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The Following is an excerpt from "Dog Owners Speak Out on Knees":
Odi - TPLO - Tibial
Plateau Leveling Osteotomy
Symptoms: It
wasn’t hard to figure out something was wrong. A week
before Odi’s scheduled hip replacement surgery, I brought Odi over to a
friend’s house who has a 3 year old Lab mix, Sasha, who is Odi’s “best
friend”. My friend was also taking care of his girlfriend’s 100+ pound
Chesapeake Bay Retriever. When Odi was going down the stairs from the
back deck, the Chessy jumped on him, causing him to slip off the side
of the steps. I knew something was wrong immediately because Odi tried
to attack the chessy, which isn’t an Odi thing to do. We pulled them
apart, and Odi was standing on three legs, holding his left hind leg
up. Since it was evening, I took him to the local animal emergency
hospital. The vet there couldn’t tell if anything was wrong and said to
wait for a few days, let him rest, and see if it gets better. I didn’t
like that answer, so the next day I took him to see the surgeon that
had performed his left hip replacement several years ago.
Treatment Option
selected and Why: The surgeon and I discussed the
options for Odi’s knee injury. He only does knees and hips, so he’s
very knowledgeable. One of the things I really like about this surgeon
is he takes the time to fully explain all the options and is very
forthcoming about all associated risks. He did a great job on Odi’s
left hip replacement, so I trust him highly. Since the ligament was
fully torn, we did not feel enforced rest was an option. Despite Odi’s
age, he is still very active. So my choice was traditional ligament
repair or TPLO. From my point of view, both surgeries had upsides and
downsides. From my understanding, the downside of traditional repair is
the long recovery time – up to 9 months, depending on the dog’s ability
to heal. However, if the traditional surgery fails, TPLO is still an
option. The big downside to TPLO is that if it’s not successful, you
cannot go back and do a traditional repair.
It was a Friday when I brought Odi in for the consult with the surgeon
and he was scheduled to leave for vacation that night. He did not want
Odi to wait a week for surgery, and I did not want another surgeon to
perform the surgery, so my surgeon agreed to stay late and do the
surgery that evening. The downside to this is that I had to decide on
which procedure to do right then. After weighing the information and
risks, I chose TPLO for two reasons. One, the shorter recovery time and
two, Odi is still very active and the surgeon recommended TPLO for
active dogs. The surgery was done that night, and went without a hitch.
Odi stayed the weekend for observation, and I picked him up on Monday.
The Car Ride Home
Having been through total hip replacement, I felt much more prepared
and confident this time around. I picked Odi up from the surgical
center on Monday morning. I brought my canvas sling with handles and
had a friend drive me in his SUV. We put the seats down in the back,
carefully placed Odi in the back on a soft comforter and then I sat
with him the whole ride home to ensure he didn’t try to stand up during
the ride. Odi was very excited to see me, so it was necessary to hold
him down for most of the car trip. He has only been boarded once in his
life, so he was very happy to come home after staying anywhere else
overnight. But, excitement leads to injuries, so it’s very important to
plan out any necessary transportation for the first weeks after surgery
to ensure the dog does not inadvertently hurt himself.
Details of Recovery
Our surgeon provides very specific recovery instructions, including how
the dog is to be housed at all times. For the first month, my surgeon
prefers the dog to be crated or caged if the dog is overly active. In
the second month, the dog graduates to a small carpeted room with no
furniture that the dog can jump on, and must stay there for the final 2
months of recovery. Slippery surfaces and stairs are to be avoided
during recovery; and it is best to use a belly sling for the entire
first month of recovery, just in case the dog should slip.
I live in a two story house with tile throughout the first floor. My
bedroom is on the second floor, so changes had to be made. First, I
cleared out the family room on the first floor of all furniture and
bought several inexpensive soft rugs and a big carpet pad so there was
no exposed tile. I then blocked off the entrances to the room with baby
gates. I found a great gate at Target that is a full 3 feet high and
has an integrated door that swings both ways, closes automatically and
locks firmly in place. With that done, I moved my mattress from
upstairs and brought it down to the family room. Odi has slept with me
his whole life, so I knew he wouldn’t be happy if I slept upstairs and
he had to stay downstairs. One of the benefits of having an older,
calmer dog is that the surgeon allowed us to skip the cage/crate stage
as long as Odi remained calm.
One of the challenges we faced was getting Odi outside to go to the
bathroom without slipping as all my floors are tile. Slipping is
really, really bad in the early days after surgery. So, I had to be
creative. In the end, I was able to find a runner at Home Depot that
did the trick. Home Depot sells great carpet runners by the foot that
have rubber bottoms so they don’t move or slide. I bought an entire 100
foot roll and created a carpeted path to the front door. It was a
little expensive, but well worth the cost.
Keeping your dog calm the first few weeks after surgery is one of the
keys to success because you do not want your dog moving around a lot,
jumping, or making any sudden moves. While Odi isn’t as spastic as when
he was younger, there are still things that get him worked up. I’m not
a fan of over medicating your dog, but for the first week of recovery,
I gave Odi Acepromazine which is a sedative. Half a pill in the morning
was just enough to calm him without knocking him out.
I also disengaged the doorbell, put a sign on the front door that said
“Please do not knock on door”, and told all my friends and neighbors to
call before coming over. The door bell or someone knocking at the door
still sends Odi into a frenzy, so this was an important part of keeping
him calm.
Another thing that really helped was that I was able to work from home
for his entire recovery. I work in the high tech industry, so
logistically it wasn’t a big deal. It took me a few days to talk my
boss into it, but at the end of the day, he saw the light. My home
office is upstairs, so I had to buy a wireless router and card for my
laptop, which allowed me to work from anywhere in the house. I ended up
working in the kitchen because Odi could see me through the gate from
the family room and that seemed to help keep him calm.
Overall, Odi’s recovery went very well. I really think the key is
following your surgeon’s instructions to the letter. They may seem
draconian at first, but I’ve heard enough horror stories to know that
this is the way to go. I managed to keep him calm most of the time,
only took him out for elimination purposes, and generally did
everything I was supposed to.
He spent the first week on three legs, but by the beginning of the
second week was using his left leg. By the end of the first month, he
was completely weight bearing on his repaired knee with only a slight
limp, which went away by the end of the third month. He did have some
swelling around the knee and ankle of his left leg for about 2-3 weeks,
but I was told this is completely normal.
I had the option of engaging with a veterinary physical therapist after
the knee surgery, which wasn’t available to me after his hip
replacement surgery a few years earlier. My surgeon now has a PT on
staff and she helped with his recovery as well. For the first 2 months,
I iced and massaged his leg daily as the PT taught me. In the third
month, she designed a very simple exercise program that put minimal
stress on the knee but helped get him back into shape. It wasn’t cheap,
but I felt it was worth it.
At the beginning of the third month, I had just lifted Odi out of the
car after a visit to the vet and did not have a tight grip on his
leash. He saw a cat and took off after it and the leash just slipped
out of my hand. Fortunately, Odi listens, and stopped running after
about 30 feet and came back to me. He didn’t do any damage to the knee,
but he did make my heart stop for a minute!
Odi is an only child, but does have a best friend named Sasha,
mentioned earlier in how Odi’s knee got hurt in the first place. Odi
and Sasha play together on average about 5 days a week. She was not
allowed to come over at all during Odi’s first month of recovery.
Starting in the second month, she was allowed to come over to visit,
but could only see Odi through the gate – she was not allowed in his
room. This probably has more to do with their age difference, Odi is 10
and Sasha is 3, but Odi didn’t seem to mind the gate separating them,
while Sasha seemed depressed for the first couple of weeks, but bounced
back after that. They were not allowed to be together in the same space
until Odi was given a clean bill of health after 3 full months of
recovery.
I followed the recovery and rehab instructions to the letter, and Odi
was pronounced healed after 3 months. So we again scheduled the right
hip replacement for the following month. Two weeks later, I let Odi out
the front door for a quick pre-bedtime pee and there was a cat sitting
on the front porch. Odi loves everyone and everything, except for cats.
Before I could stop him, he went chasing the cat around the side of the
house and into the dark. A few seconds later, I heard a yelp, and Odi
comes back on three legs, holding up his right. Yep, you guessed it,
another torn ligament. I took him into the surgeon and he had his
second TPLO in 4 months the very next day.
If faced with the same choice today, would you make the same decision?
Absolutely. There were no major complications with either of Odi’s
TPLO’s. I did enroll him in physical therapy after both surgeries,
which I really think helped him a lot. If nothing else, it helped keep
him in shape during a time when most dogs get very out of shape.
Current Age of Dog:
13-1/2 years old (2009)
Other Comments:
Odi’s surgeries were performed by a board certified veterinary surgeon
who only does hips and knees and has done a lot of both. My regular vet
recommended the surgeon when Odi needed his first hip replaced. Up
until 5 years ago, my regular vet did hip and knee surgeries with an
about 80% success rate. Once the surgeon came to town, and with his 95%
success rate, my vet stopped doing these surgeries and refers all
patients needing them to the specialist. Knowing what I know now, I
would not use a regular vet for any type of knee or hip surgery. In my
opinion, it’s like asking your family practitioner to perform your open
heart surgery.
Odi has lost a few pounds since his first knee injury. His regular vet
says he should weigh 55 pounds, so that is our goal.
2009 update: I’m happy to report that Odi is doing just fine. Although
he’s slowed down considerably as all 13 year old dogs do, he still pain
free and able to go to the park and run around, which is what he loves
to do.
This story is an except from the E-Book entitled "Dog Owners Speak Out
on Knees". To purchase the E-Book, please visit our
home page. GO TO HOME PAGE NOW
or see below:
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Hear directly from
other dog owners who have walked in your
shoes.......
- What is the breed & size of their dog?
- How old was their dog?
- What symptoms did their dog have?
- What treatment option did they chose for their
dog ?
- What was
recovery like? What did they wish they had known before the
surgery?
- What Ideas and Tips do they have to help you
during recovery?
- Were there complications?
- If faced with the same choice today, would they
make the same decision?
Comments from others who have read
the book.........
We were discouraged and did not know where to turn. Our dog was barely
able to
walk and needed help up stairs. Clearly he was in pain. When
researching
our options we found your book "Dog Owners Speak Out About Knees" on
the
Internet. What a wonderful and easy to understand source of excellent
advice. Thank you so much for putting this together. -PE
Thank you for writing the book. I brought it with me along with
my notes when I consulted with the veterinary surgeon. I found
your book very helpful. -TM
I had no trouble downloading the book and have begun reading. I
found the aftercare instructions very helpful. No vet I talked to even
mentioned these very important details!
Thank you for your publication - it has helped me to be more informed
and organized. Now I feel better equipped to take care of my dog after
her procedure. -DS
Your book has inspired us to start really planning for his
surgery. Thank you for that. As you see from my ruminations, it's
working already! Thanks again! Your book is spectacular! -PK
We are very pleased with the purchase of your e-book and the useful
information it contained. -MM
Thank you for the book -
I will make it known to my vet. -CS
Thank goodness for your
publication, I agonized over which surgery was appropriate for my
dog. The aftercare instructions were helpful as well as
necessary!
-DS
Thank you! I am
sure you have helped thousands of people in their decision! -MR
Just wanted to let you know how very much the book has helped me to
understand my pet's condition, ask the right questions and know exactly what to expect. Thanks
again for making this kind of website and
information available to pet parents! - SW
Thank you for all the information. I feel as though I'm becoming
somewhat educated on the topic.-BH
As I read your e-book, I am glad I purchased it. The owners'
stories are very informative. - JE
Many thanks for helping us with our difficult decision. - RB
I was able to download the book with no problem. I wish I had
found it sooner. - VS
This is a great example of the
good side of the Internet. Thanks for putting together such a great resource for
people like us! - JV, Australia
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The
following links are excerpts from the book:
Table of
Contents to "Dog Owners Speak Out on Knees"
Treatments
for Torn ACL or CCL Ligaments
If you and your dog are facing
surgery for a torn ligament or luxating patella, this is an
absolute must read. Twenty eight dog owners share their story
with you!
Excerpts from the book...
Even though he was on
sedatives, I don't think any of us slept much that night.
It was very
stressful. My biggest fear was that he was so energetic that he
would get out of hand and hurt his leg before the surgery was
completely healed........
......I finally saw a
glimpse of the dog that I had sent to the vet's four days earlier.
The morning
after she came home, I did not like the looks of her leg.......
Unfortunately, she hasn't read the post op
literature................
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