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tworn crutiate
i just went to the specialist yesterday about my dog she has a tworn crutiate the right back leg has gone to bone or bone a hear a cracking sometimes when she walks and they think she may have one on her left as well but want to do the surgery on her right cause it is a lot worse i got a price of 2500 i had no idea it was this much but i think it is our only choice to get the surgery my maor questions are she is only 5 they told me if i get the surgery it should never tare again in this spot, and what about her being alone i have to work and now will this bill i really cant afford to take off, what about her herself as well she has no idea what is going on , is she going to get depressed, after the surgery will she ever b normal i dont know if i will be able to afford the surgery on the left one if she needs that one done latter
Hello Bellagirl,
I suggested to someone else earlier she use a far infrared pad. My mom's dog was injured by a car and now has arthritis. She claimed one of the FIR pads my mom uses and you can notice the difference the next day if she slept on it or not. There is a woman in Texas who used one of these pads on the dogs she trains for military law enforcement that had a similar problem. You should look up EyeOn Equine Care and read about her experience in the blog. One thing about dogs and horses is they usual know if something is good for them. If sleeping on an FIR pad makes them feel better then they will spend time on it.
I suggested to someone else earlier she use a far infrared pad. My mom's dog was injured by a car and now has arthritis. She claimed one of the FIR pads my mom uses and you can notice the difference the next day if she slept on it or not. There is a woman in Texas who used one of these pads on the dogs she trains for military law enforcement that had a similar problem. You should look up EyeOn Equine Care and read about her experience in the blog. One thing about dogs and horses is they usual know if something is good for them. If sleeping on an FIR pad makes them feel better then they will spend time on it.
well bella had her surgery tuesday and she still not home they said her leg is doing good a and she is doing what she suppose to with it i call 2 times a day to check on her and last night the vet called me to tell me she wont stop throwing up 1 time is normal but yesterday she did 3 times they ran all kinds of tests and find anything wrong there is some inflmation on her small intestine so there thinking she might have got something before her surgery maybe a toy or something but she really doisnt play with toys i gave her a pig ear at 730 before the 800 cut off i dont no what is wrong with her i just want her home the vet is really good i really like her i just miss her and she is not eatting they still have her on iv so she doesnt get dehigherted i have off work tommorrow to spend the hole day with her i hope she can come home what is wrong with her
i would like to thank everyone for giving me extra suport that i really need bella goes tuesday for her surgery
Hey there! My English Mastiff (Condi) had TPLO's on both her hind legs, not at the same time mind you. Had them done at Texas A&M University Small Animal Clinic. $3500/ea, not to mention the after-care expense (medicine, bandages, chew toys to keep her NOT licking her knees, etc).
If you can afford it, I highly recommend it. Condi has had a MUCH better quality of life since the surgeries, and is a much, much happier dog. Recovery for her was bit of a nightmare. I had to quite literally put her on an 18" leash and tie her to the foot of my bed. You quite literally have to make it so they cannot move. A&M suggested I keep her immobile for 8wks (potty breaks excluded obviously), and I stuck to it for the 1st leg. The second leg, I cave in after about 6 1/2 weeks. It was as torcherous for me to watch her there as it was for her to go through it, poor thing.
I wish you and your doggie the best of luck. If you end up going through with the TPLO, be sure and post updates. I'd like to hear about your experiences. We all might be able to help with whatever it is that you're going through.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend it. Condi has had a MUCH better quality of life since the surgeries, and is a much, much happier dog. Recovery for her was bit of a nightmare. I had to quite literally put her on an 18" leash and tie her to the foot of my bed. You quite literally have to make it so they cannot move. A&M suggested I keep her immobile for 8wks (potty breaks excluded obviously), and I stuck to it for the 1st leg. The second leg, I cave in after about 6 1/2 weeks. It was as torcherous for me to watch her there as it was for her to go through it, poor thing.
I wish you and your doggie the best of luck. If you end up going through with the TPLO, be sure and post updates. I'd like to hear about your experiences. We all might be able to help with whatever it is that you're going through.
Hi Bella,
My fellow Texan, Jaybay, gave you the perfect advice. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Jaybay and I used the same animal hospital for our dogs' surgeries (it's one of the largest in the state and is famous for its care--and cost!). ACL tears in dogs are serious, but very treatable. As any vet will tell you, it's always preferable to have a 'mechanical' issue than something internal, like cancer or heart issues.
I can tell you from personal experience that rehab is EXTREMELY important. I've had two ACL surgeries myself, and wish I'd rehabbed better the first time. Be sure to limit the use of the affected leg and definitely crate your dog after surgery. (Dogs -- and people -- can injure the ACL on one leg while trying to compensate for the other leg.) Believe or not, just massaging the muscles around the affected leg (hip, thigh etc) will lessen the stiffness and tension that develops with an injury. For rehab, if it's possible, find a kiddie pool that's deep enough for your dog to walk chest-deep -- or at least above the knees -- in, and help your pooch wade through the water. The low impact workout will help immediately. Dogs are apex predators and so they're genetically programmed to heal quickly--provided they get help they need.
When discussing surgery with the vet, be sure to ask about cartilage damage. ACL injuries almost always guarantee cartilage damage (and potential arthritis), so your dog will probably need glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, which you can get at any pet store. (They even sell them as doggie treats.) They may even suggest pain meds, like Rimadyl, down the line. (Rimadyl's good because it doesn't destroy your dog's liver.)
The fact that you're this concerned and attentive means your dog is in very good hands. Jaybay said, do keep us posted--you'll be surprised how many people have experienced this issue with their dogs.
Good luck to you and your dog!
-Steven
My fellow Texan, Jaybay, gave you the perfect advice. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Jaybay and I used the same animal hospital for our dogs' surgeries (it's one of the largest in the state and is famous for its care--and cost!). ACL tears in dogs are serious, but very treatable. As any vet will tell you, it's always preferable to have a 'mechanical' issue than something internal, like cancer or heart issues.
I can tell you from personal experience that rehab is EXTREMELY important. I've had two ACL surgeries myself, and wish I'd rehabbed better the first time. Be sure to limit the use of the affected leg and definitely crate your dog after surgery. (Dogs -- and people -- can injure the ACL on one leg while trying to compensate for the other leg.) Believe or not, just massaging the muscles around the affected leg (hip, thigh etc) will lessen the stiffness and tension that develops with an injury. For rehab, if it's possible, find a kiddie pool that's deep enough for your dog to walk chest-deep -- or at least above the knees -- in, and help your pooch wade through the water. The low impact workout will help immediately. Dogs are apex predators and so they're genetically programmed to heal quickly--provided they get help they need.
When discussing surgery with the vet, be sure to ask about cartilage damage. ACL injuries almost always guarantee cartilage damage (and potential arthritis), so your dog will probably need glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, which you can get at any pet store. (They even sell them as doggie treats.) They may even suggest pain meds, like Rimadyl, down the line. (Rimadyl's good because it doesn't destroy your dog's liver.)
The fact that you're this concerned and attentive means your dog is in very good hands. Jaybay said, do keep us posted--you'll be surprised how many people have experienced this issue with their dogs.
Good luck to you and your dog!
-Steven
yes she is going to have the Tplo surgery they said also she could need her other leg done as well but they will see after they do the worse one i am getting my apt. today i asked her about swimming they said they will talk to me when i bring her in i do know everytime when i walk her there is a cracking noise they told me cause she has no ligaments left and she does hold up her back leg sometimes as well everyone on this web site has wrote nothing but good things so i am starting to feel better about it but now i just worry about her she is only 5
Congratulations on doing the right thing for your dog. :-) $2,500 is a good fee for TPLO surgery, which sounds like what they're doing. In lay terms, TPLO surgery means the knee joint will be fused. That's why your dog will never have to worry about reinjury.
My dog was almost 8 when she did the same thing and had TPLO surgery. The ACL was completely severed, the ends were shredded and there was no way the ligament itself could be repaired. Back then (about 2003) the surgery was $5,000, but that included a 3-day hospital stay in a facility that practices human-style veterinary medicine.
Chica did beautifully after the surgery. The hardest thing was keeping her still. If you don't have a crate already, consider buying or borrowing one for a week or so. Her leg had to remain bandaged for several days and it was a real battle to keep her teeth off it. Bitter Apply spray helped.
In our case, we felt there was no choice. Chica could not use the leg at all and her quality of life was pretty bad. She was quite the athlete before the ACL ripped on a fast turn while she was running the fenceline. I've never heard a dog scream like that and hope never to hear that sound again.
Recovery went very well, and Chica was solidly back on all fours within about 3 weeks, and running again in 6 weeks. Just like humans who have orthopedic surgery, dogs MUST do the rehab work. Swimming is the gold standard in these cases, so if you have access to a pool - use it!
Surgery is the best chance for your dog to live a normal, pain-free life. As she grows older, it will be normal for a certain amount of arthritis to crop up in the joint, but that is easily treated with meds like Dermaxx.
Ask your vet to fully explain the procedure. If they're only going to attemp repair of the ligament, then yes, it will probably tear again. If it's TPLO surgery, you're golden. Also ask about post-op care and what kind of pain medication will be given to your dog. Chica had a fentanyl patch for 6 days and then tramadol for about another week along with an anti-inflammatory medication. Sure, dogs are way more stoic about pain than humans, but they still feel it just as badly as we do.
Keep us posted on how your dog does, and do ask more questions. The better informed you are, the better the outcome will be.
My dog was almost 8 when she did the same thing and had TPLO surgery. The ACL was completely severed, the ends were shredded and there was no way the ligament itself could be repaired. Back then (about 2003) the surgery was $5,000, but that included a 3-day hospital stay in a facility that practices human-style veterinary medicine.
Chica did beautifully after the surgery. The hardest thing was keeping her still. If you don't have a crate already, consider buying or borrowing one for a week or so. Her leg had to remain bandaged for several days and it was a real battle to keep her teeth off it. Bitter Apply spray helped.
In our case, we felt there was no choice. Chica could not use the leg at all and her quality of life was pretty bad. She was quite the athlete before the ACL ripped on a fast turn while she was running the fenceline. I've never heard a dog scream like that and hope never to hear that sound again.
Recovery went very well, and Chica was solidly back on all fours within about 3 weeks, and running again in 6 weeks. Just like humans who have orthopedic surgery, dogs MUST do the rehab work. Swimming is the gold standard in these cases, so if you have access to a pool - use it!
Surgery is the best chance for your dog to live a normal, pain-free life. As she grows older, it will be normal for a certain amount of arthritis to crop up in the joint, but that is easily treated with meds like Dermaxx.
Ask your vet to fully explain the procedure. If they're only going to attemp repair of the ligament, then yes, it will probably tear again. If it's TPLO surgery, you're golden. Also ask about post-op care and what kind of pain medication will be given to your dog. Chica had a fentanyl patch for 6 days and then tramadol for about another week along with an anti-inflammatory medication. Sure, dogs are way more stoic about pain than humans, but they still feel it just as badly as we do.
Keep us posted on how your dog does, and do ask more questions. The better informed you are, the better the outcome will be.
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