially torn CCL and his 2nd TPLO a couple of weeks ago (other knee) with a again a partially torn CCL and Meniscus. He is now 16 days post op and doing well. His 2 week check up show’s he’s right where he needs to be, lateral movement is as it should be, we’ve started passive range of motion therapy for him and will continue to support him with his sling for at least 4-6 more weeks (snow and ice on flagstones), so we don’t risk him slipping and injuring the new surgical leg. He does have controlled walking on the “lawn” where he has solid footing. I think we’re the only place that shovels their yard…LOL

We had Fabulous results with his first leg, No residual limping at all even after agressive play/exercise. Kudos to our surgeon, Dr. G. Bouck and his staff!

After care, they tell me can either make or break the success of the surgery. Take nothing for granted, do your best and be diligent.

Best of luck to all in a hopefully uneventful recovery.

A few tips from one owner to another:

• Inexpensive, non slip flooring – Wal-Mart Puzzle pieces kids playroom floor
• X-Large dogs – an X-Pen is ideal more room for you to sit with them while icing and heat
• Lots of tummy rubs, massages, hugs and kisses….. (that’s the easy part)

TPLO On Two Legs Within One Year – Pilot is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

My Shepard/Golden Retriever mix had surgery over 2 yrs ago when she was 8 yrs old. She is a big dog (not fat, just big). It had to be done a second time after about 6 wks. She seemed to be a bit better.

Now she is 10 yrs old. She has trouble with the stairs in our home. My bigest concern has been that in the 2 yrs. since the surgery, the drain site has never healed. It still seems to open and drain sometimes. As soon as I think it is finally getting better, it opens again. I have had her on antibiotics several times. Nothing seems to work.

Now she is getting older and her other side now seems to have problems, probably from compensating. I love her!

How do I tell if she is having to much pain? Any suggestions to help her? I don’t want to put her down – I love her and she will do anything she needs. I don’t want her in pain all the time. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time!

How Does A Knee Ligament Surgery Hold Up Over Time – KC is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

My Kendra slipped and fell on a very icy day in my yard. She was running and hit an ice patch in the yard with a slight slope. At 180 lbs, she hit so hard that the gouge in the yard where she hit remained for a year. She tore both ACL’s to near complete tears. She couldn’t walk at all. It took me over an hour to slide and get her into the house. I thought at 3 yrs old, her life was over.

I took her to one Vet Clinic, they would only perform TPLO on one knee. Then after healing and therapy, they would do the other knee. This is not an option for a 180 lb Mastiff. Not a dog that can easily harness or towel walked – takes two people.

I brought her to Cornell University, where they had performed all of the options on various dogs, including bilateral TTA. Said their average was that most dogs could put pressure on their legs in about 5 days. It was one operation, one anesthesia, one physical therapy etc, etc. Half the cost of stretching out over two different TPLO’s. Further, less invasive. And, she ended up being able to put pressure on both legs with a harness in 3 days. Yes, a teaching hospital, yes, less expensive. Less effective….NO. More effective.

She went to physical therapy every week for months. I took her to TheraVet Acres in Webster. I wished I had known they would have done alot of the work right after surgery. I tried to do alot and it was over my head at times while also trying to work. They will take a dog post surgery and do the whole initial work. Gets the dog rolling even faster.

So now, Kendra is nearly 6 years old and she can outrun my other two Mastiffs and as a female against her two male buddies – she is much stronger. And she could take me out if she ran into me. Her latest evaluation shows an incredible recovery and immense muscle tone. So, no – you don’t have to lose a dog over this, and it definitely pays to get a second or third evaluation. I preferred to find a hospital that could be objective and evaluate the dog for various procedures and pick the best option for the dog, and liked the fact that they could do several of the procedures.

Kendra is a rock and I dare say she is even stronger now and possibly more fit than my two younger males.

Bilateral TTA and Physical Therapy – Kendra is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

I have a very active 4 1/2 yr. old Boxer/Rott mix. I adopted her when she was 6 months old from the animal shelter here in Bozeman, Mt. It was Love at first sight! I was suffering from severe depression/servere anxiety disorder at the time, and when we met she put a smile back into my heart and life – I guess you could say she saved my life and I saved hers!

About 4 months ago I noticed that she was having severe difficulty rising from a sitting position, and also just sitting down, and she was favoring her right rear leg. I thought she just ran a little too hard, as she also has a very stong prey drive. She also loves to run (man can she ever go). I took her to our vet, and he thought just a mild knee sprain at that time.

However, she has pogressively been getting worse, and now it has turned into both rear legs. We have since seen the vet for a third time last month and he has now said more than likely she has a partial ccl tear in both of her knees. I was devasted to hear this news, and I have cried alot of tears watching her struggle, and not be able to run or even get up on her own.

I have her on Tramadol for the pain, and high doses of Dasuquin daily, my vet also wants her on 10,000 mg of fish oil too. He has said she will more than likely have to have surgery if she tears her ccl’s all the way, and I just do not have the 4,000 dollars to do this at this time. We are hoping and praying that this CM will work for her.

So far she is doing a little better, as long as I do not let her run AT ALL, and have to keep our walks short. Needless to say, she seems to be getting more and more depressed as the days go by, as she is not happy if she cannot get out and run off some of her high energy. It breaks my heart, but I know that it is for her own well being – I just hope that she understands that too!

I will keep you all posted on her progress. Thank you everyone for all of the stories, it has really helped me in dealing with this setback. I wish all of you and your doggies a healty recovery!

One last thing – I forgot to mention the surgery that my vet wants to perform is the Tightrope, I am going to be getting at least two or more opinions before I do make that decision if it comes down to that.

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

Lola is a German Short Haired Pointer – very active, spins and bucks like a bronco 30 or 40 times a day!

When she was about 7 she started favoring one back leg, not even weight bearing at times. We took her to the vet when this went on for a couple days and he said it was a ACL tear and recommended surgery. When informed we would have to keep her calm for many weeks we were overwhelmed – there is no keeping this dog calm so post op would be pretty difficult. I read about it online and talked to some people whose dogs had surgery and who still have a lot of pain due to arthritis. We decided to take a wait and see approach using Glucosamine and Rimadyl.

Within 4 months she was her old self – truly amazing! Then two years later she started limping again. We took her to a new vet who specializes in holistic medicine. He offered surgery, but said he thought a wait and see approach was okay, too. He squeezed Lola’s leg and showed us it wasn’t really painful and that the arthritis is minimal. He said she seemed to be favoring it like it was a “trick knee” rather than from pain.

He encouraged us to take her off Rimadyl, but to keep Glucosamine and add Fish Oil. He told us that he thought adjusting her spine through chiropractic measures would be worth trying. He adjusted her spine and she hopped up and started running around like her old self. We brought her back in 3 weeks and then in another 3 weeks for two more adjustments even though she was acting perfectly normal after her first visit.

It has now been 6 months and she has continued to be her crazy, spastic, spinning and jumping self. We are very happy that we gave her those months to recover the first time. Her quality of life is amazing, I believe better than if she had gone through the pain of surgery and certainly it was less costly than surgery! I encourage everyone to see a holistic medicine vet before making a decision on surgery.

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

Crash had two TPLO surgeries – first on his right leg, then on his left leg, about 8 months apart.

Crash’s 1st leg was a gradual slow tear. He had been limping for around 6 months, and I finally got talked into taking him to the vet. I did and he had a partial tear. I felt so bad for not taking him in sooner. Here is what I wrote the morning after the first night.

Home After Surgery – The First Night

We laid on the orthopedic dog bed from 6pm to 11pm. He took the tramadol(pain) and Acepromazine(seditive). Took him out to potty just in case but didn’t have to go.

The Second Day

Well the 1st night is over. We went to bed at midnight with the pain meds and seditive starting to work. My insulin pump woke me up at 3am to a low cartridge alarm.

Then he woke up at 6 and had to have my attenion. He switched postitions and so did I to the front of the crate. From 8 to 10 am I had my hand in the crate petting him and as so as I started to sleep he would make noise. He is on his antibotic and pain med now along with eating dog food piece by piece wetted with water.

Recovery

Everything went well he healed on time.

Second TPLO Surgery

Then fast forward to almost 8 months exactly after the 1st surgery. Crash and I came home from dog-sitting for my dad. Crash jumped off the been and made a ouchie sound and then was limping. I called the vet to bring him in. They knew immediately that he tore it as so did I.

When I called the surgeon I told them I was on a time crunch b/c in 10 weeks my mom was getting re-married in Hawaii. So we scheduled the initial visit and surgery back to back days. Everything went well and healed 2 weeks faster this time. I have to say that is because Crash/we knew what to do and plus it was nice/warm/sunny out. The last time it was cold/winter/snow.

Both times we gave him all his meds like clockwork. He took a few days before he would poop. The 1st pee was always a river. The 2nd time I didn’t take him pee as often so he peed himself twice which was my fault.

Transportation Experiences

The 1st time he was in my backseat with Lisa but she had to hold him upright the whole time b/c he wouldn’t lay down and he cried the whole way home. The clear bandage was awful and didn’t even last the 1st night I had to get my dad to take us back and they then just tore it off.

The 2nd time he was in the back of my mom’s SUV and two of us held onto him which made it easier. They also had a better bandage on too. My mom was back in town so I didn’t have to call someone to come watch him while I was at the store/gym.

Tips:

• Make sure you have someone to ride with you post surgery. A SUV will be best so you can lay the seats flat.
• Get a small bowl you can put water in so the e-collar fits around it.
• The 1st few meals they won’t want to really eat or drink so wet the dog food. I hand fed my dog.

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

The decision to have surgery.

My dog, Lucas, is a very active/jumpy 3 year old pitbull / boxer mix. I noticed some lameness in his leg about a year ago, but it seemed to go away on its own. The real problem started after introducing my boyfriend’s 2 year old lab mix to him. They would just run and play all day together, but his limping just got worse and worse. The vet suspected a CCL injury and sent me to a specialist.

I went to CARES in Levittown, PA and could not be happier with them! The surgeon suspected Lucas had a partial CCL tear, but suggested doing a round of conservative management to be sure. I took the next 8 weeks and kept Lucas relatively inactive. He was not allowed to jump on furniture, go on walks, or play in the back yard with the other dog. After 8 weeks I took him on a walk and he limped for 2 days. I knew this was no way for my dog to live and moved forward with the next steps for surgery.

Dr Puerto (CARES) really took the time to explain each type of CCL surgery, traditional, tightrope, TPLO. His recommendation for me was the tightrope or TPLO.

Below are the reasons that helped me decide on the Tightrope repair.

1. It was able to be performed orthoscopicly and would not result in any large incisions. I know my dog and I would not be able to keep him away from the incision as long as I would need to. He is the expert of taking off e-collars and would harm himself just to get at it.
2. Lucas weighs 65 lbs. TPLO was not necessary because of his weight (mainly done on larger breed dogs), giving me either option.
3. NONE of the surgeries are proven to stop arthritis later in life. If TPLO was proven to stop arthritis by realigning the bone, I would have DEFIITELY chosen that surgery. But there is nothing proving that yet.
4. Tightrope overall is less surgically invasive (does not involve breaking the bone like TPLO). It just seemed like less could go wrong and he would be back on his feet sooner. If my dog was older and less active, I may have considered TPLO. But getting my active/young dog back on his feet sooner than later was an important factor.

NOTE: I would NEVER have this type of surgery on a large dog performed by someone that is not primarily a surgeon! Most horrible reviews I have seen about CCL repairs, have been done through inexperienced primary vets.

Tightrope Surgery Day – February 29th, 2012 – Leap day!

I’m very nervous, but felt confident that I have made the right decision on the orthoscopic Tightrope CCL repair. Right before surgery I notice that Lucas is limping on his left leg, NOT the right leg. This is the opposite leg that is having surgery! The vet confirms my suspicious through manual inspection and x-rays that his other leg is in the beginning stage of the same problem he is having surgery for. I opt to have his non-surgery leg casted for a custom orthopedic brace to get him through recovery. He will receive this brace in 2 weeks and we will take it from there! The doctor called to tell me surgery was successful later that day. He will be staying the night and come home tomorrow.

The cost of all of this was $5,300 ($4,300 surgery, $1000 brace). Thank God for GoPetPlan insurance that will refund me 80% of this cost! They pre-authorized the surgery without any hesitation.

Day After Surgery

Lucas is finally ready to come home! He is completely bandaged on his bad leg and has a fentanyl pain patch. Since the vet did the surgery orthoscopicly, he has a 2 inch incision and a few small ¼ inch incisions. He is happy to be home and cries every time I am out of his site. I spent most of the day/night on the floor with him to calm him. The only way he will go to sleep is if he knows I’m right there touching him. He ate his food for me immediately and went outside to pee/poop, can’t keep this dog down!

Week 1

The first week was mainly spent in a small area I had cornered off in the living room. Lucas is very stubborn and has a high pain tolerance. I did not want to, but I was forced to sedate him almost 24/7 to stop him from pacing and attempting to jump (he made it on the couch one time when I turned my back for a second!!). He is also on an antibiotic and a pain pill. When he is awake I try to entertain him through a variety of new soup bones (boiled for a hour), kongs stuffed with good stuff, and even a elk antler. He is a very strong chewer and needs things that can hold up.

The “Our Pets Lift-N-Aid Mobility Harness” I bought for him is God sent! It makes it so easy to hold onto him when he goes to the bathroom and to catch him when he randomly decides to get up. It’s comfortable enough that he falls asleep with it on.

On a negative note, his “good leg” is definitely suffering and I cannot wait for his orthopedic brace to get in. The main reason for the 24/7 sedation is because he other leg is not able to support him fully. If he is on the good leg too much, he actually starts to put weight on the surgery leg to give the good leg a break! I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing that he is putting weight on the surgery leg already! haha

3/5/12 – Lucas is still going through the recovery phase and I will update later!

A Tightrope Repair Surgery Story – Lucas is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

My 4 year old black Lab, Tide, had the Traditional Repair done on her knee back in December 2008.

Onset of Cruciate Ligament Injury

At about 5 1/2 months old Tide started to limp. Of course, being the crazy worried Mommy that I am, I thought Hip Dysplasia right away. Off to the vet we went where our doctor told us it’s probably just a soft tissue injury and to keep her rested for a few weeks and see how she does. Tide was scheduled for her spay two weeks later, so to ease our mind, we had x-rays taken of her hips. The x-rays came back that her hips were fine.

Two weeks passed with Tide not doing much but laying around, b/c of her spay incision. The very first day she took off running, like the 6 month old Labrador that she was, and started toe touching again. I immediately called the vet and brought her back in. I was in very upset and couldn’t understand how she was still limping, if this was in fact, a soft tissue injury. Our vet suggested leaving her for a few hours to be evaluated by an orthopedic vet, so of course, that’s what we did. No more then 30 minutes later after dropping her off, the Orthopedic Vet called telling us that Tide had Panosteitis, PANO, also known as growing pains in large breed dogs. He assured me that it was something she would out grow and that she would be back to her healthy self soon. He also told me that the pain would switch from leg to leg and not to restrict her exercise. To let Tide be the judge of what was too much if she was having discomfort and pain. What a relief!

Tide’s first summer was like a dream come true for an 8 month old Labrador. She swam for hours, ran on the beach, absolutely adored going out on the boat and seemed 100% healthy. That is except for those days where she ran a LITTLE too hard, but not knowing at the time, thought it was just the PANO flaring up. Towards the end of July was when Tide’s toe touching really started to concern me. I would watch Tide like a hawk, still do, and noticed that most of her limping, if not all, was ALWAYS on that back right leg. The doctor told me that it would switch legs, which it didn’t seem to be doing. Tide also was getting up very slowly from lying down. So, I started researching and contacted my vet. I asked about a torn cruciate and OCD and she said not to worry about her cruciate because she was so young. She told me that, most likely, the pain Tide was experiencing was probably still from the PANO. She prescribed me with Deramaxx, an anti-inflammatory, to ease some of Tide’s discomfort, and said to keep an eye on her. At the time, Tide was 10 months.

Another month went by and Tide STILL continued toe touching on that same leg after days of swimming and running around. I gave it another few weeks and then one day, I had enough. We were out on the boat all day and came home like normal. Nothing was out of the norm, but that night, after getting up from her nap, Tide lifted her leg completely off the ground and would not use it. I think that is when it really hit me that we were dealing with something other then PANO. I can’t tell you how painful it was to see my 11 month old Lab limping like a crippled dog. Broke my heart!

Dog Knee Surgery – Choosing Traditional Repair

I made an appointment to see another orthopedic surgeon (I’ll call her Dr. S from now on), who BTW, I HIGHLY recommend if you are in the NJ area. Our first visit with Dr. S was a scary one. After manipulating Tide’s leg and almost every other joint in her body, Dr. S. pin-pointed that Tide’s pain was coming from her knee. She suggested x-rays and a drawer test under sedation. Needless to say the x-rays came back that there was something going on in her knee, lots of fluid, but she wasn’t sure what. She was leaning towards a torn cruciate or OCD, a genetic disease. Dr. S. also said that there was no laxity, from what she could tell, in Tide’s knee when they did the drawer test. At this point we were pretty confused. The only advice our surgeon could give us, at this point, was to either get a second opinion, and/or scope her knee. To me, scoping was NOT an option. So off for more opinions we went. If I knew then what I know now, I would have opted for the scope right then and there.

So, two more Orthopedic vet visits later, and a trip out to UPenn for a third opinion, and we still have no idea if Tide’s knee issues are from a torn cruciate or OCD. UPenn threw in a third possibility of a Luxating Patella which was quickly thrown out of the mix when we went back to see our original surgeon, Dr. S. So here we were, with our 13 month old Labrador, being told that the only thing left to do was to put Tide under anesthesia and scope her knee to see what the problem was. We went home from the vets that night pretty distressed and confused. I just wanted to make my puppy’s pain go away, for good.

For a few days my fiancé and I talked it over at length and finally decided that scoping Tide’s knee was the best option. I called Tide’s surgeon and she assured me I was doing the right thing. I thought all was good to go and we could just schedule the knee arthroscopy and be done, but then she asked me if Tide should undergo surgery while she was already under sedation. I didn’t hesitate, and said most definitely, yes. Why would I put my dog through any more of this? Let’s just get it done. Then Dr. S. confused me once again. She gave me the different surgical procedures, she felt most comfortable doing for a torn cruciate, if it did happen to be that, and told us to think about it. We did, I researched a little, and then had to call Dr. S for some advice. She explained each and every procedure thoroughly, first TPLO, which she felt was the most invasive out of the three and being Tide was so young, and still growing, didn’t think it was the best option. Then there was TTA, that she pretty much threw out of the equation completely before she even explained it, and finally, the Extracapsular Repair, Traditional. Dr. S. felt that the Traditional repair was by far the best option for Tide being she was only 72 lbs at the time, young, and, we didn’t know this at the time, but her cruciate was only partially torn. So here we were, faced with having to make a decision that could change Tide’s way of life forever. Not and easy thing to do at all. I started researching like a mad woman online for feedback and advice on different surgical options for a torn cruciate and also for OCD and made my decision.

Day of Surgery

Tide went in for arthroscopic surgery and knee surgery on December 4, 2008. Dropping her off in the morning was by far, the hardest thing I have EVER done in my entire life. Tide is like my child, so imagine dropping your 2 year old off to have surgery. Dr. S. thankfully kept in touch throughout the day, to keep me calm, and called when they finally knew what was causing Tide’s lameness. She had partially torn her cruciate and already had some arthritis in the knee, so she had the tear for quite some time, possibly since 5 ½ months old. The first thing I asked was what about the PANO and she said that she probably just had both issues. Poor dog.

Day After Surgery

We picked Tide up the following day after surgery not knowing what to expect. We took all the extra precautions at home and built her a ramp and made sure we had everything ready to keep her rested and healthy. I just didn’t know what to expect and after reading stories, I was pretty nervous to say the least. But, when I saw her come through the waiting room doors, I was in shock. Here I was expecting this bandaged, groggy, whimpering, sad, pitiful dog, and out walked this happy and excited puppy. She was walking on all fours, still can’t believe that, and when she took one look at us, came bounding over, taking the vet tech with her. Not even surgery can slow my baby down. I just couldn’t believe how great she looked! Her incision was remarkably clean and it looked like it had been a week old already.

Recovering from Dog Knee Surgery

As I’m sure you know, keeping a young Labrador down was not an easy task. However, lazy Tide took to lying around, being pampered and smothered with love, the first five days after surgery, just fine. I would say after a week she was ripping to go though. She just couldn’t understand why there was no more running over to the neighbor’s to say hello, or jumping on the couch like normal. She eventually, after lots of refusal, figured out that being lazy and just hanging with mommy and daddy was the best thing to do. She went for short walks, after 2 weeks, on leash, and over time we increased the length to over a mile, sometimes even more. Eventually, after we got the OK from the surgeon, we started swim therapy which I really feel helped in her rehabilitation.

2 1/2 Years Later

Today, Tide is 2 1/2 years post OP and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I have her on daily doses of Glucosamine and Chondriotin, as well as Trixsyn, and she hasn’t had any issues, knock on wood. Tide runs, swims, and jumps just like a normal 4 year old Lab should. She does come up lame on occasion after a long strenuous day, but my surgeon assured me that it’s perfectly normal with the type of procedure we chose. Now I just have to worry about that other knee. YIKES!

Extracapsular Repair Surgery (Traditional) – Tide is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

The day after Thanksgiving 2011, I took both my dogs, Samson (5 yr old Lab/Pit mix) and Dalila (2 yr old Border Collie mix), to the dog park so they could have time to run. They played hard for 2 hours, and Dalila spent most of her time running with the pack, her favorite activity. When she finally got tired, we went home. When I came to get her out of the backseat, her rear end pretty much collapsed. I figured she was just tired, or had pulled muscle. The next day, she was up and running again, so I let it go. Over the next few weeks, she would limp when she overdid it; I still thought maybe she had pulled a muscle, so she was forced to rest.

By January 2012, she was actually acting like she was in pain and favoring her left leg, so I caved and took her to the vet, who promptly confirmed she had torn her CCL. Because she’s so young, and after seeing her in that much pain, I had to figure how I was going to pay for this surgery. I wanted her to be able to run again, but I didn’t have thousands of dollars for it.

I decided to go with the extracapsular repair for price, as well as the fact that Dalila is so young and healthy. My hope is that will surgery and conservative management afterwards, she will heal better and have more solid joints later on. At least her x-ray showed beautiful hips, so if I can get the knees healed she should be a happy dog again.

After a consultation with the orthopedist in February, I learned she had since torn the OTHER knee as well! And she hurt all the time; it was obvious. Since she favored the left knee more, the plan was to repair that one first. We scheduled her first surgery for February 17, 2012.

When I picked her up the day after surgery, I could tell she was glad to see me but her leg definitely hurt. It broke my heart to see her with one bald leg, crying for me to take her home. But her incision was beautiful! It wasn’t red or swollen at all, but she continued to cry as I moved her in and out of the car and set her up on her dog bed at the house. It was strange seeing my very high-energy pup not moving for a couple days.

Almost three weeks later, and she is almost acting like herself! She was toe-touching her left leg 2 days out of surgery! Within 5 days she was putting pressure on and walking almost normally. The challenge now is reining her in to heal slowly. I can tell she feels a lot better, so she keeps trying to run and jump like she wants. We are still doing only 5-10 minute walks, mostly to let her potty and sniff around. She does wear out much quicker now, but she loves laying down with the ice pack once we come back in. The ice helps a lot when that knee swells. The sutures are out, and her incision still looks fantastic. Depending on her behavior, some days I make her wear the e-collar while I’m at work.

The plan is to have the same surgery on her right knee 6 weeks after the first. I plan to rehab her as slowly as I can, so maybe she’ll be able to run a bit by Labor Day. Right now though, my only hope is that her second surgery will go as well as the first.

Traditional Extracapsular Ligament Repair – Dalila is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Amy is a 4 year old rescue dog, a jack russell/pomeranian cross who lives with me and “brother”, Elliott – a 9 year old Jack Russell. She appeared lame on 15th March and her vet confirmed a torn cruciate ligament on her left rear leg. There was no apparent cause, but she had been very active until that time and could have turned suddenly while running and injured the leg. She did not show any obvious pain but was not putting any weight on the injured leg.

Surgery was recommended, a real blow as I had only recently taken out pet insurance and crucuiate injury had a 6 month waiting period, so it was not covered. Orthodepic surgery was performed on 22nd March under general anaesthetic and an epidural and Amy was allowed to come home with me that same evening.

She weighs only 5.5 kilos (we live in Australia so about 12 pounds). Amy’s rump and leg were shaved but there were no bandages and the knee was stitched very cleanly. She was prescribed several types of medication, for pain, anti-inflamatories, and anti-biotics plus glucosamine tablets.

I had prepared a playpen in the kitchen to restrict her movement at home with space for bedding and water and also to keep her apart from Elliott and any possible bumps.

I think I felt almost as much pain as did Amy, feeling quite helpless and sad to see her just lying down and not her usual bouncy self. The vet had showed me how to pick her up to take her outside for toileting but it took a few days before there was any bowel movement.

Our post-op. follow up on 25th March confirmed that the wound was looking clean. There was quite a lots of purple bruising and the hock area was a little swollen, but the swelling has disappeared after 2 days.

Amy was then allowed to wander around a wider area of the house and to walk in the garden. She is holding up the injured leg and is not yet weight bearing.

I am using an Elizabethan collar to prevent Amy from licking the wound area.

On 29th March (after one week) we saw our vet and Amy was given a Cartrophen injection to reduce pain and arthritis. The injections will be a weekly treatment for the next 4 weeks. I was instructed by the vet to give massage and physio and encourage Amy to walk freely around the house and garden.

One week later and Amy appears happy and comfortable. She has a free run of the house (except the bedrooms where she might be tempted to try to jump on the bed). I have lots of cushions on all the chairs so they appear quite high and do not look appealing to her and have placed rugs so she can chose where to snooze. She can manage the step down into the garden and can wander inside and out as she wants.

This weeks goal is to continue physio and massage therapy and hope that Amy will start to put the leg down and try to walk on it a little.

Traditional Repair for Small Dogs – Amy is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

One owner shares the story of how she decided which surgeon to choose to perform her dog’s TPLO repair surgery.

My girl is 1.5 years old and just like all labs she is crazy, loves life to the fullest. Took her to the dog park after a rain freeze in the winter, she was running fast and tried a sudden stop to follow another dog, I know she stumbled but kept going all the way.

Later on back home after her nap, she got up 3 legged, couldn’t put her hind leg on the floor, got really nervous took her to the vet right away. He examined her and said partial tear of ligament, prescribed METACAM and couple of weeks of rest.

One week later though we didn’t go to parks during, she was still active, hard to stop.

One morning last week, she went outside to the yard, and on the way back she started yelping couldn’t climb the stairs back in. Took her to hospital, x-rays and exam revealed both knee ligament gone. Vet suggested Dr Philibert for TPLO. I started my research and getting second opinions about TPLO for other VET through e-mails. Many responded and suggested TPLO is the best way to go.

One clinic which is about one hour drive called me, and said they have an alternative to TPLO, called MRIT which is great because they can do both knees at the same time, much cheaper. I thought I found the silver bullet.

I Took the appointment and was willing to drive an hour for the surgery. Then I started researching MRIT, and all the articles mention that it is not suitable for large breed dogs who are active.

So I called the clinic again and I reminded her that my dog is a lab who is yong and who will acheive over 100lb weight at some point in her life, the receptionist assured they done it over 100s of times on labs and no problems. Still not convinced so I sent an e-mail to the Vet himself asking questions; his wife replies back to my e-mail with a need to consult. I mentioned to her my dog has already been examined and x-rayed, I know what is wrong I’m past the analysis point and now looking for options. All I’m asking are information about the vet’s experience and capabiliies and rate of success in his practice, why should I pay for that let alone drive an hour when he could simply reply to my e-mail.

My Questions:

I’m trying to see the drive behind Dr Bacon pursuing MRIT on a labrador as oppose to TPLO when MRIT is not the recommended option for large breed dogs.

Does Dr Kevin has any supporting evidence that this method works on Large breed dogs?

Is Dr Kevin TPLO certified?

Does Dr Kevin perform TTA? Does he advocate it?

What are the warranties that if MRIT is chosen will not fail? and if it fails then what are your insurances?

What are long term side effects to MRIT in term of arthiritis, since TPLO is known to reduce the occurance.

These types of information are not specific to require a consultation, they’re the type of information which will help to make an informative decision as to the physician I choose. The reply right after was, “I spoke to Dr Kevin and he think its best if you would attend alta vista hospital for surgery”.

Anyways, the whole point behind this story, is do a lot of research don’t be afraid to ask questions. After considerable research I found TPLO is the best for my lab and the Dr initially referred is well known in the area.

Cheers!

Researching TPLO Surgery Options is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Brian was the biggest pup of his litter. Now I know not to pick the biggest, since they are more prone to problems often. At 8 1/2 years his right knee went out. That was one week ago.

Given his age and the size of this American Bulldog (120 lbs), I was not sure what I could do for my best friend and companion. He’s not really very active anymore, but he sure does love his walks. So, was trying to see what I could do for him to at least get him to still be able to go on his walks. They’re not too long (10 to 20 mins).

So, this week he went in for the tightrope surgery with the swivel lock system. He did stay at the vet hospital the night of the surgery and came home yesterday.

The surgeon mentioned the he was a “thick boy” mand had a difficult time getting past the muscle and connective tissue. But she said it finally went well.

The first night home on Tramadol and Previcox was a bit roghi, but today he seems to be in a bit more pain. I wanted to give him as little Tramadol as possible to avoid the GI upset, but don’t want to see him in pain. Let’s hope he improves in a few days.

He is putting some weight on the leg when he goes out to potty.

Tightrope Surgery with Swivel Lock – Brian is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Tippy is a Very active 2 1/2 year old pit/healer mix. She will chase down anything with wings from bugs, bees, birds you name it. she’ll jump as high as she can to get them in the air as well. She is about 55-60lbs so weight and age are not an issue.

I need some advice. There are so……many conflicting stories that I am very confused on which way to go. We have already tried conservative and it did not work, she now has a complete tear and surgery is necessary. Thought my mind was made up to go with the tplo. I have read good and bad stories on all the surgeries, but have read some horror stories on the tplo should it go bad. I am not one to take the invasive route if there is an alternative, but on the other hand I don’t want to put her through the traditional surgery if it won’t work. Has anyone had experience with both good and/or bad they can give me some insight on?

I would love to share a success story with you all with which ever way we decide to go!

Advice on Choosing a Surgery – Tippy’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Bachi is a 4 year old fox hound canaan mix. He blew his left ccl last July, and we did TTA.

He luxated his patella after that. We had that repaired, but it did not take long before he luxated again. We waited to do anything more and now he has blown his other ccl. The vet wants to repair the left again (3rd time in) TTA the right at the same time.

We decided to try chiropractic and laser to be followed by stem cell. Roughly the same cost as tta. He is not improving after several voms and laser; he has an intermittant lameness. We started in March.

What to do… Forget it and tta and fix the luxation or go forward with eventual stem cell?

TTA vs. Stem Cell Treatment – Bachi is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Prefer to watch a video of Luna’s recovery? Click here to see Luna’s TPLO Recovery Video

(Video is at the end of the post)

Pre Surgery: March 1-10, 2012

Luna is a Female 8.5 year old pure bred Yellow Lab. She woke up one morning and wasn’t able to put her back right leg down. I knew something was wrong. She’s not the type to cry or whimper so I’m not sure when or how it happened. She’s always chasing animals in the back yard and we do walk 2 miles a day and swim once a week. So she’s very active. I had to carry her outside to avoid steps and back in. After seeing her collapse (she didn’t know how to use just 3 legs) I went to the emergency room. A manual test showed she tore her Cruciate Ligament.

Surgeon wasn’t in until 5 days after. They assured me this wasn’t life threatening and not considered an emergency surgery so I was able to wait the 5 days. Meanwhile Luna is limping around. (Just for backyard leashed potty walks), she’s not greeting me at the door, instead just lays there.

She was given Rimadyl for inflammation. 5 Days go by, Luna getting used to things but met with Surgeon. He has done over 3000 TPLO’s in his career.. He did NOT recommend the Traditional way based on her weight and activity (65lbs). He was ready to do it right then but I was too devastated to drop her off just like that. Luna was looking at me and wanted to get out of there. She was tow touching the whole time.

Day before the surgery I swear it looked like she didn’t have a limp. The Rimadyl is a miracle pill but xrays did show 75% of her ligament was torn. That’s a lot! And she was getting older so I knew now was the best time to do it plus being Spring, I knew weather was going to be good and she would be ready for Summer.

Surgery Day:

The drop off was the hardest part. She didn’t know what was coming. I had a ton of questions to ask. When they took her she got lose from them, wagging her tail limping right back to me. I lost it.

I assured her it was ok and told them I would walk with them to the back, they let me walk down the hallway with her and then it was goodbye for now. The staff at VCA Animal hospital was as friendly, caring, and understanding as you can get so I knew she was in good hands but the thought of Luna wondering why I left her wasn’t sitting well. My job hours are flexible so we’re together 24/7.

They gave me care instruction papers to prepare.

9:30am – Dropped off. (they had to prep her for it with iv, anesthesia)
12:15 – Went in for Surgery
1:30 – Nurse called me and said surgery went well and she’s in recovery room

They would not allow me to see her. (that didn’t sit well but now understand why), they said I couldn’t take her home that night either. They said she was doing fine, they took her out to pee and was even toe touching the leg already!!

It was the longest night ever.

Day After Surgery:

Rounds (where doctors check on each patient to release them) wasn’t until 10:30. But they let me see her and pick her up at 9:30. The way she got excited to see me I understood why they didn’t allow it the day of. Those stitches would have popped right out. and possibly re-injure the leg. Doctor said she did well, all went well, and she recovered nicely. They spent time with me going over care instructions and medications. This surgeon is able to do TPLO with his eyes closed, its quiet amazing. Luna looked so drowsy still (common), but amazingly she pooped in backyard which was great. Usually after surgery constipation is the most common problem but it was nice to see everything was working normally.

Recovery Begins:

2nd day was the worst day/night. She could not put her head down to relax. Everything seemed enhanced as if she was hearing fireworks looking around worried, looking stoned.. She started whimpering and she NEVER does. I felt so bad but I found out it was the pain patch. It was sending too much morphine inside her. They told me to take it off. (Go gentle and use vegetable oil when taking it off). I do believe its the only way to help dogs relieve pain of the surgery but hard to say after seeing that. Sometimes pills aren’t enough when you cut a bone and lose tissue.

Doxycycline as antibiotic for 10 days. Rimadyl for antiinflamm for 10 days.

Light Massages on the leg started after 3rd day starting from toe up to back and to neck to stimulate the leg muscles. Bicycle motion therapy for a week.

Days 1-5:

We did very short leashed potty walks. I had built a ramp for her for back deck from before the surgery so we had no steps being its a Ranch house. She drank a lot within 24hrs of coming home. She started eating after 24hrs and man she was hungry. I fed her less being we are restricted from exercise.(I didn’t want her to put on weight). She was pottying just fine. Kept cone off when I was with her. I recommend buying the “Comfy Cone” instead of using that plastic cut throat garbage. I did not ice the area but checked incisions daily.

Day 4:

As you’ll see in the video, she was walking nicely with a slight limp and looking more alert and in tune with things. I tried to play mental games with her as her walking was restricted but bones werent good to give since I wanted to keep her calories down. She’s allowed to walk around the house but NO STEPS. She basically laid down a lot first 5 days. I put a piece of carpet outside for her to enjoy the outdoors with me short tied leash. Stitches cannot get moist hence the carpet on grass.

Day 7:

She was putting full weight on leg hard to see any limp. We walked for 5 minutes down block for different scenery. She wanted to stay out there but I had to do whats best. Every other day increasing walk time by 3-5 minutes..

Day 14:

Stitches came out. All is well. They were thrilled how happy she looked. She jumped into backseat fine.(but that was the only jumping!!, No Furniture!…..well, except a low recliner -her favorite chair!). 15 minute walks now. Felt like a weight has been lifted to see her doing well.

Day 21 (3 weeks later):

My mistake for letting her loose in fenced in backyard; She chased a rabbit running at full force 50 feet away. She was sore and tired next day but looked fine. She would play dead on the recliner acting like her usual kooky self.

Day 28 (4 weeks after):

Back to normalcy and routines. 20-25 minute walks around the block. If she looked tired or uncomfortable I would drop the time walking as usual. She got to see the water and beach. Still on leash only! Luna was so ecstatic to be near the water.

9 weeks later:

Final xrays showed everything healed fine and Luna has a clean bill of health to return to normal activities.

11 weeks later:

Swimming freely and loose on the trails and in backyard.

I’m amazed at how fast things healed and how well she did. It made my decision so much easier and not regretful and I would recommend the TPLO to ANYONE who wants to see their pet back to normal. Time flies by and its so much better on our minds and their body to have them whole again. Technology is amazing and we have great surgeons who make all this happen. I just want to add, I have been hearing that once one ligament goes there’s a 60% chance another will tear within a year …. However, if you use common sense and let a dog limp for months without surgery they are putting pressure on other joints and ligaments so your chances are higher for it happening to another leg Without surgery. I recommend TPLO to anyone who wants normal back.

Surgeon = Dr. Palmisano in Norwalk, CT

Luna’s TPLO Recovery Video

TPLO Surgery and Recovery to 12 Weeks – Luna is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Lucy is an energetic, athletic Sheprador (Australian Shepherd/Lab Mix). At this writing, she is 3 1/2 years old.

I believe that Lucy’s initial injury occurred when she was about a year old when she stepped in a deep hole at a dog park while tearing around. She is pretty tough and did not seem disabled at first, but gradually showed symptoms of a CCL tear. The last 6-8 months, she barely used her left leg.

This decision—how to deal with this injury—is very difficult. The expense, lack of many alternatives, suffering of the dog, finding a vet you trust, and anticipation of the effort and possible failure. I prayed about it a lot…I applaud and encourage all of you who are going through this, trying to do the best for your dog.

A common thread I discovered when reading the many online accounts was this: more often than not people who report great results refer to their dog’s surgeon by name and mention his/her experience, as opposed to just saying “my vet…” I think its very important to find the most competent and experienced surgeon you can.

I wanted Dr. Charles Pullen in Scottsdale to do Lucy’s surgery and thought a tightrope would be the best I could afford. After a discussion with my regular vet, I then thought that a traditional lateral suture repair would be fine. But I wound up back at Animal Surgical Center in Scottsdale. I figured that if I was going to spend the money and effort to repair her knee, I would trust her to a surgeon who has done many hundreds of them.

If cost is a big issue, I’d encourage anyone contemplating a procedure to discuss this very candidly with the vet. Many of them understand this dilemma and may be able to discount or work with you to help you out.

Lucy had a TTA on May 30. Dr. Pullen felt this was the best for her…60 pounds of high-drive dog. Dr. Pullen, his staff and facility are beyond top-notch—extraordinary attention to detail The surgery went very well and 2 weeks post surgery, Lucy is making wonderful progress. He removed torn cartilage and adjusted the angle of her tibia with regard to the patellar tendon. Amazing stuff. He rated her weight bearing of the repaired leg at 80% one week post op.

The biggest obstacles: those first days post-op. Waiting to get the bandage off. Getting her to poop (yeah, we needed an enema, but it wasn’t a big deal). Keeping her off those stitches. Oh, and finding ways to get a dog to take medicine.

Follow the doctor’s orders. I’m fortunate, as a teacher, to have time at home this summer to babysit her. I can’t imagine not having had someone with her most all the time for at least the first 10 days.

You MUST keep the dog on a leash at all times outdoors. I opened the door so she, in a narcotized state, could go out to pee. She spotted a cat on our wall—the narcotics wore off in 1/2 second! If I hadn’t had her tight on a leash, it could have been really bad. I shudder…and thank God I had that leash on her!

I am fortunate…Lucy is very driven to please and has been extremely cooperative. In that vein, I’d STRONGLY encourage anyone contemplating surgery to reinforce obedience and crate training. The more responsive your dog is to you, the better.

TTA Surgery Recovery Advice – Lucy is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Charlie is a rescue mix, possibly Great Dane and Rott mix. He turned into a big boy at almost 4′ tall and 125 pounds. He loves running on the beach, swimming in the ocean or his friends’ pool, and chasing any ball or toy you throw. Despite all that I didn’t think he was a champion athlete that could blow out his ACL. I didn’t realize it was even possible in dogs, but now know how common it is.

He was diagnosed in January 2012 was a partial or full tear and TTA was immediately recommended. I read EVERYTHING that I could, including everyone’s stories on this forum. It scared the crap out of me. But I continued to research it, and luckily was well informed because restricted duty wasn’t successful in healing him. I had tucked him under the dining room table with a metal pen around it so he couldn’t move around much during the day, gave up the beach runs and ocean swims. Nothing helped.

Finally surgery was scheduled for June 15. Today is June 17. The first day I was “prepared”. I had read EVERYTHING, right? I knew what to expect. Not true. But also I still didn’t think this was right. How could I have a surgeon cut his bone and rebuild his knee? What if it didn’t work? How could I make him worse to fix him?

So we went in anyway. Day one was what I expected. Except 15 times worse. When I rescued Charlie my world became his. I was truly his savior and he counts on me for everything. He loves everything and everyone, is very socialized, and adjusts to everything. But because his world revolves around me the vet asked me to stay with him until he was fully under. Then I was to go back as soon as surgery ended so he could wake up with me. The fear was that he’d wake up kicking and struggling, and possibly blow his knee within minutes of surgery. There is no end to how many things we can worry about but before surgery that one didn’t even occur to me. He came out and woke up well, but got a sedative just in case. His recovery was starting well.

I took him home and realized he was still too sedated to feel anything so I worried he’d try to walk too soon. Instead the problem was moving him because of the sedative. He was too groggy. But he was home. Problem solved. However I realized the bigger problem quickly after getting home. He had so many fluids during surgery that the vet told me to take him out soon. My house has three steps down to the grass to get out. And his stomach had some shaving burns that really hurt him if I tried to towel support him. We’re off to a bad start. Finally after six hours of non-stop whining [and I mean NON STOP, to the point that I called the emergency room at 9:30 PM] it started to worry me. The ER told me that this is normal and he was just feeling uncomfortable, but he’d be fine to walk on his own and go outside. I knew that would be the end of his knee. Well, listen to the doctors. They are objective and clinical in their approach for a reason.

Around midnight I got him outside when I let him lead me. He was able to walk and let me tenderly help him down the three steps. He peed on a plant for about 3 minutes. Twenty minutes later he had to go again. So outside we went again. This time he stood on his surgical leg and peed! I almost died. It’s almost nauseating watching them do what they know they can do. But we have to let them.

Plan to sleep on the floor with them the first night, if they go home. They’re uncomfortable but they just want you there and they’re fine. He woke up every hour and I slept on the floor with him, getting maybe four hours of sleep over 9 hours time. But the ER nurse was right.

Day 1 and day 2 are night and day different. Day 2 he was dragging me out of the house and mentally 100% better. I had to slow him down, it was unreal. He just needs to be entertained now, but he’s totally better. I tried everything not to let him lie down on his surgical leg. I just knew he’d twist it wrong if he tried to lie on that side. Luckily he did it at night [despite my efforts to prevent it] when I was finally asleep. But he couldn’t get up to turn over so he woke me up around 3:30 AM to help him get to his other side. Not an easy task for a big 125 pound dog in the early morning hours with no sleep. But he was fine. He has since gone down on that side several times when I awake, and it’s still nauseating to watch. I keep waiting for something to happen. But he knows what he’s doing. They are amazing.

Now the hard part: time to listen to and follow instructions on what he cannot do. You can’t let them fool you into thinking they are done. I would never believe a week ago that he’d be fine on day two. But he is – mentally. However he is not healed physically. I have him restricted in a pen and on full rest. I don’t plan to leave him for a few days, but eventually will have to go back to work.

So by day three I’m already planning a short getaway to the store. It’s nerve-wracking just thinking about what could go wrong when I’m gone. But I even got a shower in today – the first in three days. These are big steps. But be careful – one bad move and his surgery could be all for naught. I put wood beams through the top of the pen to restrict him from standing. It’s a test to see if I can leave without him getting too excited and jumping when I return, or because he hears something outside when I’m gone. Because God forbid a dog go by the house that he doesn’t stand up and bark at. So I want him to stay down just in case he should get hurt in doing so. That doesn’t mean I just walk away though.

He is penned at all times in the same room as me, unless we’re on the leash outside on a pee break. I’m watching him like a hawk to see how he handles it all. Much better than me, I must say. And I’m not a worrier. This is new territory for me. But my baby is hurt, I can’t help it. Our other dog, his little “sister”, is his biggest admirer. She drives him crazy and loves him to death. [For her I’m just the concierge most days.] But she’s been an angel. She gives him all the room he needs, doesn’t bother him or me [while I pay attention only to him for two full days], and she takes it all in stride. They really do get it.

He gets his bandages off on Friday, exactly one week post-op. They were ready for him by Wednesday, but I feel it’s too early. So I got two more days. He’s only on day three, so I know he’ll be fine as long as I am. We are responsible for keeping their enthusiasm at bay. Without us the surgery will be a waste because they can easily injure themselves fast again, thinking they are better. So I will remain vigilant with him, and will try not to worry so much, but things are going great. Once another day or two passes I will touch base again on how he does.

I know this post is long, but I couldn’t read enough when I was deciding on whether or not to take the risk of TTA. It just didn’t feel right to do such a major surgery for a possibly torn ACL [I know it's really the CCL, but now it's a habit to say ACL]. As it turns out they did verify the tear, and found a torn meniscus too. To this day we have no idea how it happened. He just started limping one day. That was part of my concern. How did we go from three or four days of running on the beach, swimming all day and constant fun adventures to a life-changing surgery in a few months?

The surgeon my vet recommended speaks on TTA with the vet from the University of Zurich who developed the procedure, and the company that manufactures the hardware. So I realize now that our dogs are in good hands. We just need to make a good decision based on our research, our knowledge of our dogs, and on as objective a perspective as possible – not based on fear. It will work out.

Read up as much as you can. Ask questions of everyone. I can’t believe how many people I know have had this happen to their dogs or someone they know. My own brother had a Lab that had the tightrope done before TTA was an option. Find out as much as you can and learn from the good and the bad stories. Don’t let the information scare you. Learn from it. Let it all help you see what can go right and what can go wrong. Use it to your advantage. This post is mostly for me, as it’s very cathartic to write all of this down. It’s a very traumatizing time for them as well as us. Just take care and I’m sorry you’re reading this if it means your loved one is injured as well.

TTA Surgery Sucess – Charlie is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries