Dog has ACL surgery on Tuesday - prepare me!

[rszdtrvl]

Our one remaining pet tore his ACL on Sunday. Badly. Surgery is necessary.

Surgery is planned on Tuesday. Anyone been through this with their pet? I have looked online, but would love more firsthand reports on what to expect afterwards.

We already purchased him a wire indoor kennel for recovering, to keep him confined in an area when necessary.

Right now he is doing great not walking around a lot. He is carried pretty much wherever he needs to go, except when he is outside for potty breaks, and then he is hobbling.

He is a senior dog - 10 year old Beagle - and is a very mellow, laid back dog.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Mine has had two TPLO's done. Is it the back legs? If so take a towel and put it under his/her belly to lift him up and walk him out to go potty. That will keep him off the leg. I had to do this for 2 or 3 months for recovery. It takes time. I used a small crib at night and had her sleep next to me, so when she needed to go out I knew she needed something and took her out. Your little one will do alright, just give them lots of love and attention.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Yes, his right rear leg.

I have been carrying him out to go potty.

The small crib/bassinette thing is a good idea. I may have to look into that for our room. Right now he is sleeping in our bed, but I am all paranoid that he will fall out, and I know after surgery it will only make me more neurotic.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[Tiggeroo]

My dog started to feel better fairly soon after surgery but we were supposed to restrict his movement for ten weeks. If they do too much they can undo the surgery. I also had to restrict food which made him miserable.

 

[chirurgeon]

Please keep your baby as calm and immobile as possible. It many be easier as he is an older dog. A friend just had to have her dog re-operated on and the leg put in a cast. Her dog is less than a year old and very active. Good luck.

 

[mamamary]

My lab had similar surgery a few years ago. We set up a small kennel in the middle of the main floor where he stayed for about two months. The first few days were horrible but mostly because I felt so bad for him. He hated the cone of shame that he had to wear but i was determined that he keep it on so he wouldn't get at the incision. I wound up sleeping on the couch next to him every night. Luckily my neighbor built a ramp for him so he could leave the deck to go potty. He had to get leash walked in the yard every time he went out. It was hard getting him in and out of the car for any follow up appointments. The one snag we ran into was the pin in his leg not working. We were told that this may happen. Back to wearing the cone of shame again. But honestly his leg is great now so i know we did the right thing for him.

 

[yoopermom]

While a wire crate is good in that he can see what's going on around him, there will be times that either you or he don't want him to be able to see aka he should be sleeping/resting. Plan on draping it (like a bird cage) or even moving it to a quieter spot for these times.

Plan for the unexpected. The first few days, when he's still drugged up, won't be hard, but once he starts to feel better he'll want to do more than he should. You MUST restrict him at all times, because all it takes is once for him to wreck what's been done.

For his mental health, once he starts to feel better get him some kongs and feeze peanut butter or cheese in them, google "educational dog toys" and buy him a few, etc.

Since he's an older dog, I would think about getting a mat for the bottom of the crate that is orthopedic in nature, so he doesn't get bed sores. When potty training it's suggested that you get a small enough crate that he can barely stand up/turn around in, but in cases of recovery like this I suggest borrowing/buying the biggest crate you can, so he can adjust positions.

I rehabbed a dear friend's GSD after this same surgery, and it's doable, but you really have to follow the directions carefully. Good luck to that sweet beagle!

Terri

 

[Laura66]

Poor guy - and poor you!

I'm taking all this in because my dear friend needs this surgery for her Boy!

Good luck!

 

[apirateslifeforme]

Our (late) cocker spaniel tore both of hers when she was 9 years old (so, 11 years ago Hard to believe...). She tore one, had surgery (vet replaced with false ligaments), then 2 months later, tore the other one.

When we picked her up from the vet after the first surgery, we went to lift her up and he stopped us, saying, "No, she has to walk. Only pick her up if she cries or if she really seems to be struggling." She walked pretty well and was trying to put her weight on the affected leg every time. At home, she very slowly trudged from the kitchen to "her" chair in the den, which was the only time she cried, to be lifted into her chair - even though we'd put lots of blankets and comforters on the floor for her, she wanted to be in her chair She also only had to be carried outside and up and down the stairs. Otherwise, the vet had said to let her be, let her do her thing; she'd sleep when she wanted to, she'd know her limits and be quiet when she needed to, she'd walk around when she felt good, etc.

She healed so quickly that when we took her for her 2 week follow-up, she surprised the vet by jumping up onto the bench by herself. I will never forget the look on his face...he stopped dead, raised his eyebrows, and incredulously said, "She can jump? Wow..."

And 2 months later, she did the same thing...he gave us the same instructions and she healed just as quickly. She never even got arthritis in those legs - and lived to be 17 1/2!

 

[bedogged]

This type of injury is not unusual for Yorkshire Terriers so I have seen many of them performed on rescue dogs as well as one on my own. I am surprised that no one has mentioned having to do therapy with the dog. The surgeon always gives a sheet out with exercises to perform on the dog, Most are range of motion type exercises that you do a couple of times a day. Didn't anyone else have to do this?

 

[wiigirl]

Please keep your baby as calm and immobile as possible. It many be easier as he is an older dog. A friend just had to have her dog re-operated on and the leg put in a cast. Her dog is less than a year old and very active. Good luck.

 

[WDWBarb]

When my GSD was 4 she had the TPLO surgery. I drove her 3.5 miles to Ohio State University to have it done. It was Dec. 23rd and there was over a foot on snow on the ground in southern Ohio. I'll never forget that trip - just the two of us! I was scared to death and so was she. But I did buy her the only hamburger she has ever eaten in her life at a Wendy's drive-thru. That made the trip a little better for her.

I'll admit it - it was way harder than I expected. I put a small pen in the living room and slept on the couch next to her. She was an extremely hyper and sensitive dog with no tolerance for change. That dog worshipped the ground I walked on but it was very hard on our relationship. A few days after she came home, she snapped at my DD for no reason (except, of course, that she was in terrible pain and completely miserable). We had to be very careful around her until the pain subsided.

But she recovered well and she turns 13 in 3 months. She never had another problem and she never blew out her other ACL (I was terrified that she would). So it was all worth it a thousand times over.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Our vet did say that he would need rehab - mostly short walks.

Right now he sleeps on a crib mattress. The crate that will arrive tomorrow is actually the size one would get for a German Shepherd : 42" x 28" x 30". He has what we are calling his "magic carpet" - a foam dog bed - that we drag him into the kitchen with, as he wants to be by us while we are eating. I plan on putting that in the crate. Kind of wish we got another crate for our bedroom - I am having a heckuva time figuring out a place for him to sleep with us. A friend has a kennel that I was going to get but changed my mind on, and now I changed it back, so hopefully she will still be willing to sell it to me. It will be smaller than his one that I just ordered.

I don't think I will have much to worry about when it comes to keeping him calm. He has really been taking it easy.

Thanks everyone! I look forward to hearing more stories.

And should I order a ramp for the back steps now?

 

[princessmerida]

My dog had the same surgery on the same leg a little over a year ago. Recovery takes a long time. She was on medication regularly for a long time and still needs it occassionally. She still limps but the frequency is very slowly decreasing. Just be patient and follow the vet's orders. That may be a little easier for you because that is your only pet. I had three other dogs wanting to play with the recovering one. Hope your doggy feels better soon!

 

[Tuffcookie]

One of my Labs had to have that surgery. I purchased a pet ramp so he could go up and down the back porch steps. It also came I handy when I had to take him to the vet for follow up visits. The brand I got was called The Pet Step.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...=MSN&creative=3179042&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

TC

 

[Tiggeroo]

My corgi may have injured his other leg in the snow a few weeks ago. It seems to be doing much better but with the new snow on the ground when we go out he keeps pulling that foot up if he walks anywhere really cold. I am trying very hard to get some weight off of him. He is too heavy and I don't want him to get surgery at this weight. So I've cut his walks back and his food back and he's miserable. We live in a three story condo. Not looking forward to figuring out bathroom problems if he has to get the other leg done.

 

[momto2inKC]

Our cat had to have ACL repair on both hind legs about 6 months ago. His recovery has been a slow process, but that's the way it should be. He spent many weeks after surgery in our dogs wire kennel. Definitely do exactly as your vet says so you hopefully have no set backs. We have worked up from weekly rechecks to monthly at this point. He also receives a cortisone (or something along those lines!) shots once a month.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Our golden retriever tore her ACL 3 years ago, she was only 3 years old. We opted for the suture type surgery instead of the TPLO. I never kenneled her after the surgery but we kept her calm and she had to be taken outside on a leash. No jumping, running, etc. She did pop a suture twice when DH played too roughly with her and a neighborhood dog jumped on her. They had to go back in and redo the surgery and add a 3rd suture. The 2nd surgery didn't seem near as bad for some reason. She had to do the cone of shame and about 2 weeks after surgery we had to start daily walks starting at about half a block long and adding length every week, slowly adding a hill, etc. Vet said she needed to develop scar tissue around the sutures to solidify them. Keeping her on a leash to go outside and the slowly lengthening walks took about 9 months before she was completely set to go back to regular activity. Normally that would have been only 6 months if she hadn't needed the additional surgery. She's had no issues since, doesn't limp, jumps, and runs as if it never happened!

I do give her a daily Glucosamine Chondroitin supplement to ward off possible arthritis in that knee as she ages and I am very careful that she stays at a healthy weight to help with any possible issues as she ages as well.

 

[Amy]

Our lab mix had TPLO surgery on his rear leg - took about 3 months to fully recover. The worst part for us was "no steps" during his recovery - we live in a split entry house. We kept him downstairs in the family room (our back yard for potty breaks is off the family room), but he was lonely and whining and trying to get over the baby gate blocking the stairs, so I slept down there with him, and we'd eat our meals on a card table down there (our kitchen is upstairs).

And sure enough, just like I'd read, 18 months later he tore the ACL in his other leg and we went through the whole process again. Now we call him our bionic dog!

The only side effect is that he can't SIT any more. He either stands or lays down, but I guess with the metal rod and pins his knees can't bend the right way to sit. I've mentioned it to our vet, and he doesn't seem concerned. Strangely enough, he can still jump up on the bed and sofa, but he can't sit.

Good luck to you and your furry baby!

 

[rszdtrvl]

Thanks! I am going to stop by the vet office today to confirm that I will need a ramp for the back steps. And ask if they have a sheet on recovery they can give me now, rather then on Tuesday.

After searching for something for our bedroom for him to lay on, I found a friend who was selling a metal kennel - a size smaller than the one we have for the front room. I will be meeting her today and we will be keeping that one in our bedroom for him to sleep in.

Having vacation so soon after his surgery is stressing me out, but I know that as long as my mother (our pet sitter) knows what to do and just takes things slow that it will be fine. (I am a nervous Nellie anyway - very high strung).