Beau at Three and Four Weeks Post Op CCL Repair
We’ve started the physical therapy. Weekly half hour swimming session have Beau moving his leg very well. The stairs are also going well, though we seem to have to do it twice a day for five minutes because once a day for ten minutes is just too boring for both dog and human. He absolutely loves the walks on the golf course hills, but I am concerned that the weather is going to get in our way. It is January now!
My 4 1/2 -yr-old Golden Retriever, Hobbes, was just diagnosed with a CCL injury. I’ve spoken with one veterinary orthopedic surgeon already, and have an appointment with another tomorrow. The first recommended TPLO surgery. I’m very reluctant to choose to do something that extreme however. I don’t believe that the surgeon I will see tomorrow (who is very well respected in the area – including a friend at work whose husband is a vet) does that procedure. He’s likely to recommend the traditional procedure. I’m very interested in your experience, and have really enjoyed reading your account. I hope you will continue to keep us up to date, and I wish you and Beau well.
I just wanted to thank you for your log of Beau’s surgery and recovery. Our dog Leo (Bernese Mountain Dog)has the excat same issue (hip displaysia resulting in torn ligament, etc…) except that he is not even 2 yet.
So we are taking him for the operation and plan on working hard to make sure he makes a full recovery soon.
It’s nice to see a great week by week analysis of how Beau is doing and that he is well on his way to a full recovery.
I just found out that my two dogs (10 yr old rottie and 5 yr old Corgi) both have this knee injury on the same rear leg. They were outside playing and then both came into the house limping. My vet couldn’t believe it -same injury, same leg. I have referrals to see a orthopedic specialist but haven’t call them yet. Today I was on-line to get some info on the surgery and found Beau’s story. It has help me realize how long and how much work it will take to get both dogs back to normal. Not looking forward to it but have no other options. Thank you for keeping Beau’s log.
Our 4-year-old Mastiff, Maggie, had TPLO surgery 2 weeks ago. She’d be having trouble getting up and down and would just stop and sit on our walks. I suspected hip problems, but found out it was actually her knees, one being worse than the other. Surgery went well..she was pretty unhappy first couple of days home, but by day 3 she was walking like nothing was wrong. Fortuately, she’s not terribly active, so keeping her quiet isn’t very hard. I’ve allowed her to get on her favorite couch as it’s just a little step up for her, not a jump. Stitches came out today and everything looks great. I’ve also managed to get her weight down from 151 to 143, which the vet says will help. Cost was $2850 for surgery (Orange County, California), plus $700-something for xrays and meds when she was diagnosed. Surgeon said the ligament was completely ruptured. He doesn’t think the other knee is blown now, but may eventually. If/when that happens, assuming it’s soon, I think we’d opt to do the surgery again.
My 9 year old french mastiff had TPLO surgery in Aug 2009. She is 150 lbs and her recovery was 2 weeks behind schedule due to her size, according to the vet. All in all, it was a long 10 weeks from surgery to fully recovery. My vet had some reservations about suggesting the surgery b/c of my dog’s age, but honestly, age is nothing but a number. She still acts like a puppy and has a lot of life left, so we elected to do the surgery even though it was invasive. We live near Washington DC the surgery was $3600 with pre-op xrays around $400. We got about 40% back with our pet insurance, VPI. I consulted with two different specialists and after that, had to go with my gut to pick the right one. We did, our surgeon was great.
Post-op we got an xtra large dog ramp for our car, she was a little hesitant at first, but now she loves it. The only real anxiety for me at this point is that the vet told us, once one knee goes it only a matter of time before the other goes as well. Let’s hope not. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Loved reading about Beau. I have a 4 yr old Boxer that is 2 weeks post op today. She just had her staples removed and she is walking on the leg. She doesn’t seem to have any problems laying on that side or getting up from the floor. It’s a little challenging to keep her from playing because I also have a 2 yr old Boxer. The surgeon said i could start taking her on walks. I was a little confused beccause the paper he initially gave me said she should be resting for like 8wks. I guess that means no rough-housing. I can’t wait for my pool to open so she can get in there and swim. Luckily, she loves to swim. I know in the future she’s going to need the other knee done so we’ll see what happens. Best of luck to Beau!