Tuppence going in for surgery afterall

No doubt about it this time; her cruciate ligament is definitely shot! My baby girl is going to have knee reconstruction surgery on May 1st! [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] This wonderful little golden bitch who joins us in bed every morning -- under the covers with her muzzle on my shoulder -- will have to be confined to a small rehab pen in the living room for her four MONTH recovery!

She cries and pouts pitifully when unable to join the rest of us, so my bet is we don't even last one night before moving the bed downstairs into the living room to be with her.

Can you say wrapped around her furry little paw..?

Pete

My dog had the same surgery in November. Well, there are several repairs that they use so maybe yours is not the same. Our house is all one floor, so she was not confined away from us. But we did buy several rugs so she wouldn't have to be on slick vinyl floors.

It was pitiful when she first came home and just ley there and cried. This is a dog that didn't make a sound when she drove a splinter the size of a toothpick completely through a paw pad!

We had to use a sling to support her rear for about three days when she needed to go outside.

Now it's good as new. My wife still has her on a leash in the yard at night. We don't want her to take off after any rabbits we didn't see. I'm pretty sure that's how she hurt her knee to start with.

I'm sure that all will be well with yours too. And I like the picture!

Thanks, Gary! What did you use for a sling? I've heard of people using everything from a dish towel to a firewood carrier. I think the hard part is going to be keeping the other dogs from jostling her on the way out the door. Might have to figure out a way of keeping them away. Maybe locking them in the bathroom while Tuppence and I are outside.

Pete

I used a bath towel. I was going to make some dowel handles for it, but we only needed it for two days. We did use an E collar for about 4 weeks until the incision was healed. That was lots of fun! The poor girl kept hitting the walls and stuff when she tried to turn around in the hall or other narrow spots. She'd get the collar's open end jammed up against the wall and had to really strain to complete the turn. Kind of funny to watch, but I knowm it was frustraiting for her. She actually tore one and we had to repair it with nylon wire ties.

Pete:

Hope all goes well with Tuppence.

It's allways a difficult time when a family member is under medical duress.

Keep the faith:

Egon

Hi Pete,

It is difficult time for the dog but you and your family will do all you can for her.

When our Giant Schnauzer Seigir injured his back, he could not get up without help. He was very unsteady and I used a log carrier to help support him as he walked outside. It did work well but I really had to feel sorry for him. He has healed well and is his old self again. His daughter was so good to him to the point of putting toys on his bed for him. She was also very protective of him.

Will she be in a cast?

Tim

Hang in there. She's lucky to have a human family that will return/give back the loyalty she has for you.

Pete, our mastiff, Mulder went through the surgery twice, one for each knee. We set up our laundry room (on our main floor) as his recovery area. And of course, the first several nights, I slept on the floor of the laundry room with him. We also moved into our first floor guest room, so he didn't have to climb stairs. We've been sleeping in the guest room for almost two years now, because he's still afraid to climb stairs. He is hesitant to do anything that he thinks may cause him to fall. Unless of course he's playing, then he runs around and has lots of fun, which he couldn't do before the surgery.

The first few days after surgery are usually very painful. I took 2 weeks off from work after each surgery to take care of him. He weighs over 160 lbs, and he was very unsteady on his feet for a few days. We used a bath towel as a sling, but he only needed it for two days. Make sure the surgeon gives you plenty of pain meds for her. After Mulder came home from the first surgery, he was in a lot of pain. They kept him a day after the surgery, but they had him doped up. When we got him home, and the anesthesia wore off, the pain meds didn't do the job. We had to keep ice on his leg all night, and he cried all night. Our local vet told us to call her every hour throughout the night, so she didn't get any sleep either. About 4AM, it got worse, and he began to howl, and she rushed over and gave him a shot that knocked him out for a few hours. When he woke up, the pain seemed to be better.

He was much better after the second surgery. I actually think he understood what he had to expect.

But...it was all VERY MUCH WORTH IT!!!! Mulder now runs, jumps and plays like he never did. He has made a 100% recovery!!

Tuppence will have to go through a rehab period with you, and it can take 6 months or more. She'll have a walking program and range of motion exercises. Mulder was very cooperative with all his rehab. And he had to go through everything twice.

Of course he's very lovable, and has quite a personality. At the Surgical Hospital, when he had to spend the night each time, the vet techs took turns sleeping in his pen with him. They all wanted to see Mulder on each of his post-surgical visits, which were once a month for 8 months for each surgery. Mulder wouldn't leave the hospital for each visit until he saw each of his new friends. He would lay down in the examining room, and would refuse to leave until the whole staff had seen him. His surgery was by a veterinary surgeon, who specializes in canine knee surgery. He loves Mulder so much, he insisted that he was Mulder's Uncle Paul. And Uncle Paul still comes over to visit Mulder, even though he lives over an hour away.

Good luck to you and Tuppence. She'll have some tough times, but in the end she'll be back to her old self.

Doctors who work on animals and give the animals, and their owners, a new lease on life in many cases deserve all our respect and admiration. They could probably make a lot more money working with patients who can talk!

I agree, Gary. We use an animal hospital with 3 fantastic vets. But being that Mulder is so big, they wanted a specialist to do his surgery, with them backing him up. They are all fantastic dedicated people, who I have all the respect in the world for!