Dog advice......Torn Ligament in knee

[Disneyglobegirl]

Has any one here have this happen to their dog? If so did you opt for surgery. We have a Shepherd/Husky mix pup who is 7 months old and I notice him hopping and not putting much weight on his back left leg. I took him to the vet Monday and was told he had a torn ligament in his knee. The vet gave me Rimadyl and Glyco Flex for him and for the next two week I am to try to keep him from running and jumping then I need to bring him back in to be checked to see if he is recovering or if he might need surgery.

Has anyone here had this surgery for their dogs? How did it go? Any recommendations on how to make this go a little more smoothly? It is very hard to keep a 7 month old pup form running and jumping.

Thanks!!!

 

[adkkev]

our dog had two surgeries for his ACL ... first repair was done with fishing line (don't laugh, this is typical), but that didn't fix the problem (first time it hadn't for our vet, which figures 'cause my wife is a vet tech there) ... so then he had a TPLO and that did the trick. It was a long recovery, more so because there were two surgeries, and it wasn't smooth because our dog didn't quite understand that he couldn't just get up and do all of the usual running and jumping like he'd done before the injury. And he didn't like wearing that cone over his head either (to prevent him from ripping out his stitches/staples). TPLO is expensive and usually done by a specialty clinic.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

our dog had two surgeries for his ACL ... first repair was done with fishing line (don't laugh, this is typical), but that didn't fix the problem (first time it hadn't for our vet, which figures 'cause my wife is a vet tech there) ... so then he had a TPLO and that did the trick. It was a long recovery, more so because there were two surgeries, and it wasn't smooth because our dog didn't quite understand that he couldn't just get up and do all of the usual running and jumping like he'd done before the injury. And he didn't like wearing that cone over his head either (to prevent him from ripping out his stitches/staples). TPLO is expensive and usually done by a specialty clinic.

Thanks for the info, No laughing from me as my vet mentioned the fishing line surgery so I guess my best option would be to opt for the TPLO instead of possibly looking at 2 different surgeries incase the fishing line thing doesn't work. May I ask what was the estimated price on the TPLO?

 

[apirateslifeforme]

My dog tore both of her ligaments back when she was 8 or 9 (she's 15 1/2 now). One at a time; the first one, she was up on a windowsill and got too excited and didn't prepare before jumping off, and the second time, she was sleeping on a chair when she heard the doorbell and didn't give herself time to wake up fully before taking off to attack

I never saw either of the false ligaments, but we were told they were a piece of braided plastic. Tara had to stay overnight at the vet's, and I remember crying when I picked her up the next day and saw her shaved, shriveled little leg. She did pretty well walking on it, though. Of course, once we got home, she was worn out and it took her about 30 minutes to get from one room to the other, to her blanket. And she whimpered a lot. By the next day, however, she seemed much better; she started to put her leg down to walk, and within a week, she was running and jumping again. When we took her back to the vet for her 2-week checkup, she jumped on the bench in front of the vet, and he said, "Oh...she can jump???"

Then 2 months later, she tore the second ligament, so it was back for another surgery...same results. Each surgery was about $800, and she's been on powdered Cosequin in her food every night, but she's done very well. Although she can no longer jump (within the past year) and she sometimes stumbles, the vet says there's no sign of arthritis. It's muscle weakness due to age..."It happens to all of us!" So I say, IMO, it's a good surgery. Good luck and I hope your little one gets better soon!

 

[Hercules10]

My shepherd had to have TPLO a few years back. It is expensive with a long, tedious, heart-wrench, recovery but if it needs to be done don't hesitate. While he's favoring the hurt leg he's putting stress on the unhurt leg which could bring arthritis to the good leg.

My suggestion is to talk to your vet and if the ligament is completely torn then find an experienced TPLO surgeon. Another thing I did is I asked the TPLO surgeon for references from other pet owners which he gave me.

I talked with the other pet owners and they gave me good suggestions.

Best of luck to you and your pooch!

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

Thanks for the info and bestwishes everyone

We love our pup and will do what is best for him. I hate to see him hurt and it is really difficult to keep a puppy from running and jumping so this will be a challenge. We have a big back yard that he loves to run around in and he is not happy with me that I have been taking him out on a leash and not letting him run. I'm hoping that all turns out well with this.