About 3 years ago Forrest Gumbo, our approximately 3-year-old, healthy 45-pound pit bull that we adopted at 9 months old, the love of my life, was doing his usual figure 8 “zoomies” after one of our morning runs and he injured his right rear leg. He limped a little for a bit and always seemed to favor that leg, but he seemed “fine”, although he would hold his leg up every once in awhile, which was peculiar. We saw a vet who did a quick x-ray, said he probably had a small tear, gave us some Deramaxx, advised me to start him on a Glucosamine Chrondriotin supplement, walk less and life went on. I tried to accept this but was saddened that my little man was not 100% and may never be.

After about a year and a half of shorter walks, a few pounds heavier, several different joint supplements, him seeming to become more aggravated in his behavior, not wanting to play much, not wanting to eat, getting him a new dog sister to play with, a trainer telling me “this dog is in severe pain”, and most importantly, holding that leg up often, I researched online and decided it was a cruciate tear. I took him to supposedly one of the best orthopedic vets who told me he had hip dysplasia, was 5 pounds overweight, possible arthritis and recommended long-term Rimadyl.

I didn’t want to accept this and so I asked for his x-rays and took them to a holistic vet we had seen a few months before and who we had started acupuncture with, plus she has really cool ideas that I agree with. The x-rays were so fuzzy she couldn’t read them and I found out that, after leaving him ALL day at the traditional vet for the x-rays, they had not sedated him in order to properly x-ray an extremely tense dog, and had not even looked at his knee.

On to the next young, modern traditional vet who did sedate him and much NOT to my surprise his hips were absolutely perfect. Since I didn’t explicitly ask to x-ray his knees, even though I told her that I suspected a cruciate tear, there were again no knee x-rays.

At this point I started thinking:

• I am speaking another language to the vets
• I am crazy
• Probably he just doesn’t like his rambunctious 2-year-old rescued American Bulldog sister
• Nothing is orthopedically wrong and he is just a weird rescue dog with “phantom pain” as she described to me.

Really? Just keep doing Rimadyl and joint supplements… he lost a few pounds from eating home-made food plus the very best dry kibble. I even went so far as to almost start him on a drug for nerves, thinking he might have nerve damage or a slipped disc in his back. My husband, all this time, insisting something is wrong with his groin area…

Well, I decided to take Forrest to a behaviorist veterinarian because he is obviously insane; after all, he is a rescued pit bull. She required all x-rays, medical records, etc. I stop by to pick up the x-rays and they had lost them! At this point I am losing all faith in traditional veterinarians, the vet I had originally saw was on maternity leave and unavailable, so we left the office with the older, experienced vet offering to once again sedate him and re-x-ray. Since it was only his hips and I saw very clearly that he did not have anything wrong with them I figured this was unnecessary for the behaviorist vet. Well, the next day I let him run really hard with another dog in our neighborhood because we so rarely see such joy in him anymore, and when I got home that night, he was dragging his back leg and could barely walk.

I looked at this as a sign from above and figured the more experienced vet was who we were meant to see. I asked that while he is sedated let’s get this straight for the last time – x-ray everything! Guess what? He has a cruciate tear and needs surgery ASAP. What are my options? I work at an all natural pet supply store and I have talked (probably too much) to many people who’ve had the traditional repair as well as the TPLO done… what was best for my not small but not large dog?

I researched and saw that none of the surgeries are ever 100% so I chose the traditional repair where they use his own tissue to repair it. I like the sound of that – nothing foreign in his bod,  and I was told “I’ve been doing this surgery for 30 years”. Sign us up, let’s get him better. Borrowed an extra large crate, got the cone of shame, and a few days later I am picking him up with a horrible tape cast on his leg (which is not used by many vets anymore so I am told and with good reason), some Tramadol, Rimadyl, no post-op instructions, and a “we’ll see you in 10 days to remove the bandage.” Probably needless to say, the tape ripped his fur and skin off to where it was raw and all he wanted to do was lick it. I used Vetericyn to ward off infection and tried to use the cone when I wasn’t there myself to stop him from licking… oh, and LOTS of bones to distract him. By the time we got to the 10-day mark the nasty tape cast was almost off.

His sutures looked really good though and he was already using his leg so I thought he was well on his way to recovery… so why did everyone tell me that it took so much longer to recover? I was extremely careful not to let him run/jump, only walked him on his leash, allowing him to dictate the pace, even sent his nutty sister to doggy daycare so she wouldn’t pummel him, for about 6 weeks.

We tried to do range of motion exercises (recommended by the young vet) but he would get really tense and seemed like he was in pain; we bought an 8 foot pool to do hydrotherapy (recommended by the older vet) but he would just stand there in the water. In between I took him to be seen by the vet a few times and I was told he was “doing great” even though I felt like he was still limping too much and he was walking sideways. Did he re-injure it? Was it his left leg like I was told would probably be next due to overcompensating with that leg? Some days he seemed okay. Here we are today in July after a visit last week where I was told “there is nothing wrong with his knees” and they even charged me for an office visit.

I was beginning to think maybe I was one of “those people” when they finally told me to go see the orthopedic surgeon at a very well-known referral office; yes, the same one who most of my customers recommended but I was too worried about offending my vets. In fact, on the way to the vet today he was standing up and hanging out the window like old times. I was hoping I would be told I was crazy.

Today, a week later, he was diagnosed with a possible miniscal tear, a very probable (post-operative?) luxating patella, and a torn cruciate ligament. Tomorrow he will be having TPLO surgery along with arthroscopic surgery. I do not know what the days ahead will be like (except for working overtime to pay for this 2nd surgery since my veterinary pet insurance money allotted for this surgery was spent on the first surgery and they do not cover “congenital” health items such as a luxating patella).

I am worried about infection with the plate inserted in his skinny little legs, I’ve been warned that his left leg cruciate is also torn but I knew that, and we had already started ligament herbs and cold laser treatment with the holistic vet; I’m praying we can salvage that leg with CM, but I am also hopeful that I will once again see my sweet Forrest’s smile as he heals!

Conservative Management, Traditional Repair and TPLO – Forrest Gumbo’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

My 5 year old Pomapoo Foxy partially tore her left ACL 6 months ago. I cannot bear the thought of putting her through a painful surgery when her symptoms were never debilitating. She started with a limp upon arising. After she would walk for a few minutes then the limp would go away and she would walk normally.

Other symptoms I would notice were a slight hop when galloping and she would wave her leg around while sniffing and leaning forward. My husband and I decided to try conservative management even though 2 vets recommended surgery. We quickly realized that she is far to active to totally restrict her outbursts of playing, so we ordered a knee brace from mutt knee brace about 3 months ago.

She is doing well with the brace, most of her unstable symptoms improved. The only thing I still notice is toe touching for the first few seconds upon waking. She will stand up and dangle her leg until she stretches. While I’m happy with her progress, I’m scared because this shows that there is still an injury.

I know for a fact if she was a calmer dog she would be healed by now. I have got her weight down 3 lbs and she still has another pound or so to go. I also give her ENP glucosamine plus for dogs. I still don’t want to put her through surgery, in which the risks outweigh the extent of her problem, but I want my dog back to her old self.

Also, if we are failing to keep her totally calm now, how will we do it for surgery recovery? There seems to be no good option. I want to start taking her places again and not be worried about her knee all the time. My dog is my baby, I just want to do the right thing for her. Does anyone have suggestions for better supplements or a natural anti inflammatory or anything I can further do holistically?

Holistic Treatment for Dog ACL Tears – Foxy Blue is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

My precious little rescue beagle, Stevie Girl, came to us when she was approximately one year old. We were lucky enough to have received her via the local animal shelter. The shelter did not have any facts regarding her previous life prior to arriving to the shelter; they did not even know her former name. I called her Stevie Girl after a beloved brother who had passed away many years prior. She seemed to have that same mischievous, loving twinkle in her eyes and she was very gentle and calm. I fell in love with her immediately and the love has only deepened and widened as the years have passed. She is now seven years old.

We have gone through so much with Stevie; not knowing the Houdini aspect of the beagle, she had dug her way under a fence and broke free one day, shortly after we had gotten her. She was struck by a car and had fractured her pelvic bone. The vets we brought her to thought crating her in lieu of surgery was the best option at that point, as she was young enough to repair well on her own. So she was crated for approximately four months and recovered well. That was a terrifying incident for our family; knowing full well that she easily could have been killed and removed from our lives, we have kept a close vigilance ever since.

Stevie Girl very quickly became the centerpiece of our lives. We structured our lives and schedules around her needs. She loved long walks, especially to places where she had not been before. Always curious; always brave and up to whatever the task was, she taught us a great deal. Her unusually calm nature was always accompanied by tons of love.

The following year, when we were living in Los Angeles (which is where Stevie came from), we used to take her up to Griffith Park for her long walks. A couple of days after one walk, in the summer, she developed what appeared to be a cyst on her hindquarter. We took her to the vet and she was treated and released – about three times, as it kept reappearing. Finally, we took her back to the vet hospital that had suggested the crating for the pelvic fracture and a couple of x-rays later, it was discovered Stevie had a fox tail in her hindquarter.. We didn’t even know what a fox tail was or what damage it could do until that time. So she had her first surgery with us, to remove the fox tail. Another narrow escape, seeing that the fox tail could have traveled into her lungs and/or heart and killed her!

So here comes the knee injury story, about two years later. We noticed that Stevie was limping at night a lot. Quickly taking her to the vet, x-rays were taken and it was discovered that she had torn her ACL in her knee. The tear was so bad that she needed surgery as soon as possible. About a month later, she had the surgery; I had to max out a credit card to pay for it: $5,000! Yet I could not bear to see my Stevie Girl in pain and limping!! The surgery ended up being successful although she still had to be crated again; this time for about five months. That was extremely difficult; very painful.

That surgery occurred in May 2010. At the time of the surgery, the vet that did the surgery told us that the likelihood of Stevie blowing out her other leg (back leg; another ACL) was high, simply due to the fact that had incurred this injury. That did indeed happen and she is currently in the midst of an alternative treatment for the torn ACL, due basically to our inability to afford another $5,000 surgery at this time. We are hoping to see improvement and hoping, likely against all odds, that she will not require an additional surgery.

The treatment is a once a week injection of a medication called Adequan and it is used primarily for osteoporosis in dogs and horses. Our vet told us it will create fluid between the joints and therefore, not allow the bones to rub against each other. Normally, it is administered twice a week for one month but our vet said that she has seen better results for once a week treatments over two months, so we are deferring to her expertise. She also stated that it is less traumatic and painful for the patient to receive the injections weekly, instead of every four days or so. I liked that a lot; the less pain my precious little girl in is, the better.

So this treatment is affordable; the cost of each injection goes according to the pet’s weight and little Stevie Girl is approximately 40 lbs., so she is really not so little I suppose and her injection costs about $45 each. The total will be something around $400 total which is a huge difference from $5,000!

It has been two and a half weeks and I actually do see improvement although we started putting her on pain meds as well. She takes Metacam and Tramadol. I just do not want her to have to be on pain medication for the rest of her life; however, if she stops limping and looking/feeling like she is in pain, I will do it. It will take another six weeks to see if this is truly going to work. I hope and pray that it does; otherwise, surgery is inevitable and I will have to start looking into finding sponsors to assist with paying for her surgery as I will just never have that large amount of money to do it alone.

Hopefully, hearing about Adequan will help other dog parents with their dogs. Certainly, any injury severe enough to require surgery will ultimately cause arthritis in a dog. It is a limited treatment; not ongoing and not too expensive. My hope is that someone reads this story when their dog is barely beginning to show pain and the repairing can begin earlier and be more effective for their dog. I do love my Stevie Girl in a very unique way; I believe she was meant to be with me and I with her, but I love all dogs in general. Best wishes and kindest regards to all and their dogs!

Adequan for Cruciate Ligament Tears – Stevie Girl is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Wrigley had TPLO surgery on her right leg in March 2012.

Initially her recovery was slow, but after 52 days was off the couch and going up the stairs to our bedroom and walking like there was nothing wrong.

In June 2012 she blew the ligament in her left leg. We’re day 33 into recovery and she doing very well. This time she used her leg right away. She didn’t seem to have as much discomfort post op. It’s amazing how different both recoveries have been.

Both procedures were done by the same surgeon at the same clinic. Every dog is different, and every time recovery is different. Don’t panic and worry if your dog isn’t recovering as fast as you read others have. They’re just experiencing it differently.

Why I Chose TPLO

Wrigley is a 7 yr old Golden retriever. TPLO has the fastest recovery time. At her age I didn’t want something that would have a long drawn out recovery period that would age her faster (pain,, stress, etc.) – especially since she didn’t have a single white hair before surgery and many have grown in since the first.

TPLO Surgery Recovery Time – Wrigley is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

My dog Heidi has torn both of her CCLs in the past year and we opted to do surgery on both. She was just a little over a year old when she tore her first one, which had a huge impact on our decision to go the surgery route. My husband and I were newlyweds and were lucky to have been given a good bit of cash for our wedding, which has been spent entirely on her two surgeries… plus some of our savings as well. It was a tough decision, but ultimately, our end goal was for her to have the best quality of life possible.

Because the risk for crippling arthritis is great with a CCL tear, we tried to avoid that by having the surgery. Had she been 5 years of age or older, we may have chosen another route, but you just have to make the best decision for your own situation. In our case, we hope she has at least 10 good years ahead of her, and couldn’t imagine the possibility that she may suffer from debilitating arthritis fairly early in her life. According to our vet, while any joint injury puts a dog at risk for arthritis, surgery drastically decreases its occurrence.

Just a little background info, Heidi is a pound puppy, possibly boxer/pitt/? mix, but we really have no clue. She’s very athletic and weighs 70 lbs. Her troubles began while playing at a dog park. She developed a limp that would disappear with a couple days of rest, but recur with any activity. Apparently this is a signature trait of a CCL injury as we later found out when we finally took a trip to our local vet where she was diagnosed.

Triple Tibial Osteotomy (TTO)

Heidi’s first surgery was December 16th (I believe) in Raleigh NC at the NC State University School of Veterinary Medicine. We were told they were the best of the best in our area, and got a referral from our local vet. Her first surgery was the TTO (Triple Tibial Osteotomy), which is a surgery that modifies the shape of the tibia (one of the lower leg bones) and changes the slope, or angle, of the top of that bone. (I have greater detail of the surgery in my blog, which I will give you the link to at the end of this post.) The surgery went great, and while the recovery/8 week confinement was brutal, we survived and Heidi was “normal” again!

Unfortunately, our luck only lasted until mid May. We were super careful but we still fell into that category of dogs who tear their second CCL. Our vet told us there was a 60% chance she would tear her second CC, so obviously, the odds were not in our favor. Heidi was visiting her “grandparents” and ended up chasing their cat up a tree. That night when she came home, she was limping. This time, we knew what it was and immediately made an appointment with the vet school. Our suspicions were confirmed by presence the famous “drawer movement” and we were back where we were only 6 months before.

Modified Maquet Procedure (MMP)

We opted for surgery again, because at a little under 2 years old, we still had the same goal for Heidi to live a long and fulfilling life. This time, our vet introduced a “newer” surgery called the MMP (Modified Maquet Procedure). I say “newer” because it is newer to the US, but has been performed for quite some time in the UK. Our vet assured us that they are VERY conservative when it comes to recommending new procedures, so the fact that they were doing this one meant it was a good one. What really drew us in was the fact that it was slightly less invasive and slightly less expensive because it didn’t take quite as long as the TTO. Instead of making 3 cuts in the bone, they only made 1. The end result was still the same- changing the slope of the tibia (again more details in the blog) I’m all for doing the least invasive procedures, so after doing a little research we decided to go for it.

Again, this surgery was flawless and she was touching the operative leg to the floor with a little weight immediately after surgery (the same as with the first surgery). Now we are almost 7 weeks post op- almost the end of our restricted activity period- and she’s looking great! She barely limps… has more of a bounce in her step, and doesn’t seem to be in pain at all. I’m happy with our decision to do surgery and hope that she will eventually be able to resume normal activities!

MMP and TTO Surgery Cost

The one thing I did not mention in our blog was the price of the surgeries, mainly because I don’t like our friends and relatives to know our financial business, but I feel like it’s a question a lot of people have (and I had) so I will share it with you. Again, this was in Raleigh, NC, so it could definitely be different depending on where you reside, but we paid roughly $3000 per knee. I think it was more like $3200 for the first and maybe $2900 for the 2nd, but the range they gave us for each was $2800-$3400. It is never a set price because there may be complications, some surgeries may take longer, and the larger the dog, the more anesthesia they need!

As I mentioned earlier, I kept a blog of our experience, hoping it might help someone else in our situation to make a decision on treatment or know kind of what to expect if they chose surgery. Every dog is different and we got really lucky that we did not have any complications, but when I was researching this injury in the beginning, the best info came from blogs I found (which were few and far between). If you’re interested in reading more details about Heidi’s experience, check out our blog! http://heidibsknees.blogspot.com/

I hope Heidi’s story will help you and your pup!

Double ACL Tears – TTO and MMP Surgeries – Heidi is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Back in late January 2012, Cici was hopping and limping for a couple of weeks. I noticed a bump on her knee so I took her to a vet specialist since this was the leg that she had had three surgeries on a few years ago. I was hoping it was nothing. Instead, the vet told me she needed surgery for a cranial cruciate ligament tear/ injury.

Thankfully, we found out about CM and your site. We followed the protocol (badly) but it worked anyway.

Basically rest, restricted exercise and supplements for 3 months… gave her alfalfa, orthoease (Dr harvey’s), vit. c and manganese. Just wanted to say thanks so much, Cici is ALL better now!

If you would like more information on the protocol used with Cici, here is an except from her owner’s website, which details the supplements and conservative activities/management they used.

My plan/protocol was this:

• Keep her real quiet for 4-8 weeks and confined
• Give her the joint aid (just ordered it) plus am giving her
• Spirugreen
• Wild alaskan salmon oil (just ordered) for the Omega 3′s

May or may not give her yucca stalk by nature’s way, there are mixed reviews

The above (and below) is based upon what was said on the conservative management site (Dog Knee Injury):

• Weight Management … despite her being a cookie monster, this is not a factor for Cici. her weight has been maintained at 53 pounds for a few years now…
• Inflammation – We started with Rimadyl and Omega 3 Fish Oil (1000 mg capsules, twice per day). After 1 month of the Rimadyl I transitioned to Yucca Intensive, and give 9-10 drops diluted in food.
• Joint Support – Glucosamine and Chondrointin supplements are good to support joint health in any dog.
• Rest – Make sure your dog stays in a confined area without distraction. Carpets are preferable, avoid steps, jumping, running or rough play during this time. Toys such as frozen kongs filled with peanut butter or bully sticks are a good way to help them alleviate boredom.
• Controlled Exercise – Take a few, short, leash walks per day under controlled conditions to ensure your dog maintains muscle, and to also encourage the growth of scar tissue around the injured ligament.
• Pay Attention to Your Dog – Your best friend will tell you how they’re doing. Go at their pace, and avoid doing too much, too soon!

If you want to read more about Cici, please visit her blog at http://celiasue.com/2012/09/08/conservative-management-for-acl/

Conservative Management for Large Dogs – Cici is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Abby is a gorgeous, long legged black lab. She must be am mix of some kind, because she is tall and thin. She used to run like a gazelle and was full of energy.

We have 3 boys and one day (after she was chasing them around the yard on their ride on jeep) she came in holding her foot up. Thinking nothing of it, having had dogs before and never seeing this before, we waited about 2 weeks to get her looked at. She was doing, what we now know is the typical “toe tap”

She was diagnosed as having a torn acl (or ccl in dogs). Even though it was a partial tear, the surgery method was the same. They did a traditional repair surgery and hooked her knee back together with something like a strong “fishing line”.

We went with it, paid $1500 and after 6 months of careful rehab, she is 90% back to her usual self. It was a great decision with a great outcome!

Traditional Repair in Labradors – Abby is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

I have a 3 year old Rottweiler, Axel. I think the problem started in June 2010, during a dog park playdate. After then he was limping on his back right leg. I took him to the vet and she said that it was a partial tear, so to keep him calm and give him pain meds. It finally got better and he was back to normal. We have regular long walks.

In May 2011, after an uneventful walk, I noticed he was limping on the same leg, and eventually not bearing any weight on it at all. I took him back to the vet and they said he had torn his acl and needed surgery. I shopped around the area for reccomendations for good surgeons. I ended up at a different vet then we usually went to. The vet strongly suggested against the TPLO surgery.

We had the Tightrope surgery done in June 2011. The day after the surgery, Axel was already putting more weight on then before. The vet said to keep to confined and to leash walk him. Axel, being the biggest Momma’s boy and cuddle bear, could not stand to be away from people. I felt like it was doing more damage then good, when he would constantly scratch at the door. So we kept him on a leash 24/7 with us.

The first two weeks of recovery went great, the vet was very satisfied with his recovery.

After 3 weeks of him seeming to be putting almost all weight back on the leg and him being fairly lazy, we let him off the leash in the house. July 4th weekend did it, he went running and jumped while fireworks were going off. After this weekend he was back to limping. The vet could feel a drawer effect in his knee again and thought he had broken the suture. He thought that it must of broke and was rubbing and causing irritation, causing the limping.

They did a second surgery the last week of July to take the suture out. They found that he didn’t break the suture, but it was rubbing on soft tissue, causing him pain. The surgeon said he had some scar tissue formed and he should be fine without the suture. Although, since the second surgery Axel has been worse then even before the orignal surgery. He barely puts any weight on it, holds it up, can barely stand up for very long without being in too much pain and sits or lays down. He just looks depressed and in pain, and it kills me to see him like this.

Personally, I am very upset with the surgeon’s decision. I dont think he should of take the suture out if it wasn’t broken. He is a 120 lb dog and if they believe he could break a 180 lb strong suture, he could just as easily break a small amount of scar tissue. I know it’s my fault as well, I should of done a better job at keeping him confined. Although I can’t help but think that just a movement of the suture would of been better then removing it completely.

Almost $3000 spent, I only have so much more I can spend. Where I am now, is having waited over a week to hear back from my vet from trying to contact the surgeon. I have no idea what the surgeon is going to say, but I’m not sure if another surgery to put the suture back in is best. I think that the extra support will be good, although I don’t know if i can put my baby, or realistically my bank account, through another surgery.

I’m looking into getting Axel a brace, although I’ve been researching them online and cannot really find any reliable sources of whether it has worked and which kinds are best. In the beginning I asked the vet about these braces and he didn’t reccommend them. Now I definately regret not getting on for after extra support for after the surgery. If anyone has found a brace they have truely been satisfied with, or suggestions about surgery could you please help me?

Tightrope Repair Complications – Axel is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

I am sorry to learn that more dogs require knee surgery than humans in the USA today. I have been told that by a list member on here and am still shocked to think about this situation. My sincere sympathies to all, especially to the dogs, for having to go through such pain and management concerns, let alone the outstanding expense to the owners.

My “story” here is to help educate, albeit I am naive to all the knee issues that plague dogs. Some people on this list may know what I am going to write about – I think a link concerning the canine health databases should be listed at your home page. How they pertain is if there is deemed a genetic condition that caused the weakness. It is past time to have this sort of thing well-documented. Thanks to the list owners here.

I am posting that through generations of health screening for sound patella, it would be hoped to avoid knee issues caused by inherited defect. Also, I was prompted to write because of reading about a Poodle named Jake. If your Poodle (any size) has an inherited health issue and you know the pedigree, please take the time to register the information at the Poodle Health Database (PHR) available through http://www.poodlehealthregistry.org/

One may also wish to place any pedigreed dog or cat (of a breed listed) on the Orthopedic Foundation of Animals (OFA) that has a health issue that has a database there. This database service is FREE to document disorders (alternately, clear results for health concerns do have a listing fee). The OFA started out as a hip registry, but now lists most common disorders and is associated with the University of Missouri.

Know that although I have been told time and again that Standard Poodles do not experience patella problems, because I blended our standard line with miniature lines (patella luxation issues run in the mini gene pool), I have for the last eleven years tested the dogs considered to be used in our breeding program for knee issues. (We brought the modern Miniature Poodle blood in because the Std Pdl gene pool has gotten very small. 18 + generations ago, these varieties were interbred more often with regular success too.)

My list member friend sent me the link about dear Jake, an advanced aged Standard Poodle that had knee issues. The fact that the owners wrote that they felt there was a genetic component to the tear prompted me to write today. My sincere appreciation for all the educated owners posting here and how they care for their dogs.

Perhaps the more people that learn about health databases such as the PHR for their own fancied pure-breed (or possibly start one for their chosen breed!), the more people can be aware of possible problems like knee issues in particular lines of dogs. Educating the public is what I have witnessed help dogs many times. I am writing today with those hopes.

Remember, no one thinks Std Pdls have knee problems – ask your vet. Every time I suggest an owner has their Std Pdl’s patella certified/OFA registered before breeding I get the same story – that there are no knee problems in Std Pdls. It may be rare, but it is absolutely experienced even without mini influence up close. Just how very easy is it for the vet to give a certification to those being used in breeding? EASY. And how about the breeds that have VERY high percentages of knee problems and what can be done to help up front? People can take the precautions of certifying the patella on those dogs considered for breeding. Again, educating the public COULD help turn the statistic stated at the beginning of this post of dog/human knee surgeries around and it would be wonderful to see that happen in our lifetime.

When health-screened clear of luxating patella (and other common disorders, hip dysplasia, etc.) for several generations, it seems good reason that the resulting dogs are a better bet to avoid knee issues if not permitted to become over-weight and exercised within reason. Sadly, no one can avoid all accidents. Please know that I am writing not as any authority of knee issues, but as a concerned dog fancier with extensive experience in health screening dogs for basic inherited disorders (hips, patella, eyes, skin, thyroid, etc.).

It is not impossible to locate just who is accomplishing the testing and taking their selected-for-breeding dogs’ health very seriously by utilizing the www.offa.org databases. Nearly all breeds (even rare and crossbreeds such as Labradoodles) have fancier participation and no one very serious about breeding the best in dogs considers a dog born in the USA that is from a pedigree not fully published on these databases for screenings completed to have the relatives designated as CHIC.

Please help educate – tell all you know looking for a pure-bred dog about this simple FREE shopping aid known to all the better dog breeders (not necessarily fully-utilized by all of them – you must check the sire / dam and that their parents are listed with passing health tests).

So the information above is possibly hind-sight as prophylactic advice that I can lend for those suffering through a knee issue at this time. Try your best to avoid again by possibly looking to work with someone that takes health seriously in dogs before they use them in mating when considering another pure-bred if a pure-bred is your choice. Very few countries around the world make such testing mandatory and passed successfully and those countries are not in North America.

Check your breed parent club to see if there is a health database already in place or how you could assist in making one. (http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm and select National Clubs). Nearly all parent clubs have gotten on board with the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC). If knee issues are a problem in the breed you fancy and patella checks are not part of the CHIC designation requirement, you may wish to petition the parent club board to change that. CHIC designation is awarded to dogs that complete a set of health screenings before they are used for breeding the next generation. Because the results are publicly posted, few, very few dogs with non-passing results are used further in any breeding programs. I have seen CHIC work a lot of good for pure-bred dogs over the last 12 years.

One can explore CHIC here: http://www.caninehealthinfo.org/

Select CHIC breeds to see the requirements for CHIC designation per breed.

I have helped initiate one of the important breed-specific on-line pedigree/health databases. The people at Poodle Health Registry were very helpful to the AKKAOA breed club when members there were hopeful to start their own – so, do not hesitate to contact PHR to ask how you may start a database for your breed if one does not exist and you are passionate about helping a chosen breed of dog.

Especially to Jake the Poodle’s owners and all that helped him through his condition, please now know about the PHR and see what you can do to include him so his information can be properly documented for those wanting to know about this sort of condition.

Knee Issues in Pure-Bred Dogs is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

This is actually my son’s dog but he lives with me and I’m his caretaker.

Just over 2 years old, Dax tore both ACL’s. TPLO was done on the worst leg 6 months ago. After a long recovery, he was finally walking and doing a little running without limping. In fact, 3 weeks ago I was watching him and thinking he didn’t need surgery on the other leg. I woke up one morning to find him not putting any weight at all on the repaired leg. I thought maybe he twisted it so I gave him a week with no improvement. I noticed then that there was a discharge from the totally healed incision.

My son took him to the Vet and he was put on Amikacin injections daily for 10 days. Yesterday, the 7th day, the Vet called and said the cultures came back with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a very resistant type of staph) infection at the implant site and they needed to be removed ASAP. My son left on his honeymoon yesterday morning so I’m taking care of the dog again, post surgery.

I still don’t understand how MRSA can start 6 months post surgery, when the incision was completely healed with hair growing over it. The Vet is telling me he must have had a hemotogenous infection. My son’s wife is a Pharmacist and thinks the implants weren’t clean when they were put in and he has a strong immune system that has fought it off this long.

Has anyone else heard of MRSA 6 months post surgery?

MRSA Following TPLO Surgery – Dax is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Mylah is a purebred Golden Retriever and will be 2 years old this month. She tore the ACL in her right leg in June and immediately had surgery. We are almost 6 months post-op and she still drags her leg and her nails get filed to the point of bleeding when she walks.

I decided to go and get some rehab for her, only to find out that she has now torn the ACL in her left leg. Now what has me and the vets confused is that she still is favoring her right leg despite the fact her left leg has a torn ACL. The vet has not offered much of an explanation except to say that the repaired knee is intact but that she may have torn some of her meniscus. He said that it was fine when he performed the surgery. He said there is the possibility that her hips are a problem.

I have scheduled her for surgery to repair her left ACL but am concerned because it doesn’t seem she healed well from her first surgery. Has anyone experienced a similar problem?

Tightrope Surgery and Golden Retrievers – Mylah is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

My 17 year old Peke Kismet tore her CCL 3 weeks ago now. She’s never stopped putting weight on it. In fact she’s never shown any signs of pain whatsoever.

When it initially happened I thought she had something in her paw which was causing her to limp. The Orthopedic specialist said he didn’t want to do the surgery due to her age, but her blood work just came back, and according to her regular vet, she’s as healthy as a 1 year old. Now I’m being pressured to have the surgery but honestly I just can’t afford it at this time. Plus I’m still concerned about putting Kismet through that at her age.

I guess I’m looking for any advice on CM. My vet practices holistic and conventional medicine. Right now we are wrapping up two weeks of Metacam and she’s taking collagen supplements. We are also doing laser therapy on her. I’m keeping her confined to a small area as well. Tomorrow I’m picking up some glucosomine/chondrotin/msm. What else am I missing? I feel so horrible. Kismet is also blind and deaf. Her walks mean EVERYTHING to her with that super nose of hers. I need to get her back up and walking. Any advice would be so greatly appreciated.

Conservative Management for Small, Older Dogs – Kismet is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Sadie is my daytime companion. My husband is Sadie’s favorite person at night when he gets home. Two weeks ago today we took Sadie to see the vet. Our dog was limping she somehow bad hurt herself Friday while turning around in the house.

Sadie has some pre-existing conditions epilepsy and hypothyroidism. So the vet recommended a few weekday rest and then see how she is. Not a surgical candidate. I have been doing my own research on the web.

Sadie is taking prednisone because of tumors in her lung. She also takes potassium bromide, phenobarbitol and soloxine. For the torn cruciate ligament she takes a pain med. I started to give her NuVet Plus which is vitamins and minerals and other supplements. I also give her 1200 mg. of fish oil got her essential fatty acids. Now I give her 1500 mg. tablet of Glucosamine chondrointin MSM. I want to start her on Nujoint Plus.

We purchased a Bottoms up leash to bet me take get out to do her stuff.

Now I am checking into physical therapy or rehabilitation for bet but I am not a medical professional. I love her and I want to help her the best way I can.

Conservative Management for a Dog with Pre-Existing Conditions – Sadie is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Pookie is an 11 year old, 98 pound dog. He tore his Cruciate ligament in his left knee. The vet said right away he needed surgery and only surgery. Since he is 11 years old I did not feel that was a great option. We came home and did some research on different braces. I was torn between this brace and a custom made brace. In the end, we went with this one because we could have it delivered to us right away and I wanted to get him on the road to recovery quickly to help his other leg from sustaining injury.

The customer service was great, they helped us measure over the phone and walked us through each section. The brace was delivered the next business day. I will say it was extremely difficult to put on at first and the directions were vague. Between my husband and I, when we actually sat down and laid the brace out we were able to get it on.

Before the brace he would not lower his leg at all, holding it up as high as he could. The minute the brace was put on he put his leg down and started to touch his toes to the ground when walking. By day 2 he started to put a little weight on it. By day 5 he was putting full weight on it about 50% of the time. By day 7 he was putting full weight on it 100% of the time. When this happened we changed the rods out. Once the rods were changed we started to do our ‘rehab walks’.

We are now at 3 weeks and doing fantastic! He wants to be up and around as much as he can where before he just wanted to lay down, even to eat and drink. He even tries to run around the yard when he thinks we aren’t looking! We take two small walks a day, nice and slow. His legs shake pretty bad, but he was down for a long, long time so that is to be expected. He is begging us for the walks now instead of fighting us for them. He still walks with a tiny limp, but it is more a limp from having a brace on. I watch his leg closely when walking and he is definitely putting full weight on it. He even will put all his weight on his bad leg to lift his other leg when going to the bathroom sometimes. Clearly the pain is gone!

We are still reminding him to walk and not run. Trying to keep him from overdoing anything, but we are encouraged that he wants to be so active and run around. We still avoid steps, and will have to for another 8 weeks. so we are having slumber parties in the living room right now.

I saw a lot of reviews about how the brace worked for small dogs, so I was leery- but I am very happy to report the brace has done its job and far exceeded my expectations. I will keep updating as we go. I hope this helps you on your decision for your 4-legged children.

I will also say, of note, the customer service has been phenomenal! We ordered the wrong size harness and they overnight shipped a new one free of charge. I have called several times with questions and the vet will answer or call me right back. I have submitted several e-mails and facebook questions and always get a reply. I am sure they are sick of hearing from me and my million questions but I am glad that they take the time to respond. My vet was so against the brace, and only wanted surgery, she has been of no help so I am glad to have the CS at WoundWear.

Dog Knee Braces for Large Dogs – Pookie is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Our 110 lb. 2 1/2 yr. old German Shepherd started limping in August, 2011.on his left rear leg. By August he was holding his leg up now and then, so we took him to our vet to be checked. After xrays and exams he was diagnosed with a torn ACL. Our vet told us to try and restrict him for a few weeks and see if this would help him. It did help him, but he is a very active dog and as soon as he started running around again he was back to limping and holding his leg up again.

Our vet told us to consider PTLO surgery so we started searching the internet for ACL surgery options. We found videos on You-Tube of the PTLO surgery and the recovery and was very put off by the whole thing, start to finish. So we kept on searching and reading every thing we could find. We came across the traditional Extracapsuler surgery but from what we read it was not highly recommended for dogs over 50 Lbs. So we kept on searching and we ran across this web sight Countryside Veterinary clinic that performed a newer version of the traditional Extracapsuler surgery. We emailed them and asked if they thought a 110 LB. dog would be a candidate for this surgery. We got back a very interesting answer from the vet that came up with this new technique. He said something like I could tell you yes and you could ask some other vets and they would probably tell you no. So I would suggest you talk to some pet owners that I have performed the surgery on their pets that weighed 100- 200LBS.

So we took him up on his offer and requested the telephone numbers of a few of his patients. OK I know what the first thing that comes to your head, the same thing that came to ours, these telephone numbers are probably his family or staff, but we were happy to see a couple of numbers that were in our area. We called the numbers and spoke with these people and were very happy with what they said about Dr. Allen and the success of the surgery. We figured if this did not work we could always have the PTLO .

We made an appointment for him to have the surgery. We are so happy we went with this surgery. The after care is so simple compared to the other surgeries. All you have to do is walk him on a leash and avoid stairs. Thats it, in 6 weeks he was completely healed. We waited till 8 weeks before we started playing ball in the house with him and by 15 weeks he was back to running around out side. Dr. Allen told us that around 60% of the pets that have ACL surgery need the surgery on the other leg within a year.

Almost a year to the day – Thor just had ACL surgery on his right leg on 11/2/12. His left leg where he had surgery last year is 100%. If you go on face book and go on Thor Lear page you can see his old video from last year and to new videos we put up this week, one picking up Thor from DR. Allens clinic and one 5 days after surgery.We will be putting up more videos each week of Thor’s recovery. The technique DR. Allen performs uses the tissue of the animal instead of putting foreign material into the knee. He cuts a strip of muscle above the knee and leaves it attached so it keeps getting a blood supply and wraps the knee. Just like the old procedure but now you have a permanent wrap that doesn’t dissolve. So between that and the buildup of scar tissue you have a stronger joint.,and by cutting the strip of muscle above the knee he then pulls the muscle together and sutures it and that tightens up around the knee too. This is the best I could explain it but you should get the idea.

We hope this will help some of you . Tom, Lisa & Thor

Thor’s Recovery Videos

2 Days Post Op

5 Days Post Op

Recovery

Extracapsular Repair for Large Dogs – Thor is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Hello, my Husky/Labrador mix, Mousky is an 8 year old female. She had the Traditional Repair surgery done exactly one week ago today.

Everything was going well, she was contained to one room, walked only with a leash and a homemade harness. On day 5, she started to tiptoe a little bit on her repaired leg.

On Christmas Eve (day 6), my daughter took her out to pee, but I think the collar was loose because Mousky escaped in the yard. My daughter doesn’t know if she ran or walked around in the snow (we are in Canada, near Ottawa)because it was dark. It took her about 7 or 8 minutes to get her back and inside the house.

For the rest of the evening, she licked her sutures, something she didn’t do at all before. Today, Chrismas Day, Mousky is not licking anymore, seems fairly confortable and she puts a little weight on her bad leg but she holds it at angle to the side. Before this incident the leg was more like straight down, now it’s clearly at an angle.

I am afraid that the lines have ruptured. Is there any way that we can know for sure? The vet clinic is closed until tomorrow.

If she moved too much and broke or extended the lines, is it the whole surgery that has to be redone or would this be more minor, and less costly?

We already spent 500$ in consultations plus 1500$ for the surgery and can not afford much more. My daughter is usually a pretty responsible girl, she is just 13 years od but is already 6 feet tall and she loves animals. She had been taking Mousky out and was doing okay with it until this happened.

Have we ruined everything?

Traditional Repair Recovery Complications – Mousky is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

TPLO and TTA Surgery for Dogs – Our Experience

The first knee was repaired in 2008 by a freelance orthopedic vet (surgeon) using the TPLO procedure, on our then 8 yr old lab/pit mix, 55 pounds. The repair went well, recovery time was rather uneventful, we were patient and forewarned of what to expect.

The end of 2012, our now approaching 12 yr old girl, tore the opposite knee’s ACL. Our option for the freelance doc was no longer available. However, we found a skilled, wonderful new doc who used the TTA procedure. Even after 4 yrs of aging, our girl has recovered more quickly than in ’08. The cost was the same for both operations. There has been more post op care for the recent surgery. I might add the recent surgery took place in a mobile unit, and it was amazing! She was only away from us for a total of five hours.

We were with Zuma when the first ligament “snapped”, she was running in the backyard, and yelped, then limped. Firm diagnosis was made quickly.

The most recent experience was not as simple, we had taken a walk through a wooded ranch which both of our girls love, the next day I noticed limping. We tried anti-inflammatories for a couple of weeks; no improvement. Two Dr’s confirmed the condition and they were surprised we went four years without a new incident.

We are only ten days post-op as of today, however, Zuma is doing so well, staples should be removed the end of this week. I know the staples are bugging her as I catch her trying to nibble. She hates ALL pills so that’s been the biggest challenge, every food under the sun has been tried. She’s doing this her way I suppose. Now she wants to jump in bed with us each eve and I try to explain why she can’t. Hmmm…not going so well, but she is not allowed up and she has a multi-layered “princess bed” for now.

I don’t wish this on any dog lover. Just know that when you find the “right hands” which are skilled and compassionate and caring, your fur buddy will do as well as our great ‘ol gal has done too. She’s worth every penny, and at this point, we have a bionic kid!

TPLO and TTA Surgeries – Zuma is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

I came across the blog here while racking my brain, feeling like its spiraling into a hole that seems like a never ending nightmare of complete guilt and negligence with no ending in sight.

My blue pitbull, Benito, (2yrs. old) started limping off and on just before Christmas 2012. It is on his left leg, but soon after getting up walking for a moment he seems to be fine. I thought it was just maybe his leg was asleep from laying on it all night, he’s 85lbs sheer muscle, so I came home one day and he came to the fence like always. I said “something’s not right today, so we went in and it’s hurting a lot now.

We went to the vet, and he said there was some inflammation, and wanted to take a picture to get a better look at it. He vet came back and said he damaged his ACL (explained it as the same thing Adrian Peterson of the Vikings did to his knee), but that the good news is he doesn’t think it will need surgery. The vet said to keep him off of the leg for 3 weeks unless outside for potty breaks, and gave me anti inflammatory, pain meds, and some sedation pills. My dog is a runner and will play 24-7, he doesn’t care, anytime anyplace anywhere, so he’ll need the meds! After 3 weeks, if he’s still limping, he will probably need surgery, which was quoted at $800.

It has now been 3 weeks since his injury, and while he’s not limping as bad as he was, I can still tell his leg is just not stable. He will hop on his right leg once in a while when I take him out for potty. I am still keeping him on the leash because I know he wants to just break free and go bolting off in his huge back yard, but I cant let him do that.

I took him back to the vet yesterday, because I feel that something is still not right in his knee, but it does not seem to hurt him a whole lot. The other vet that we had seen was unavailable, so we saw a different vet, perhaps one of their surgeons, who came in and said it looks like, according to his x-ray, that he did damage his ACL. I was then presented with 2 options – the Extracapsular repair for $1200, and the TPLO for $3000-$3500.

The first type of surgery (the Extracapsular repair) is the one they do at their office, and the second one (TPLO) is performed by a board certified veterinarian at another location. Now I am just freakin’ out (trying not to start cussing myself out in the vet office), and I asked which the vet preferred – she says the TPLO. She then went on to explain that they require full payment, or Care Credit, (which I wont be applying for), but then she says they both have a 95% success rate either way you go. What I understand is that the TPLO recovery time is faster, while the Extracapsular Repair is long time.

I come home and started my online quest for answers, even if just for to help or to seek comfort for the time being. I came across a vet who only specializes in surgeries, so in a attempt to seek some relief I call the doctor, who has been around for years doing tons of procedures on every kind of animal out there. I start telling him my issues, and talking to him like he’s my paid therapist – anyway, he says it’s still gonna be around $2900 for the TPLO. He also said that the other surgery (Extracapsular or Traditional Repair) would eventually tear out, leaving me right where I was from Day 1. I’d like to say thank you to him, as now I feel I have gotten some mental relief. Someone must have sent some luck my way, because the phone rang and it’s the specialty vet I just spoke to saying he want to help me and he understands whats going on, and the best we can do for my baby benito is the TPLO for around $2000, but he will need the full payment upon completion of the surgery. He then tells me to call a vet he knows close to where I live, and tell the vet to call him so he can set the procedure up at his office (closer to where I live, rather than having to travel so far to his office).

Now I am like a freshly recharged patient who is prepared to take on his upcoming weeks obstacles – for now I am keeping Benito indoors in his little room until we get the surgery done around the 1st February. Thanks for listening, and I will keep everyone updated!

Conservative Management and TPLO Surgery – Benito is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

My dog, Charlie (2 year old black lab) was running for a ball at the dog park, tripped in a hole, and yelped. He was diagnosed with a torn ACL and scheduled for surgery at a cost of $2500 plus (plus the cost of the exam and x-ray-another $250 since they had to sedate him).

We brought him home after about 5 hours. He had bright pink bandages going up his leg to protect the incision. The E-cone freaked him out, to the point where I was worried about him damaging his leg. He slept most of the evening. During the night I took him out to the backyard to pee, then back inside to drink and take his pills. After a full day of laying down, he felt comfortable where he crawled up on the couch where he laid the remainder of the evening/night.

The first week was a slow week of taking him out to pee/poop. The second week, he had much more energy, still limped quite a bit. 3-5th week, increasingly energy. We’re at about the 7 week point right now. Let me just tell you, trying to keep a normally active dog contained is next to impossible. The reality is, I never crated him. The few times that I tethered him, he chewed the leashes in half. He ate his Kong into shreds in less than 5 minutes. Good luck getting him to lay quietly all day with a Kong. I We took him with us in the car so he could get out. We stayed home with him a lot but let him putter along side us when we do things around the house. We bent the rules a lot with Charlie. He seems to be healing well.

At 7 weeks, he walks with barely a limp. The vet assistant had to convince her co-worker that she saw his surgery, as he jumped up and over their desk (their fault, not mine) at 4 weeks post surgery. For him, relaxing the rules worked in his favor. It probably isn’t for everyone. His leg looks just like the other one, no muscular weakness.

My advice to other future TPLO moms and dads:

1. Choose a vet who has performed lots of the surgeries and explains it well
2. Take at least 3 days off work to spend with your dog
3. Get a soft cone or one of the blow up cones that look like travel pillows. (Some flexible dogs CAN bend to lick their wounds-mine did)
4. Get the more expensive pills that are like edible treats. Trying to get your dog to eat 16 pills per day…he won’t eat peanut butter or cheese any more, as he’s suspicious.
5. Cut down on their food consumption as they’re not able to exercise

TPLO Surgery Advice – Charlie’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

I adopted my dog, Buck, as a young adult in July, 2009. He was separated from his brother at adoption and we soon found out he suffered serious separation anxiety. He was approximately one year old. In May, 2011, we were at a dog park and he was running full speed and collided hip to hip with another dog. Buck came away from this impact holding up his right rear leg. He had been favoring this leg a little in the few weeks prior to this – I figured it was from running around the yard with our puppy (his new anti separation anxiety companion). Buck is a 0-60 dog. He can appear to be a couch potato one minute, and then he’ll run out the door at “60 mph” the next.

A week later he was still favoring his right rear leg so I took him to my vet. Upon examination the vet said it was his CCL/knee/stifle and for a 70# dog (Buck is lab/GSHP mix) the more expensive and more invasive surgeries were recommended. Open to alternative ideas, I went home and got back on the internet.

Tiggerpoz.com was very helpful to me. I decided to try the CM (Conservative Management) route, which wasn’t easy considering it was summertime, but healing from surgery with a puppy around didn’t sound any better and I sure wasn’t in the market for a $3500 TPLO surgery! He’d seem to get better, and then he’d start running around and get gimpy so we decided to support his right rear leg with an Orthopets brace in 2012 (obviously we were really trying to avoid invasive, expensive surgery). Through my research, I was prepared that it was going to cost us about $700 and by the end we had $1500 into the Orthopets brace due to rubbing, multiple visits, and adding a piece to the brace. To her credit, the Orthopets vet recommended surgery on a dog this young (4 years). What she didn’t say was that the less expensive, less invasive traditional surgery was an option. Knowing this would have made all the difference. Unfortunately, it has become very clear to me that 75%+ of vets do not acknowledge this as an option. Let’s educate ourselves, and them, otherwise – read on…

At this point my stress levels were high and I want those of you who have a dog with separation anxiety, knee issues, children, and work to attend to that I can empathize with your situation if you are considering euthanasia. But first, let me tell you the answer to Buck’s problems.

We barely had the Orthopets brace figured out when his left rear knee blew around June of 2012. Of course, this is no surprise based on the statistic everyone tells you – if one knee blows it’s likely the other one will also eventually blow. I was at the end of my rope, as you can imagine. CCL/stifle/knee injuries are not something I would wish on anyone – it is a stressful situation.

I do not know how I came across this animal physical therapist’s contact info, but I had called her when Buck’s first/right knee went out. She mentioned a local vet who did the traditional/older version of surgery. She had watched him in surgery and he was the only vet she’d bring her dog to if it were in the same situation. Do not ask me why I did not pursue this angle when I first found out about it; I do not know. But my long route to success is your short cut.

I finally called the vet recommended by the physical therapist, Dr. Mike Jewell with The Pet Wellness Clinic in Fort Collins, CO, and made an appointment for him to examine Buck. Together we determined that Buck’s best chance was to have his left leg fixed surgically, using the traditional/older method, as it was in worse shape (little to no weight bearing) and the right leg was semi stable but getting stressed further by the useless left leg. Dr. Mike Jewell has 13 years experience doing this traditional surgery on all sized dogs – both small and large – with veritably 100% success over the long term. The total cost of the surgery, meds, blood work and follow up was around $1500.

Buck went in for his surgery on his left rear knee in August of 2012 (by the way, the vet used an 80# “band” on Buck’s knee). It is now February, 2013 and both my husband and I can say that both his rear legs look and act “normal”, although he is still rebuilding muscle. He had one instance of a pulled groin muscle, post surgery. He was on Rimadyl twice – one round for surgery and one round for the groin pull. His blood was monitored and he handled the Rimadyl fine. The Pet Wellness Clinic has an “east meets west” philosophy and we were comfortable with the recommendations made by Dr. Mike Jewell for pain management, etc.

Due to healing from the surgery on the left leg, he atrophied further than I allowed him to when I tried the CM route, when just his right leg was affected. This is important to note because perhaps I did not have him lie around enough when I was trying to get his right leg healed by CM (prior to his left leg going out). I will say I did all I was able to and evidently I couldn’t keep him still enough to totally heal his right leg by CM. Subsequently however, all the laying around waiting for the left leg to heal from surgery actually helped his right leg with the CM route automatically, so in essence it was a bonus for us and Buck. He now has his left leg stabilized with traditional surgery and his right leg stabilized with CM. The $1500 Orthopets brace continues to collect dust on a shelf in the closet.

We have not done any joint supplements or physical therapy – simply walking him builds his muscle the fastest. We also moved into a house where he uses the carpeted stairs quite a bit which we think is really good physical therapy for his recovery. Should his right leg ever give him problems again, we would not hesitate to do the traditional surgery with Dr. Mike Jewell on his right leg as well.

The Short Story

• Contact some animal physical therapists with the hope that one of them will recommend a local vet who has years of experience successfully doing the traditional surgery, even on large dogs.
• Do the traditional surgery as soon as you locate the vet who gives you the confidence that they are an expert in this area (defined as years of successful experience even with large dogs).
• If you opt for the CM route, my experience is that your dog will have to lie around and atrophy longer and more than you might imagine; prior to my dog having traditional surgery on one leg, the CM route was not “taking”. It was only after the traditional surgery on the left leg that the right leg simultaneously “healed” by CM.
• Braces, such as the Orthopet brace, are good options for certain circumstances – such as older dogs who you don’t want to put through surgery. For younger dogs, the traditional surgery will cost you about the same and be a better option, in my experience.
• If I knew what I know now, and I had it to do over again, I would have done the traditional surgery on my dog as soon as he blew out his first/right knee. His weakened right knee likely contributed to the strain on his left knee blowing out 13 months after the first.
• It doesn’t hurt to try CM first – you can always do surgery later. In my case, my stress and my dog’s pain and healing took longer, whereas, if I had done the surgery immediately we would both be have been on our way to healing faster.
• Note that my cost in the end was the same as doing two traditional surgeries. However, in addition to the cost being the same, the time, effort, and stress involved took longer.

I want to share with you my frustration of living in Fort Collins, CO, home of CSU’s Veterinary Hospital, one of the top in the nation. It is beyond words why 3 out of 4 of the vets I consulted about Buck’s situation were unable to provide me with legitimate expertise. I do not know where all of these vets graduated from; I just have a higher standard of veterinary services because I live in this town.

Expertise doesn’t come from a book; it comes from experience. Find an experienced vet – one experienced in performing (traditional) surgeries on dog’s knees. If you don’t like the first answer you get, move on to the next.

I just met a vet student from Kansas who is about to graduate and start her internship in upstate NY. I brazenly, it seems, shared Buck’s story with her in the hopes that it would give her insight into the reality of CCL (knee/stifle) injuries in dogs. Her response to the CM route was textbook negative – that it builds up scar tissue and results in arthritis (perhaps, but the same thing is said about surgery), and that anything but the more expensive, more invasive surgeries shouldn’t be used on large dogs.

She was brainwashed from her textbooks and her professors! My dog and I live in the real world and it didn’t seem to matter to her that Dr. Mike Jewell has 13 years of successful experience in the CCL/stifle/knee injury arena and that Buck and I are living proof of what can happen with CM as well as traditional surgery – after all, Buck has two legs to prove it! I try to give people the benefit of the doubt – but I was completely floored by her response and it makes me wary of so-called “professionals and experts”.

Unfortunately, much of life seems to be learning things the hard way/by looking back in retrospect, but we hope our story will shorten your learning curve so you know ALL of your options and can choose the best one for you and your pet, whether it’s CM or not.

Success Using Both CM & Traditional Surgery – Buck’s Knees is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries