My little Coton De Tulear, Mack, tore his ACL/CCL on the night of Feb 4th, 2013. He’s an extremely athletic and fast little guy – loves to jump and move at the speed of light outside. He thinks he’s the head of National Security of the Street, and I believe his ACL finally gave out while he was running back and forth guarding his territory from someone outside the fence.

I went to his regular vet on Feb 5, the morning after he started lifting his leg. He was running outside and next thing I knew he refused to let his toe touch the ground. One of the vet’s at the practice I go to diagnosed it as a cruciate ligament tear. She wanted to give him NSAID’s and wait 2 weeks and then do surgery and said he would have arthritis. That didn’t make sense to me. Why would I wait two weeks? Also, if he was going to have surgery I was going to take him to someone that does this 24/7. Sorry, but not the regular vet.

I did a bunch of research and found one of the best animal surgery centers an hour outside of Los Angeles (where I live). One of the doctor’s there specialized in cruciate injuries and everything I read about him made me feel confident (Dr. Tony Cambridge). I made an appointment the next day. I would pay any amount of money for Mack, but luckily I also have pet insurance which did indeed cover this type of injury.

Upon meeting the surgeon, I immediately trusted him. He said it was indeed a ACL tear and something that was likely bothering Mack for a while since he had been putting most of his weight on his other more muscular leg.

(Looking back, I did notice Mack was sitting and resting more than usual right before he officially tore it. So the signs were there. I did also remember seeing him limp one time a month before for just a quick moment… and then it went away. I also remember one time he was playing really hard with a puppy and he yelped and then limped. But that was almost 2 years ago. It’s possible that’s when it started slowly tearing.)

I asked the doc why the vet would want to wait two weeks. He said there’s no medical reason for that at all – maybe that’s when they had time available. I asked if he was going to have arthritis – he said that this was caught early and that isn’t a concern. I asked the doc if it was going to happen to his other knee (I had read that) and he said not likely. That this didn’t seem to be a genetic thing. Simply an accident. His breeder said she had never had one of her dogs tear a cruciate, so the confirmed it was not genetic (I know it can be in small breeds such as bichon’s and yorkies).

My little guy weighs between 17/18 pounds and the surgeon recommended the Lateral Suture technique. He said he advises surgery only because Mack is so very active (obviously since was trying to jump all over him on his 3 legs). He said he doesn’t recommend TPLO — because in his experience dogs this small don’t get any extra benefits and the results with the Extra-capsular are exactly the same.

Day of Surgery

They performed surgery that very day. And I felt totally at peace. I knew that I was doing the right thing and I was at the right place with the right doctor. After the surgery he told me that things went as well as they had hoped. That the tear was indeed brand new and that the meniscus was not damaged at all.

Night of Surgery/Next Day

Mack had to sleep there which was hard, but the nurses texted me photos of him post op letting me know how he was doing. I picked him up the next morning; poor guy was in a little blue cast and was high as a kite. They sent me home with a ton of painkillers, NSAID’s, antibiotics etc. I just made sure he was as doped up as possible the first few days because he did NOT like that cast.

4 Days Post Op

After about 4 days he seemed to become semi-used to being in the cast. He was peeing with it and holding it up (like lifting his leg only it was a cast haha). That same day I went to get the cast removed.

Once the cast was removed he completely FREAKED OUT – was fighting being handled by the nurse, was fighting everything. They had to give him painkillers and a sedative for him to calm down. And later a dosage of valium for home! The doctor said it’s not so much the pain but more his personality. (I’ve got a bit of a drama king on my hands). He continued freaking out for about 2 days, trying to get at the sutures, spinning around, whining etc. just being extremely difficult. Then he absolutely calmed down as the doctor said he would. PHEW. It was almost like he didn’t understand all this stuff that was going and wasn’t reacting well to it. Just when he was getting used to the blue thing, we go and take it off and now he has a naked leg.

Meanwhile, he literally sat for an entire two weeks. It’s as if knew that was the right thing to do. I picked him up to go outside to pee. He’d do his thing and was ready to be picked up again to go inside. I continued to give him his painkillers (buprenex) for about one week and the Rimadyl.

12 Days Post Op

A week later (12 days post op) I had the sutures removed. He was wearing the donut on his head (the more comfortable version of the cone) but he really hated it. Once the sutures were gone i removed the donut but he kept trying to lick at the wound behind my back and was causing a tiny bit of an ulceration which was worrying me.

14 Days Post Op

Two days later, as soon as it hit two weeks post-op, he was ready to roll. He tried to run, jump off the bed, and now was suddenly impossible to contain. When I put him outside to pee, he was walking around without a limp and using his knee as if nothing ever happened? BIZARRE.

I took him for his 2 week post-op and the surgeon said he was doing great, total mobility in his knee, but I should probably put the donut back on so he can’t lick the healing wound. He also said he has to take it easy for another two weeks. And that i might want to put some cortisone on the incision site.

Mack hates that donut so much, he would literally give me this depressed look that was hard to deal with. So I decided to get creative. The one thing he hates more than ANYTHING is the taste of Tramadol (one of his painkillers that is impossible to trick him into eating). So I crushed up the Tramadol and mixed it with the cortisone cream (animax — brilliant stuff) and put it on the incision site. BOY did that take care of my problem!!! I noticed him spitting and yakking as if he just ate the grossest thing in the world — aha he’d been trying to get at his wound! Well, after that, never again.

21 Days Post Op

We’re now 3 weeks post op. The incision site is 95% healed. Not even a scar! Amazing. He’s not limping, has tried to play and romp which i’m not allowing. He is doing well but I’m still very nervous and know we’re not out of the red zone. 3 more weeks to go before things can get kinda normal… It’s been tough and stressful but definitely worth it. I will keep updating!

Lateral Suture Technique for Small Breeds – Mack is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Let me introduce you to my baby Dakota. She is a 70lb Rotti mix with elbow dysplasia in both front legs and she had a fully torn CCL in her back right leg. Needless to say, she only had one good leg left. Because of this, we decided to have surgery. I met with a very expensive TPLO surgeon who was completely uncompassionate. I also met with a surgeon at my local vet who performs TTA surgeries. I decided to go with the TTA mainly because the surgeon was more understanding, and also because of less recovery time, less invasiveness, and less cost. We only paid $1800 for the TTA.

Week 1

Wow this was SUCH a tough week. If your dog goes through this – you will overthink EVERYTHING. You will worry about EVERYTHING. But I promise, if you are a good, responsible pet owner – your dog will make it!

Dakota actually began bearing weight on her leg within 48 hours. This worried me because the take home instructions said that you should encourage your dog to use the leg after 2 weeks! I also was panicking because her staples started to come out after 3-4 days. I put her in gym shorts (as instructed by the vet) to keep her from getting to the leg and also put an inflatable collar on her (they do NOT work – her muzzle is too long).

Let’s see… what else did I worry about? Oh the dang dog wouldn’t use the bathroom forever! She would hold it for 24 hours at a time during the first week. Also, I do not have Dakota crated. She is an inside/outside dog that has never been crated in her life. So she stays in our very small, carpeted living room that is shut off with baby gates. That is her new home. She seems to be doing fine with it.

Week 2

Went to the vet for staple removal. He confirmed the fact that I overanalyzed everything. It was FINE that she started bearing weight, and her incision was FINE. He said to take those dang gym shorts off of her and that stupid collar too because the inside of the incision had healed and she can lick it all she wants. PHEW. Major relief.

The vet was very impressed with how she was doing. He was able to manipulate her leg in ways that I thought would surely be painful, but he said that she exhibited no signs of pain. Range of motion therapy is usually recommended but he said that since she scratches her face with that leg and “scratches off” after she uses number 2 with both legs, that she is doing her own therapy and it would be pointless for me to do it. SO we started slowly walking after Week 2 and she did great with her walks.

Week 3

All I can say is so far so good. No limping on the leg and she is walking better on it than before the surgery. Now we just keep increasing her walks and keep her quiet when she’s not walking on the leash. Oh and she is back to her old WILD self. Throwing her toys around and acting like a fool. I have to make her go lay down so that she doesn’t over do it!

1 Year Update

The day Dakota was released to normal activity (after 12 weeks of strict leash-only activity – she tore the ligaments in the other back leg. Because that was the ONLY good leg she had left, and was most likely putting A LOT of weight on it – the surgeon wasn’t surprise.

The next month – Dakota was going for her SECOND TTA SURGERY. I will say that because of our experience with the first surgery – we BOTH did a lot better with coping. A year later, she is now a happy, healthy dog. The surgeon says her back legs look awesome. She now can run, chase, and jump till her little heart desires. She still takes deramaxx as needed and I keep her on Cosequin (glucosamine supplement for dogs). The surgeries were tough – but in the end – worth it!

Lesson Learned: Buy dog insurance for your pet BEFORE they tear their ligaments.

TTA Surgery and Recovery to 1 Year – Dakota’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

My husband and I have three four-legged kids. Are, a 3 yr old 60 lb Pitbull; Stevie, a 1.5 yr old 12 lb Mini-schnauzer; and Athena, an approx 8 month old 72 lb Mastive-mix. This is Athena’s story…

Everyday I come come home for lunch (I am lucky to work close to home) and let my dogs out, have a quick bite to eat, love on them and back to work I go. One afternoon six months ago, I come home for lunch, let Ares and Stevie out in the backyard while I go out front to check the mail. I walked into the living room and see two dog butts wagging wildly. I thought, oh no, what do they have…

What they had was a tiny tiny puppy. A puppy IN the middle of my livingroom! She was just weened, and barely cutting her milk teeth. Someone had tossed her over our six foot privacy fence. Either A: to see what a pitbull would do to a puppy, or B: knowing this house already has dogs and thus giving her to a good home. Needless to say, my pitbull DID NOT eat her, instead brought her in the house and was standing over her, when I walked in.

I was in disbelief. I immediately went looking for holes in the backyard that maybe she could’ve crawled through, there were none. It was then that I knew someone just threw her away.

After checking her out to mke sure she had no injuries or noticeable maladies, I called my husband, telling him about my interesting lunch. I set up Stevie’s old puppy crate for her and went back to work.

After beginnig her life like that, we decided to make her part of the family. Ares and Stevie already had. Two days later I had her at the vet and all was working like clock work.

Until today’s vet visit…

It was time for her next round of shots, and I noticed her limping the last few days. We felt around her foot and hip but there were no signs of pain or discomfort, so I figured it was a sore muscle and would talk to the doc when I brought her in.

I was not prepared for the diagnosis. Ruptured cruciate ligament. Recommendation: TPLO surgery. ASAP. Estimated cost: $3,500.

I walked out with my gimpy girl with tears streaming down my face. Called my husband to weigh our options. Which weren’t promising. But I knew we would find a way to pay the $3,500. And I did. But, I found a lot more… lots of information.

We have decided it will be best to try the CM method first. She’s still so young, with a brace and meds she might be just fine. If not, she’ll get the surgery. I just couldn’t let that be the first and only option for her. And thanks to this and other sites, I have other methods to try first.

So today is day one of CM therapie.

Thank every one who took the time to post on this site.

P.S. To everyone who cannot afford the expensive surgery all at once, I applied for and was approved for Care Credit. Interest free for up to 12 months. This route may be helpful for some.

Conservative Management and Young Dogs – Athena’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Lucy was diagnosed with a Cruciate tear, in both knees. One, more painful than the other. So, I contacted a local vet who had an Ortho vet that comes in and does the surgery….all sounded perfect as we both work and this would be a local office instead of having to travel. (Costs $3400.00)

So, we showed up to bring her for surgery and then they advised us the Orttho vet only did TPLO”s there….if a TTA was needed we would have to bring her to his office, 1.5 hrs away, which is an Emergency service. So, the vet tech told us he would look her and her xrays, decide which was best, then call us.

So, we waited and waited and by the time I decided to call and see what was going on, he was in the middle of a TPLO…so we brought her home and prepared to help her through recovery.
Around day 7, she developed a fluid sack and began limpling. On day 9, she went to our vet to have her staples removed and xrays taken. We took her to our vet because when we picked her up from surgery we were told she can go anywhere for this, because we would not see the ortho vet unless we went to his office..so our vet xrayed her and showed myself and my husband that all looked good. Then the limping got worse, but the sack went away….my husband figured she got caught in a blanket that we had in her box, so we took it out and kept an eye on her. Still did not get better…week 6 she goes for more xrays at the ortho vet’s office.

He tells us she broke a bone and the screws were torn out….no idea how this happened…so he has to go in and redo the surgery….which now costs us $4100.00. So now a total of $7500.00.
We picked her up the next day ready to get her through this. All seemed good until about week 3…on Friday morning, she developed a “pimple like dot:” at the top of her incission. Then, by friday afternoon it is hot and oozing. Called the ortho vet, they told me it was probably becuase of the healing and she has been licking it, so we put cortaid on it, gave her some sedatives and put her E-collar on.

By 3 AM Sat morning she was worse and it was real hot. So, off to the Ortho Vet’s emergency office. She is infected, they need to keep her and do xrays to see if the infection has gone to the bone.
They called us a few hours later saying they have to open her back up…(3rd time in 3 months) to clean it out and scrape away all the bad tissue.

Got a call later saying she is out of surgery and resting well. We will pick her up at 6 AM Sunday morning.

Get to the vets at 5:45 AM to have him explain when they sedated her…her heart raced out of control…they are not sure why…but did get it under control, they hoped, before it did damage….and after reviewing all of the xrays…she has a screw that is still in 2 threads, but broken in side the bone….UGH…

They have sent a culture of her infection out to determine if it is a sterile or non-sterile infection….. cost now officially at $10k.

They are now concerned that her body has been rejecting the metal and this is why the infection is occurring. I can not believe how much our girl has been through…she is such a wonderful baby and doesn’t deserve this ….and i feel helpless.

Thank you all for letting me vent…

American Bulldog with 2 TPLOs on the Same Leg – Lucy is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

About 1 month ago, my 8 year old Border Collie completely tore his CCL and Meniscus to his right rear leg. Neo already had 1 big strike against him. He had broken his left leg when he was a puppy and developed terrible arthritis in that leg.

We had a stem cell transplant in 2010 for the left leg, because it had become too painful. Neo was just about lame on the left back leg. The stem cell transplant did not work. So, Neo has been compensating with his left back leg. But….1 month ago while “herding” a tennis ball he tore his CCL. Now both of Neos back legs are seriously injured.

Neo did fine with the initial surgery but he is not progressing. He has now been placed on muscle relaxers, along with the meloxicam and tramadol. He’s been on muscle relaxers for over a week now because the vet feels he might be having muscle spasms from the unusual way he holds his body, with two painful and weak back legs.

We’ve brought Neo back to the surgeon twice. But I have a feeling we’ll be going back tomorrow.

Am I expecting to much to quickly? Why is my boy still limping, having trouble getting up and down stairs, and just getting up from a prone position?

Does anyone have any suggestions??

Torn CCL and Meniscus Repair – Neo is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

All I can say is I should had seen the red flag when they said ‘No Returns or Money Back’! The A-Trac Dynamic Brace did more harm then good.

Our Black Lab was in so much more pain and stressed with the brace on. When our dog would sit or lie down the brace would move. It did not stay in place and caused more pain because he wouldn’t have his legs in the right positions due to the brace moving.

Also, we got the one that had a brace for both legs and the company only showed instructions for the one leg brace. We called them and they said it sounds like you need an extension which would cost an additional $45.00, plus taxes and shipping. The Brace its self was $570.00…

I would not recommend the A-Trac Dynamic Brace to anyone!

A-Trac Dynamic Brace Experience – Mookie is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Hannah was diagnosed with a partially torn rear leg CCL one year ago, in May 2012. Now, approaching Memorial Day Weekend 2013, marks the one year anniversary of her diagnosis, and I thought to share her story so others out there know that surgery — TPLO, Tightrope, etc.– is NOT your only option, contrary to what most vets will tell you.

One year ago Hannah started limping after an activity-filled weekend in Big Bear. She was a daily chuck-it/fetch player, loved to run, hike, you name it. After this weekend of running and three-hour hikes, she was limping when we got home. At the time she started limping she was only 2 1/2 years old, and a 55 lb. lab mix dog with a lot of energy.

We sought two different vet opinions, both of which said torn CCL (ACL), must do TPLO. Recovery time is up to 6 months, with a high likelihood of tearing the other knee within 18 months. To me, this did not sound like a good enough success rate, and the cost was upwards of $4,000. We did NOT have pet insurance.

After a lot of research, stress, reading articles, my boyfriend and I opted to go for a third opinion before putting Hannah under the knife. To our surprise, this vet did NOT recommend surgery, and to quote her, “I would not give this dog surgery.” Her reasoning was that it was partially torn, and that there were alternatives to try FIRST, at least to be sure that we had tried EVERYTHING. She recommended weight management, cold laser therapy, Glucosamine tablets daily, modifying and limiting exercise, an anti-inflammatory (as-needed), and oh, did I mention weight management???? So very important!

At first, it was tough to stop playing fetch. Hannah, my boyfriend and I did this together daily, and it was Hannah’s favorite thing to play, and her daily routine. In fact, we were devastated that she may never play fetch again, with or without surgery. We tried to focus on keeping her busy with walks, hikes, and “easy” ball play in the yard. Now, it’s just become the norm and the new routine, and we’ve all adapted.

We highly reduced her kibble (Blue Buffalo), and added vegetables to her meals to make her feel “full.” Dogs can eat pumpkin, broccoli, lettuce, kale, and squash. Who knew? Still to this day, she eats much less kibble and lots of veggies. She has lost 10 lbs. since diagnosed, and the doctor couldn’t have been more pleased. She still takes Glucosamine tablets daily with her meals. She has NOT had an anti-inflammatory for months, as she barely limps.

The cold laser therapy treatments also helped with inflammation and pain. Here is a link I Googled about laser therapy in dogs: http://www.vetinfo.com/cold-laser-therapy-for-dogs.html. It is NOT cheap, about $30-$40 per session, but in my opinion, worth it and cheaper than the $4000+ surgery. It’s worth a try. In the beginning we did 1-2 treatments a week for about 6 months, and now she gets it about every 6 weeks just for maintenance (and she happens to love going and loves the “laser leg lady.”)

We did a year follow-up yesterday and the doctor was beyond pleased. Her weight is down, she bears weight on her torn CCL leg, she’s happy, gets daily activity, plays with her new brother, Riley, and has been able to be herself, even without her intense running.

The way we look at it, this whole experience, surgery or not, we will always have to be cautious of her leg and mind her over-exercising it. We’ll have to always monitor her weight, but that’s important anyway. She shows no signs of pain and is doing just great! We are very happy with our vet and opting against any type of knee surgery.

On a side note, I highly recommend pet insurance. We got it after this experience just as a precaution, and also for her new brother. For both our dogs it’s $40 a month and very worth it. If you were to have insurance and have this experience, and were leaning towards surgery, it would be covered.

We use Pet’s Best Insurance.

Please e-mail me if you have any questions.

~ Courtney

Conservative Management, Weight Management and Laser Therapy – Hannah is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Koko is a 58 pound Labradoodle. She will be 9 in October. We were told she tore her right CCL in 2009, but we did not do surgery. We kept her activity down and began daily glucosamine and fish oil. Recently, she started limping again with the cold weather. We put her on Rimadyl and things seemed to improve until a few weeks ago she would not put weight on her left rear leg. She was x-rayed and our vet and a surgeon both said she needs surgery. After all is said and done, the cost will be $6,000 to $7,000 depending on whether we do them both at the same time.

I feel like we are letting her down if we put her down but it is hard to justify the cost and the rehab time for her. Now she is on Rimadyl, Tramadol, and a nerve block. I’ve been able to cut back on the Tramadol and she still seems to be improving somewhat. However, she is definitely still not walking right and not putting a lot of weight on the left leg. She’s always on a leash and usually will only go to the bathroom while on her walk. Not sure why she won’t go in our yard; probably just habit from years of having her daily walks.

Any advice? Are we being unfair to the dog? She is so sweet. I would hate to think she is suffering.

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

One morning, we noticed our Bichon Frise was limping. It was her left hind leg. The limp was noticeable and disturbing. She wasn’t whining or anything, but she wasn’t putting weight on it either.

I took her to 2 different vets. Both said it was her ACL and they recommended surgery. It was this site and another site that got me thinking. If the most surgery can do is stabilize the injury until it heals itself, then as long as I restricted her movement to some extent, it should heal itself. She did not seem to be in a great amount of discomfort or pain, other than ‘favoring’ that leg.

SO… We kept her inside. Only letting her out on leash so she could not run and jump. It took about 9 weeks, but her leg has healed COMPLETELY. Movement is no different than the other leg.

Surgery is always a last resort for us.

Conservative Management for ACL – Madam Bijou is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Hey everyone, posting this because I could not find any stories with this particular complication on the web.

I have an 8? year old rescued lab/pitt/dane? neutered male who weighs about 80 lbs. Initially presented with intermittent lameness on both sides (alternating) which finally made its source abundantly clear when he came in from playing with a non-weight-bearing right rear leg.

After much agonizing and research, I decided to go with the TPLO procedure to give him the best shot at returning to his normal self. Domino is a pogo stick. He has literally cleared 6ft kennels from a standstill. He jumped into my TALL 3/4 ton pickup, while the tailgate was closed. He loves to hike more than anything.

Surgery went well on June 12th. He came out of it fine…my ortho vet keeps the dogs for a week after surgery to head off most complications. I go to pick Domino up on the 18th, and while I am getting ready to lift him into the truck, he slides past me and jumps for it. He was on a leash…but he panics when he thinks I am going to leave him anywhere and I just wasn’t fast enough. Anyway, he misses, lands on his back legs, both buckle, and he falls to the ground. I am just sick to my stomach. He gets up after a minute, still walking on both back legs. The tech and I check him out, and he appears to be alright.

By the time we get home, he is starting to favor his left leg…the one he did not have surgery on. By 10pm that night, he is no longer willing to bear weight on the leg. He is now walking solely on his freshly surgical right leg. The left one hangs in the air. I know what the problem is already – he tore his other CCL. I call the clinic, they say up his Deramaxx and see if it helps by morning.

By the next day, he doesn’t want to walk at all. I can get him outside with a towel sling, but he refuses to urinate. If I remove the sling to encourage him to go, he collapses to the ground and lays there. I call the vet clinic, and they tell me they are going to need to x-ray him to make sure he didn’t hurt anything else. During this time, he is only on Deramaxx for pain. He is crated and I have to go to work, but I make an appointment for the following day.

By the time I get home on the night of the 19th, he absolutely refuses to move. He is panting and shaking, and I can tell he’s in pain. I call the clinic in an absolute panic, and they tell me to give him 100 mg of Tramadol. (I take it occasionally for back pain, but am more than willing to share with him.) I want to take him in, but I live in a rural area and the clinic is almost 2 hrs away since we have construction detours. They won’t stay open. (I was really pissed about that.)

I pill him immediately (about 4pm), and within about an hour he seems much more comfortable. He goes to sleep, and I give him another 100 mg at midnight. He sleeps the night through, but still hasn’t gone to the bathroom in over 24 hours. I am on the clinics doorstep when they open at 7:30 am. They do xrays, confirm that the surgical repair is fine, and a VERY positive drawer sign on his left leg confirms what I already knew. Domino is much happier with his pain management at this point, and willingly stands on the leg that had surgery – still non-weight-bearing on the left leg with its new tear.

The vet had discussed with several other ortho docs, and they determined that the best thing to do would be immediate surgery on the second leg. I asked about a brace, and had three docs tell me it was a bad idea. The brace stiffens the leg, which can change their gait, causing twisting on the fresh TPLO surgery. They said it’s safer to get the other leg done, and let the dog split their weight between the two back legs.

Had I known this was going to happen, I would have definitely done both legs at the same time. Domino makes no noise when he is in pain…you first figure out that he is having major issues when he refuses to move and starts panting. All three vets missed the signs that the second ligament was severely compromised, and I was too inexperienced to know what I was looking at. I also think that his pain management protocol was severely lacking. They said normally they are very careful about pain management because it can fool the dog into thinking they are healthier than they really are. They did not reckon with the fact that once Domino got home and relaxed, he couldn’t work through the pain he was in. He needed the narcotics.

I would tell other owners, if your dog is not getting around well on 3 legs after tearing one cruciate, if you ever see them get up and literally try to stand only on their front legs (lifting both back feet off the ground by arching their back), and if they collapse at any point before surgery while out playing (even if they get back up), you may want to consider a dual TPLO and save yourself significant costs in anesthesia and drugs.

I recognize that this was my fault as well for not realizing he would panic and jump for the truck, but I have no guarantee that this wouldn’t have happened at some other point in his recovery.

Second surgery is tomorrow morning, and I am so worried that he won’t be able to get around even after the second surgery…I will update information after I get it.

Update After Second TPLO Surgery

Things went great with his second surgery – he is more willing to walk on the first leg and toe touching on the second one…he’s apparently managed to go potty too. Hoping he stabilizes enough to come home on Thursday! The vet clinic is having trouble getting him to eat…he goes on hunger strikes when I leave him. Normally not a problem because after three days he finally gives up, but after so much surgery he needs the calories.

Second Tear Immediately Following TPLO – Domino is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Phoebe is our 1 1/2 year old pit bull. She was dumped with 9 other brothers and sisters at our rescue, Tyson’s Chance Animal Foundation.

Phoebe is your typical dog. She loves long walks, running with her friends, treats, car rides, new faces to kiss, and oh, did we mention treats?
Soon after we moved in to a different home, I noticed Phoebe sitting really weird. She put all her weight on one side and favored her left side. I noticed she got up from a lay/sit position very slowly. She started having a hard time getting on our bed. After freaking myself out with Google, I made an appointment. Our vet told us she was overweight but other than that she was fine. She weighed 71lbs. She was a chunkster. They sent us home with a bag of “special diet food,” and I thought everything was fine.

Not even a week later I noticed her limping. She couldn’t get on the bed. She preferred laying to sitting. When she did sit, it was awkward and looked very uncomfortable. I immediately called our vet, luckily a 24hr ER vet, and told them my concerns. They said I could bring her back in and charge me for the vet visit and for x-rays. I screamed some profanities at them and requested the vet call me back asap. Hearing from the vet brought no comfort. She took no responsibility for sending me home with special diet food and telling me my baby girl was fine. We did not go back.

I did more research on my own and spoke with a few friends in rescue who had experienced some similar situations with their personal dogs. I decided it was time for another opinion and reached out to another vet who I knew personally.

Dr. Della was very informative and knowledgeable. She knew her stuff. We received x-rays with her. The information she gave us scared the hell out of me. Both of her ACL’s were injured, potentially torn. Phoebe had poorly set hits (dysplasia). She also felt she may has a meniscal tear.
My best friend, vet tech for awhile, told me we should look in to the traditional surgery(better for our budget) and try to avoid a TPLO or TTO/TPO. Dr. Della was very adamant on Phoebe going with one of the modern surgeries because her injuries were more severe.

I was going to vet appointments with Phoebe by myself and relaying the information to my boyfriend. When I told him the cost of both knees, at that time estimated to be around $2500 a piece, he wanted another opinion.

We went to our rescue vet in Shelbyville, KY, the vet my best friend took her oldest dog to for her referral for traditional repair, Dr. Belcher. Dr. Belcher checked out Phoebe’s x-rays and palpated her knees. She gave a very similar diagnosis to Dr. Della. Dr. Belcher only strayed in the opinion that both knees should be done at the same time and her left knee wasn’t as bad as the right. She felt her left knee may be a candidate for traditional instead of TPLO. We were finally ready for our referral.

Today was our visit with Dr. Neat at Metropolitan Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Neat provided detailed information, surgerical plan, and aftercare. He concluded both of Phoebe’s knees will need TPLO. He quoted us at $3200 per knee. That doesn’t include aftercare or aftercare x-rays. That price tag was a big blow but we will make it work.

Phoebe’s first TPLO surgery will happen on May 21st, 2013. Even after all the bad news, Phoebe is still a ball of energy. You would never know she had two torn ACL’s if she wasn’t bolegged and walking strangely. She runs, jumps, runs some more, gets on/off the bed/couch. She is a normal dog. She is being treated with pervacox and trymadol. I think this gives her false sense of strength. She rarely shows pain. She will cry if one of other dogs plays too rough.

She is our baby trooper. This site has given me relief, strength, and hope for her future. I am scared but also excited for her first surgery. I can’t wait to have my baby back in full health.

I hope I can continue to update Phoebe’s story and share her road to working knees!

TPLO for Pit Bulls – Phoebe’s Story is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

I am very concerned after our visit to the Vet last night. Kona our 72 lb. Lab is needing surgery on BOTH back legs! She was running around a few days ago with the neighbor kids and came back in limping. One knee is completely ruptured and the other torn. Our Vet warned us that if we only did 1 leg the other would most likely rupture within 10 days after surgery due to the added weight she would put on it. We are going to try a combination of Extracapular Repair and the Conservative Management supplements after the surgery to help stabilize her back legs. The Extracapular Repair helps to stabilize the joint while the tissue can reform to support the leg.

We probably would have tried Conservative Management only if it was 1 leg or if the right leg was not completely ruptured.

(I wanted to know for sure so we took her in for XRays last night)

Small NOTE: if your dog gets sedated, take piddle pads in the car.

I am most concerned about getting her out to the yard in the first 2 weeks after surgery. I was thinking I could manage if it was just 1 leg. We will re-arrange our house to set up a recovery area in our main floor bathroom and I will move my office down to the kitchen (we have a 2 story home and I work from a 2nd floor office). I have no idea how I am going to get her outside by myself. Even with a sling and a leash, she is very strong and has a very high pain tolerance.

Hope all goes well…

Michelle

Kona – Double Extracapular Repair is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

C.T. Brady is a Brittany who will be 13 on Christmas 2013. He was born with a crooked spine (his short tail is canted severely to the left; the C.T. is for “Crook Tail”) and he has very straight stifles (or rear knees) in his hind end. He’s always had a funky gait and the tendency to dislocate his right hind. When he was 7 weeks old he was kicked by a horse, breaking his front “elbows’. They were repaired with titanium plates at the nearby vet school hospital ($7200). Since this injury was exceptionally painful and occurred during a sensitive developmental period of puppy-hood, Brady has since been very wimpy about pain and terrified of vets. He’s not at all stoic like my other dogs and I have to be extra vigilant that he doesn’t manipulate me to baby him when he whimpers or cries.

My vet told me when he was a puppy the best thing I could do for his joints was lots of exercise but warned that he would probably develop arthritis and could have problems with his stifles. I walk my dogs every day in off-leash areas so they get to run. Brady is high energy and has lots of stamina. Being off-leash is his joy. This past year he’s gotten stiff and can no longer jump on the bed or into the truck without a lift. But once free he’s like a young dog again and runs and runs. Throughout his life, mostly in the cold weather, his right hind would suddenly ‘dislocate’. He’d hold the leg up and hop along as though nothing had happened – so apparently there was no pain. Sometimes it would ‘right’ itself and sometimes I’d call him to me and massage the leg and then he’d run off and the leg would be fine. I always told my vet. She said not to worry unless he showed pain.

This past May 2013, Brady was loping past me on a walk over uneven terrain. Suddenly he yelped and was holding up his right hind leg. This time it didn’t right itself on its own or with massage. Brady was trembling, panting and didn’t want to continue. He hobbled with me back to the truck and cried when the other dogs jostled him. I called the vet and she said to give him an aspirin and to call the next day if he was still in pain. He was; I called vet and made arrangements to bring him in. She diagnosed a ruptured CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) based on the ‘drawer movement’ and, later, with x-rays. She told me the only true fix was surgery; that there were different surgical options and that all of them were ‘serious’ in that the recovery time would be lengthy. She also said there was a significant probability of recurrence due to his history as well as the chance he would rupture the ligament on the left side.

Given his history, age and temperament, I did not want to put him through surgery. Being retired I also didn’t need the expense. But I also did not want him to be in pain. My vet said I had time to think about it. She said we could wait and see for a few days or even weeks or months, depending on how Brady did. She gave me some ‘bute’ for pain and we made an appointment for three weeks later. She told me to continue walking the dogs as usual – just to let Brady decide how much and how far.

Brady always, always wanted to go for a walk off leash. The bute helped his initial pain, though I must say I worried it would mask it enough that he might hurt himself more. But he carried his injured leg up and loped along happily. It was harder for him to go slower at a walk or trot, because then he would have to limp. It reminded me that there are many happy three-legged dogs in the world, as well as those who have only two and must use wheeled carts as prostheses. The main concern I had was that he be comfortable.

After three weeks Brady was weaned off the bute. His leg was still unstable and the thigh was swollen but he was not exhibiting any signs of pain – except when his boisterous ‘sister’ would roughhouse too hard – which was nothing new. I told the vet I wanted to continue this “conservative, wait-and-see” approach. She said she would support it. She said some dogs develop enough scar tissue that the joint gets somewhat stabilized. She cautioned that things could get worse at any time.

It’s now been a little over 3 months since the rupture. Brady continues to show no pain (except the overall stiffness on rising that he showed for almost a year prior to the ligament injury). We continue our long walks and swims. We do lots of hills. I let him set the pace and distances. He is now using the injured leg more; actually putting it on the ground and pushing with it when he lopes. He has much less of a limp when he trots and none when he walks. His thigh is still a bit swollen and his leg will give out on him sometimes when he goes to pivot on it – but he just looks surprised when this happens. He doesn’t cry out like he used to when the injury first happened. He jumps down from my truck just fine and can manage the stairs in my 2 story house.

So far, so good! I do give him Cosequin joint supplement tablets now and bought him an orthopedic bed though he prefers to climb (albeit slowly) onto the couch. Maybe it’s a matter of pride for him!

I do unto my animals as I would have done for myself. I tore my own anterior cruciate ligament 14 years ago. I opted for surgery because it could be done arthroscopically with local anesthesia and I could be back to normal in 2 days with care. If I had had to be laid up for months and do rehab I would have opted for putting up with a gimpy knee that didn’t hurt that much. Brady would be devastated if he couldn’t come with the other dogs and me on the daily hikes. So would I. Sadly, that day will come soon enough as he ages.

Each case (and dog) is different. As long as I can keep my animals comfortable and happy I will try to do without the stress of surgery or of being kenneled and left behind.

Will update this post in a few months.

C.T. Brady – Ruptured CCL is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Moby is a 2.5 yr old, neutered lab. About 6 weeks ago, he became leg-in-the-air lame on his left hind leg after an acute injury. This was diagnosed as an acute acl tear or rupture. But in retrospect, I think he was displaying a whole set of subtle symptoms that both knees were in trouble, symptoms which we did not recognize or act on.

Over the course of several weeks, Moby saw a total of 3 vets. They all had differing interpretations of the x-ray files (both knees plus hips), but all agreeing that there were signs of arthritic osteocytes outside the joint space. They had widely different takes on the hips, one said the left was iffy, another said the right, and one said neither. One said his future would be bleak regardless of what we did, the other said it would be great if tplos were done, the other didn’t comment. Two knew what TTA was, one never heard of it. Two think CM is like what you do for small dogs, one thought it was “do nothing”. One said the fibrosis scarring is what provides long term joint stability in all treatments, the others reluctantly admitted this and then changed the subject. They all called for bilateral TPLOs. When I asked for pointers to good studies comparing the long term results of aoo the options, none of them could point to anything but anecdotes. But there was a 4th opinion that were had to consider, Moby’s opinion.

Upon getting the first diagnosis, we severly restricted Moby’s activities. We are fortunate to live right on a lake, so we let him swim, thinking this had little negative impact on the joint and it was important to keep up muscle mass. After a few days, the symptoms in his left leg were mostly gone. We took him off the rimadyl (thinking this was making him artificially feel better), but there was little difference. As the weeks passed, the symptoms subsided to mere reluctance to full weight bear for a few steps after rising from rest, then nothing. Eventually, even that went away. He did have a few what I call “escapes” where he ran or jumped off the dock onto hard ground or overstressed in some way, and the result was obvious in a return of symptoms to some degree. But again, they subsided in a day or two after proper restriction.

But more than that, the symptoms Moby had for perhaps a year prior to the injury were vanishing too. He was now sitting on his haunches as often as not (he would always sit on his hips prior to this). He was no longer “getting up like an old man” (as I used to say), he would just get up. He would stand around instead of always flop down whenever he didn’t have to move. And he would want to play while seeiming to feel a lot better overall. We could not ignore this “4th opinion” he was giving us.

Of course there was a ton of researching going on in parallel with all of this. TPLO sounded like radical, invasive surgery which has as many bad outcomes as very good outcomes (both about 15%). Mediocre outcomes were the norm (70%). TPLO originally claimed it would prevent a lot of future arthritis, but the evidence is now that it does not. Mobility is almost always reduced in TPLO. And just about the only thing left to move that way was the claim that it was better than CM, which is usually thought of by many vets as “do nothing” or “restrict for a few weeks, then let him go once symptoms subside”. But there’s another camp in the CM world that few know about, a camp that claims long term success as good as or maybe better than TPLO, even for large dogs.

tiggerpoz.com advocates a program of restraint and tapering back into activity over perhaps a much longer period than even post-op. The initial 6-8 week period is similar to post-op, but if there are signs that stability is improving after that, you begin the slow and cautious rehab phase. This can take months, many months. The dog will tell you if and when you can advance, increase activity. And when you do, you advace in small increments, always looking for return of symptoms as a flag to stop or retreat a bit until symptoms subside. The goal is not to get to a point where the dog can go on a couple 20 minute walks, then you’re done. The goal is to achieve the highest activity level you can without symptoms, whatever that happens to be. It may be the 2 20 minute walks. Or it may be running and/or off-leash walks with other dogs for hours. Getting there may take a long time, a long time.. But isn’t it worth it if you can avoid tplo? Especially bilateral tplos?

Moby is currently on that course and about 6 weeks into it. We are up to the 2 20 minute walks on an “extended leash” (a 16 foot rope) on woods trails with uneven ground and a few ups and downs. In addition to that, he swims for another 1/2-3/4 hour. Each activity is separated by at least a couple hours rest. Next week I’ll make them 25 minute walks and maybe I’ll jog the last 50 feet with him (my jog = his fast walk). The only symptom indicator I have left is whether or not he sits on his haunches. That works for me, I don’t want to have to see him limp to determine if we went too far.

In the meantime, this gravitation toward the tiggerpoz style CM is complemented by a push away from TPLO as I think more about it. Moby would need bilateral TPLOs and both would have to be successful to achieve overall success. Remember that 15% failure rate I mentioned earlier? Well, Moby’s chances of having at least one failed TPLO is 15%+15% = 30%. That’s about 1/3, or like playing Russian Roulette with 2 bullets! Also, one of the vets said that it actually takes about a year for the dog to completely recover from a TPLO. Times 2, that’s 2 years. Moby’s 2 and labs live to about 12 leaving about 10 years. The last 2 probably won’t be very active for reasons other than his stiffles, leaving about 8 years of hopefully higher level activity living. Two years may not seem like much to you and me, but it’s a lot when compared to 8 years. And when you think that a big chunk of that 2 years will be in pain and severly restricted, well, it’s a big price to pay that has nothing to do with $$. Using the “7 years for a person = 1 year for a dog” concept, it would be like telling you that recouperation and rehab would be 14 years. You’d have to think twice about that.

So far, so good with Mby and his current CM course. When I see him prancing through the woods, alert, tail high, showing zero symptoms, I cannot in good conscious put him through bilateral TPLOs. It makes me sick to imagine what post-op would be like if I did that. I don’t kow what’s in Moby’s future. CM seems to be going fine and I hope we get good results that’ll last him his lifetime. But if not, if things get bad years from now, maybe total knee replacement will be available by then. Unlike TPLO, that does appear to be a real fix for very bad knees. But TPLO? I can’t see it..

If you are reading this, you probably have a large dog with bad stiffle(s). If so, I urge you to at least give the style of CM I described above a try (ref: tiggerpoz.com). You owe him/her at least that. You can always cut later if you feel you have to. But give him/her a chance.

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

Santos is a rescued/adopted 7 year old Greyhound and Dalmatian mix with diabetes diagnosed one year ago. Santos had a full tear with no meniscus damage.

I attempted CM (Conservative Management) for 1.5 months with him getting worse. I decided to get the knee surgically repaired. Because of his diabetes, I brought him home the same day of surgery. As others have noted, the first week and definitely nights one and two were the hardest part. I’ve never heard him cry until the first night. It was horrible. I wondered if I did the right thing. Only time will tell.

Our last vet visit was for staple removal (at 2 weeks post-op) and all was fine. Santos is now 1 month post-op and is still limping. I am doing my best not to compare his recovery with other dogs’ recoveries I read online. It is very hard. I live on the second floor (16 steps) and continue to carry him up/down the stairs, as I’m so very worried the suture (inside) will not hold since it really just there to “buy time” for the scarring to take hold.

I take him for short walks 3 x day and will bring him in as soon as I notice the limping is worse. I also sit/stand exercises with him and try range of motion, which he does not like at all. When he first gets up, the leg is stiff and he hops around. I am hoping the loss of muscle is the big reason for his limp and maybe a lack of confidence, but not the procedure itself. The muscle atrophied quite a bit by the time I brought him in for surgery.

Unfortunately, there is no rehab or hydrotherapy facility nearby. He is now able to hold himself up (while relieving) using the repaired leg and his front legs. Today, he was also able to scratch his ear (not a hearty scratch) with the repaired leg. Our next vet visit is November 4th and I am hoping all will be okay. Thank you for establishing this site. The information and personal stories of success and failures and success again have been very helpful.

Extracapsular Surgery for Dogs – Santos is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Heidi had her first CCL repair surgery (TTO) in December 2011 and her second (MMP) about 6 months later. Everything went well following both surgeries and we were problem free for about a year. Then Heidi developed a suspicious knot on her knee that worsened with exercise. It developed into an abscess and ultimately it was determined that the end of the stabilizing wire from her MMP surgery was most likely irritating the underlying tissue, causing inflammation which eventually developed into an infection. After a month long course of antibiotics, and reoccurrence of the knot, Heidi had to have her third surgery to remove the stabilizing wire and pin. These pieces of hardware were no longer needed now that the bone was healed, so she wouldn’t miss them. We were thankful it wasn’t a bone infection and hoped that surgery would be the end of Heidi’s knee troubles.

Unfortunately, a month or so later, Heidi began limping again and we finally concluded that she tore her meniscus in that same leg (we heard the tell-tale “clicking” associated with a meniscus tear). So we went in for surgery number four (3rd on her left knee) for a meniscectomy (meniscus removal). It was a simple surgery and the recovery period was about half as long as the recovery period for the TTO and the MMP surgeries. We kept Heidi confined to a small area for 4 weeks then began rehab walks to rebuild the muscle in that leg. We are now a little over 6 weeks post-op and she is doing really great. Around week 4 post-op I feel like her progress really slowed, so I gave her a week off from her rehab walks. Basically, she began limping slightly after every walk we went on, but after a week’s rest, she was a new dog. Since then, we’ve been increasing our walk time and she barely has a limp. I think as of today, she is about the same as she was before all of these complications began.

Despite the obstacles we have met along the road to recovery, I am happy with the choices we have made. I’m most glad we took the leap and did the first surgery, especially since she tore her other CCL 6 months later. I call that leg her “titanium leg” (hence the titanium implants). She hasn’t had any problems with it since surgery. Although we hit some speed bumps with her second CCL tear, I’m still glad we chose to have surgery. All surgeries come with risks, and we unfortunately had to deal with our complications, but in the long run, I think the choices we have made will drastically decrease the progression of arthritis in her later years. Heidi is 3 years old now and hopefully has many, many happy and healthy (and surgery free!) years ahead of her.

If you’d like to read a more detailed account of our adventure with Heidi, check out our blog! http://heidibsknees.blogspot.com It covers our experience from the first tear through the present!

TTO and MMP Surgery for Dogs – Heidi is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Our now 12 year old Brittany, Loki, has had both knees fixed with TPLO surgery. His first surgery was 18 months ago and the second about 1 year ago. Recovery went well in both cases, though he managed to break his fibula both times. In both cases, though, the fibula healed without any troubles.

After the second surgery, he began dragging his toenails occasionally on both sides. We didn’t worry about it as the recovery was going well and we weren’t aware that it could be a symptom of other problems.

Things were going well until about 6 months after the second surgery. He seemed to be back to about 80%, running and playing near to his normal hyperactive self.

At about 6 months, he developed a limp and more proprioceptive deficiencies. He drags his toenails occasionally on both sides and knuckles as well. The side of his second surgery is a little worse than the other side.

Our surgeon wasn’t able to examine Loki, since we have moved to Panama, but we sent him some x-rays and he felt they looked good with no arthritis or complications.

These symptoms have increased and decreased over time, but never gone away. The surgeon said that TPLO can’t cause proprioceptive problems, but I wanted to find out if anyone else has had similar experiences. Perhaps pain and weakness associated with the surgery can cause these symptoms?

Thanks for any input!

Double TPLO Recovery – Limping/Lameness – Loki is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Two days ago Max, our 4 year old very active 18 pound Westie, would not walk when he woke up. We took him to the vet, and they said he tore his ACL and recommended LSS surgery. They gave him pain medication and laser therapy.

By the afternoon he was acting normally because he couldn’t feel any pain. We decided on the LSS surgery, but then this morning we did not give him any medication and he is acting completely normally. He is running around, playing, and even standing on his hind legs. You would never know he had an injury. It has only been one day, and Max has moved on with his life.

Now we are questioning if he should have surgery at all or if CM is a better route. We don’t want to risk re-injury or a full tear but also don’t want to put him through surgery and rehab if it is unnecessary. What should we do?

LSS Surgery vs. Conservative Management for Small Dogs – Max is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

The Cruciate Injury

In May of 2013, Dandelion started limping and showing signs of discomfort. I knew instantly what it was since I had another dog (Duffus) to do the same thing back in 2002. Duffus had the ACL surgery which is what they call Traditional surgery now. I didn’t want Dande to have surgery because I am terrified of an animal being put under for anything (yes…I worry).

Hydrotherapy

I heard from a friend at work that her dog had hurt his knee and did Hydro therapy for a few weeks and never needed surgery. Yipeeeee I thought so I signed Dande up for a Hydro therapy consultation with the therapist. The therapist (Cassie) said she thought Dande was a good candidate for the therapy, but couldn’t make any promises that she wouldn’t need surgery eventually. Although the Hydro therapy would help strengthen her muscles and would help with recovery if she did need the surgery. So I signed her up.

10 sessions of walking on a treadmill with water up to her chest. No problem right??? Except Dandelion hates water!!! She did really good considering and graduated. Her Therapist was the best and really took time with Dande to help ease any pain or discomfort. We love her! Less then 2 months later Dande chased a diesel truck (she hates them) along side my chain link fence and the damage was done.

TPLO Surgery

We headed in for another visit and saw the Surgeon this time. He said both knees were blown and thought maybe she was born with bad knees due to her parents past and breeding (which I had no clue since she found me at 5 months old and has been with me ever since). The Surgeon recommended the TPLO on the worse knee (left) first and she had surgery on April 24th 2013.

Surgery went great and she came home the next day. She was so pitiful and didn’t want to even try to put that foot on the ground. She was lifted up and down steps and a sling was used to help her out to potty. This was rough since she weighed 65 pounds. She wasn’t allowed to walk on slick floors and since I have all hardwood I ended up carrying her a lot more then normal, but I was willing to do whatever to help her feel better and walk again.

It took 12-14 wks for her to recover fully and this included another round of hated Hydro therapy. She isn’t very active and was doing so good, so the Surgeon opted to wait on the right knee. All was well until 2 wks ago and she somehow twisted the right knee the right/wrong way and here we are again with a bum knee. She goes Monday to see her Surgeon (who is awesome! I would recommend him to anybody!!!!)

TPLO or Lateral Suture (Extracapsular Repair)

I am debating on doing the TPLO surgery again or just doing the Traditional surgery (ACL aka the fishing line). I guess we will see Monday what Dr. James recommends. Dandelion is almost 8 now and like I said is NOT very active. She prefers to sleep…walk….eat…and sleep again. She is NOT a go getter to speak. Never has been really and the Surgeon thinks it may have been due to her bad knees all her life. The TPLO surgery did great but was very invasive. The ACL/Traditional recover time is less. Tough decision …..my dogs are my kids so I want the best for them. Hopefully I will be able to update everyone after Monday on what is decided.

TPLO or Lateral Suture (Extracapsular Repair) – Dandelion Marie is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries

Jackson is a 5 year old Border Collie mix. So obviously, he’s extremely active!

My husband and I have two dogs, and they love to play in the backyard. In October of 2013, the boys were in the backyard when Jackson, mid running at top speed, fell to the ground and cried out. LOUDLY. After finally getting up, his left leg remained up in the air and he refused to put any weight on it. Right away we knew something was wrong.

After an exam by our regular vet, we were referred to an orthopedic surgeon. After examining our baby, the surgeon reluctantly told us that Jackson had indeed torn his ACL. (No x-rays or MRI; she examined him thoroughly and we trusted her expertise.) After the initial heartbreak and shock, we knew we wanted him to be able to run again with his ‘brother’. So, on Nov. 1st, Jackson underwent TPLO surgery on his left knee.

To describe the anxiety during the surgery is impossible. We were nervous and anxious to hear that it went well. After a few hours, we got the call that everything went well and we could pick him up the next day.

To be honest, the staff was truly amazing and they did their best to prepare us for the VERY LONG recovery which was in our future. We were not, however, emotionally prepared to go through it. Jackson did very well through the surgery, and came home all drugged up and didn’t move for the first day or two. After a few days he began to get restless, as he is a pretty active dog. It was hard; we had to crate him when not home; he was stuck with an E-collar for almost 8 weeks which drove him insane (we had to give him Xanax a few times because he started to become depressed). He was restricted to a space in our living room no bigger than 8′x8′. We leash walked him 3-4 times a day, with the help of a sling under his belly for support. It was, in so many words, a nightmare. But we survived, and so did Jackson. He began to recover very nicely, and eventually started putting his weight back on the leg during our walks. It hasn’t helped that we got about 900 million feet of snow this winter, so our walks were severely reduced.

It’s been just about 4 months, and we were given the all-clear from the surgeon to resume his normal activity this week! And then…the real nightmare happened.
Just yesterday, Jackson was outside, and it appears he has now torn his RIGHT ACL, as he couldn’t get up from a sitting position in the backyard. After carrying him inside, my husband and I noticed the same actions he took with his left leg was now happening with the right! How can this be happening, already!? We were warned that most dogs who tear an ACL in one leg have a 50% chance of tearing the other, but we were not prepared for it to happen so soon!

And due to his left leg not being 100% strong, he’s having great difficulty getting up from a laying/sitting position. It’s breaking our hearts, and we cannot go through with the TPLO surgery again (emotionally and financially).

I’ve begun doing research on stifle braces, and am hopeful that our surgical apt on Monday with the surgeon will be beneficial in lending us to alternative methods for recovery.

TPLO for Border Collies – Jackson is a post from: Dog Knee Surgery and Ligament Injuries