Cruciate ligament surgery recovery advice please

Penny_Watcher

Well Black Bob the Idiot Dog has been and gone and done it again . The vet thinks that there is a 90% chance he has almost completely torn the cruciate ligament in his knee and will be having surgery to correct this on Thursday (being maintained on painkillers and gentle exercise to build his quads before the op).

I'm not asking for medical advice (will get all that from the Vet on Thurs) but other people's experience of what to expect afterwards, and recovery times. I understand that he'll have to be kept very quiet for a while. The money saving part of this post is that I don't want to make a silly mistakes and have to pay another excess on his insurance policy.

Bless his heart he is such an accident prone hound . A couple of years ago he ripped a fist size hole in the skin of his chest wall by running at full speed over barbed wire :eek: and spent the whole summer having to wear "The Cone of Shame" because it took soooo long to heal and he was a nibbler. Then there was the time he stuck his head in a wasp's nest. And the 'Dancing on Glass' in the woods foot slashing incident. And the other leg cutting incident............. God Bless PetPlan.

So nursing a dog after injury isn't a problem, it's the particulars of recovery after cruciate surgery that I'd like help with please and thank you Oh Lovely People. How did you manage to keep your mutts quiet and relaxed (Idiot Dog doesn't do quiet or relaxed, especially as I have two other fully functioning in the leg department dogs to see to as well).

Thanks in advance.

getcarter

I haven't got any advice I'm afraid, I think I will be in the same position as you (find out Thursday) so I will be very interested in replies.

What about lots of chewing toys, kongs etc.

My dog is on gentle exercise at the moment and the most difficult thing is hearing her cry when I leave her behind. I have to try to take her out with me for 20 mins then get some one to come and pick her up.

Artytarty

Our dogs leg was heavily bandaged for the first five days or so. She hopped around like it was in a cast but was quiet without having to be caklmed down.
Then that was removed and we were told to exercise her in the garden for a few weeks. ON A LEAD.
I emphasise this because I thought the purpose of the lead was to make sure she didnt run and wreck the recovery. The main point f it I now understand is to keep tyhe dog walking slowly. This is very important so that the dog has no option but to start weight bearing on the leg. If he is allowed to walk fast then a habit of only lightly putting the sore leg on the ground can develop and this will not help rebuild the muscle.
Our dog made a great recovery in about 8 weeks. She was 7 when she ad the op. and is a golden lab.

loulou123

My last dog tore his cruciate ligament, but as he had other medical issues, we didnt have the op and tried to let it heal naturally, along with pain meds etc.

He was only allowed very restricted exercise (on the lead at all times, even in the back garden which he absolutely hated) wasnt allowed to jump on the sofa, beds etc, no going upstairs (we used to carry him up and down the stairs at bedtimes as he had always slept in my room!)

I believe the policy for after the surgery is very similar, but abit more restrictive on whats not allowed, when we were considering the op our vet recommended using one of those crates, so that exercise and jumping around is limited at all times, apart from when necessary e.g for them to go the toilet. Our dog was a mad one as well, and we knew we had no chance of him sitting quietly and recovering from the op. His injury did heal, but he was still prone to limping if he did too much.

MaximumImpact

Hi..My girl had hers done in Feb....My vet kept her off her feet for 24hours and then it was straight into controlled exercise. She would also limp if she did too much but our vet gave us a very strict exercise regime to follow...She is doing really well now and no signs of ever having any problems.

Sagz_2

My old lad has done both his cruciates and had 2 different ops, one needed rest afterwards and the other steady exercise.

Which op are you having done? TPLO or repair?

Penny_Watcher

Norbertsmum wrote: »

My old lad has done both his cruciates and had 2 different ops, one needed rest afterwards and the other steady exercise.

Which op are you having done? TPLO or repair?

Oh I don't know. *Scurries away to google TPLO*


Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. :T

Penny_Watcher

Well I've taken him in and sat with him whilst he had his pre-med injection. Vet explained what they were going to do to confirm it definitely was his cruciate and the two different operations they can do depending on whether or not he's torn his cartalige too.

Poor old Idiot Dog .

Well, I must get on. The other dogs fancy a nice long boisterous walk in the woods, so I'd better go with them.

Sagz_2

Hope all goes well for him xx

Sagz_2

Hi Penny Watcher, just wondered how your hound was getting on? Not in too much discomfort I hope xx

katieh86

Ahh my border collie tore her cruciate ligaments a few weeks ago and had the operation! For the first couple of days she was feeling very sorry for herself and was a bit nervous of our other mental dog being near her. She's still hopping a little bit a few weeks on and still isn't allowed to go for a walk which she's not too happy about! I think the first couple of days are the worst and she didn't really move around but she was mobile pretty quickly! Now if we aren't careful we have to run manically down the garden after her to stop her chasing pigeons! I've been trying my hardest to keep her amused with quieter activities but being a collie she's full of beans all the time!

Hope your dog is ok and recovers quickly!! xx