cruciate tear surgery

[missjessie]

My 12 year old lab/mix had surgery a week ago to repair the severed cruciate ligament in her rear knee.  She has not put any weight on the affected leg, and her toes curl ander and drag when she hobbles around on 3 legs. Should she be further along in recovery?  I am concerned that the surgery will not be successful. Is this indicative of nerve damage? Is there any thing I can do to help improve outcomes?  I resisted putting her through surgery at this age, but my concern was that she would sever the ligament in her other knee, and become even more immobile.

[LL7970]

It is very normal.  Some dogs take up to a month to see an improvement.  I used to work for a vet.  I do think that your dog was a little old to put him through that kind of surgery.  What kind of pain medicine did the vet put him on?

[Jaybay]

Yes, it sounds like nerve damage.  You'll need to have your surgeon take another look and assess whether anything further can be done.   The danger with nerve damage is that the dog can't feel pain.  If she's dragging that foot, the problem is that it will get injured and infected.  Worst case is that she may lose the leg altogether.

Our 8 year old had TPLO surgery for a severed ACL and she made great strides in recovery within a week. The surgeon recommended water physical therapy, and we were able accomplish that in our own pool.  Did your surgeon offer any physical therapy?  Did he at least tell you what to expect as far as recovery is concerned?  I really wouldn't wait to have that leg looked at.  Nerve damage is bad enough, but if the circulation is also impaired, you've got even bigger problems.