Cruciate ligament damage in dogs

diddlydi_3

I have a 4 1/2 year old minature Schnauzer who has had a leg problem since April last year,seen two vets since then who did usual xrays etc but could find nothing wrong & she has been on rimadyl 20mg since then.

Anyway last Saturday she started limping really badly & after visit to specialist,we have been told she needs a cruciate ligament operation this Wednesday.

I am concerned about the operation & probably moreso about the after care,can anyone help & let me know what to expect when she comes home

Unfortunately she is a dog thats gets quite excited & jumps up,she also has never been crated,so I dont think that would be an option now.

I would be grateful if anyone has had this experience with their dog & can give me some advice

Will she be in plaster or just a bandage & will she need constant supervision?
How long before she can put weight on the leg & when can she go for a walk?
What about going to the loo :embarasse ,we have a garden -will she need to be carried out?

Sorry so many questions,any help gratefully received

Savvy_Sue

Several of these questions would be best addressed to your vet or the specialist carrying out the operation. I can understand why you didn't think of them all at the time, but it's perfectly reasonable to get in touch again and ask them all now!

cocoluvsmummy

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1154603&highlight=leg+operation


might be worth you looking at this thread.

Good luck

pamril1

simontheiceman wrote: »

in a word: NO.
This was unfortunately answered above but answered wrongly - there could actually be a serious reason for this - either the repair of the tibial osteotomy has led to a varus/valgus deformity ( I check these at time of op and am absolutely obsessive about this after a previous issue), or it could be a rather more subtle abnormality of gait known as "Pivot shift" which is best dealt with by post-op physio. Please get it checked out by the surgeons ASAP as it may require attention. Of course it may not, I can't see the dog right now. Some dogs will lie down in a different way after TPLO and this can give the impression of a "turned out" conformation. You NEED a proper assessment of this.

The problem seems to have corrected, it only tends to be just after she has had a long lie down now, however I did mention it still when she went to get out her staples and the vet doesn't seem to think anything is wrong (but thats her usual vet not her specialist).
Other than that she is doing fine and has tons of energy, so now that her staples have been removed we will be taking her to hydrotherapy sessions.
Just out of curiosity can anyone recommend a really good hydrotherapy centre in the north east?

Savvy_Sue

cocoluvsmummy wrote: »

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1154603&highlight=leg+operation


might be worth you looking at this thread.

I'll merge into the existing thread.

diddlydi_3

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Several of these questions would be best addressed to your vet or the specialist carrying out the operation. I can understand why you didn't think of them all at the time, but it's perfectly reasonable to get in touch again and ask them all now!

Thanks Savvy Sue

Now I have had time to think,I will ask the doggy surgeon more questions on Wednesday,as what he has said has been rather vague -lame for 6 weeks,no walks,no jumping up

I guess I was also hoping to hear from someone who also had experienced this operation with their dog,& get some first hand information of what to expect.
thanks again

MRSCARNEY

Our 11 month old Springer had her op nearly 4 weeks ago. She had stitches but no bandages or cast and thankfully, no silly bucket on her head :rotfl:

We were told she could have 3 ten minute on the lead walks a day, no stairs or jumping. She had antibiotics and anti inflammatories for 10 days after. She had her stitches out a week after and her scar has healed fantastically well.

She goes back to see the specialist on Monday for a 4 week check up and they said they would see her again after 8 weeks when they expect to be able to "sign her off"

I understand though that there are different methods of repairing the cruciate so your dog may not have the same op as ours (which involved a nylon loop).

Best thing to do is to have a good chat with the vet to put your mind at rest.

Good Luck

diddlydi_3

Thanks MRSCARNEY ,thats very herlpful

I think Mollie is also having the nylon loop,did it take long before your springer could put weight on her leg?

MRSCARNEY

She was putting it down straight away, not putting full pressure on it but still putting it down. TBH we were gobsmacked when the vet said she could go for 3 ten minute walks a day but (fingers crossed) she is doing fine.

We borrowed a stair gate for the stairs but she has managed to sneak up a couple of times and we've been worried that she has done herself some harm but she seems fine. Our normal vet who took the stitches out after a week said he was very happy with her progress but I'm looking forward to seeing the "consultant vet" who carried out the op next week so that we can find out if it's gone well.

diddlydi_3

MRSCARNEY wrote: »

She was putting it down straight away, not putting full pressure on it but still putting it down. TBH we were gobsmacked when the vet said she could go for 3 ten minute walks a day but (fingers crossed) she is doing fine.

We borrowed a stair gate for the stairs but she has managed to sneak up a couple of times and we've been worried that she has done herself some harm but she seems fine. Our normal vet who took the stitches out after a week said he was very happy with her progress but I'm looking forward to seeing the "consultant vet" who carried out the op next week so that we can find out if it's gone well.

Good luck with the visit to the consultant vet & let me know how you get on