ACL surgery for Murph

[ParNone]

I dropped Murph off at the vet's last night for ACL surgery on his knee today. He jumped off the bed last week and tore the ligament. The vet felt the risk of blowing out the other knee would be reduced if we went ahead with the surgery and since Murph is very energetic and healthy for his age, he should bounce back from this okay. We've got 4 weeks of crate time ahead of us though, which I know is going to be hard for him, but thank goodness he was crated trained when he was young. That length of time is going to bad enough as is, it would be an absolute nitemare if he hated the crate.

Oz was somewhat depressed that Murph didn't come home with me last night. He had to go through this last week, when Murph had the x-rays done, so I think he already knows he's gonna have to spend the day by himself and wasn't happy about it. I had a lil' talk with him and told him not worry, his lil' buddy would be okay and back in a couple of days, so hopefully he'll be alright today and I'll get to go home and check on him at lunch.

The vet's suppose to call later today and let me know that Murph's okay. That Murph, he's so funny. He just loves being at the vets. When it was time to leave him last night, he bounced over to me to say goodbye, but no long goodbyes for him. I scratched his head, he licked my hand and then bounced right back to the vet. *shaking my head*. He's the one having the surgery, yet he's ecstatically happy and poor Oz is home depressed.

Anybody else have to go through ACL surgery with their dog?

Par...

[tatsxxx11]

Oh Par, I'm sorry to hear this!:( But Murph sure is one trooper, isn't he! I had to laugh as I read how pre-op Murph was almost happy to be at the vet's while dear Oz was home, sad and lonely. Hopefully Oz's bestest pal will be home in no time! Please let us know as soon as you can how he's doing??? Sending positive thoughts and loving prayers for a successful surgery and swift recovery! And extra hugs for sweet Oz!!!:) Sandra, Cody and Star

[micki76]

Any word yet, Les? I've been worrying about him since last night. Please let us know as soon as you hear from them.

I hear ya about the crate training. If I hadn't crated Chester as a pup, this would be soo much harder than it already is.

Poor Millie's having a conniption to play with her brother. She missed him so much when he was at the vet. She's relaxed and happy again now that he's home, but she wants in the crate with him. Of course, she wants a treat every five seconds for being a good girl and leaving him alone, so she may be 25 lbs by the time I get him out of the crate! :D

Hope all goes well with Murph and Oz isn't too depressed. I'm keeping all three of you in my thoughts.

[ParNone]

Hey ya'll!

The vet just called me. Murph's doing great! That lil' guy, he's such a bouncer backer. Nothing keeps him down. I'm gonna start calling him, Molly Brown. ;) The vet thinks I might be able to take Murph home tonight, so I'm going to stop at the vet's on the way home and see him. If he's lucid enough by then, I'll be able to take him home, but if not, at least I'll get to say hi to him. Oz will be soooooo happy, if I can bring him home. Well until he finds out he can't play with him for 4 weeks. ;)

Yeh I tell ya, if for no other reason then health emergencies, people should socialize their dogs to crates.

I'll try and give lil' progress reports, as we go through all the rehab stuff.

Par...

[micki76]

YAY Murph! Way to go buddy! And maybe even going home tonight? Wow, he really is resilient! :D

Please keep us updated, and some pics wouldn't hurt either! ;)

[lovemyshiba]

Alright Murph!!!

A perfect patient, I'm sure!!

I had to laugh at the story of him bouncing back to the vet when you left him there--what a happy-go-lucky little doggie!!!

Glad to hear the surgery went well, and good luck with keeping Oz happy while Murph has to be in seclusion!!!

[tatsxxx11]

Oz and Murph will just have to make nicies through the crate bars!;) What a super patient!!! I'm so glad to hear he did so well and will be coming home soon!:) And you're right Par; being crate trained can be a blessing for sure! Lots of loving thoughts coming your way, Murph!

[pitc9]

Glad to hear all is well!!

I had to leave Buddy at the vet for a day, and that left Sierra home alone in her crate.... well... at least when I left home she was in her crate:rolleyes:
She had flipped out so bad she got herself out of her crate during the day!!!

Get well soon Murph!

[ParNone]

Thanks ya'll! Murph is home. The vet said he was doing unbelievably well, so he let him come home. He was whining just a lil' bit, which the vet said he probably would since his pain shot would be wearing off by now. And of course him whining, has got Oz whining. Poor guy, he's laying next to Murph, outside the crate. But they've both kind of settled down for the moment and are sleeping, so maybe it won't be too bad a night for all of us.

Wow pitc9, can't believe Sierra got out of her crate. Hope Oz and Murph don't start plotting a breakout, while I'm at work tomorrow. ;)

Here's a couple of pics of Murph:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid102/p7dd36c2ec7aed7bec3138ebd411241c3/f9c9bebe.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid102/p5cf590537eb4478f171114356379628a/f9c9beb6.jpg

Par...

[tatsxxx11]

How precious is that!!! Awww, Murph, you're one amazing little guy!:) I can just picture Murph consoling Oz!:D Hope you all have a quiet night!

[lizbud]

Hi Par,

Sorry to hear that Murph is hurting and I hope that he will
heal quickly & completely. Poor little guy. My RB dog Buddy had
the ACL surgery back in 2001 & he did recover. Everyone here
was so kind to us & really helped with moral support during that
time. Buddy was over 100 lbs & had bad hips from birth, so it was
very worrisome for me, but Murph should be fine with rest. Did
your Vet give you anything for Murph's pain? Please keep us all updated on how he's doing. He's such a cutie pie. :)

I hope you all rest well tonight.:) Liz.

[lovemyshiba]

What a cutie with that little cast!!!!

I hope everyone rests comfortably tonight, and behaves while their mommy is at work;)

[ParNone]

hey tats!

He most definitely is. I just took him out to go potty. Thank goodness I went ahead and put the leash on him, even though I thought he'd be too tired to worry about it. Dang! if he didn't try to run as soon as I set him down. argh!

hi lizbud!

Yeh he's got a pain patch around his neck that stays on for the next 3 days. Plus he has some pain pills that I can't start giving him until tomorrow, due to all the pain medicine he already got today. And two different kinds of antibotics. So we're set for meds. Did you have issues keeping Buddy inactive for 4-6 weeks? I feel like that's gonna be a huge challenge for Murph.

Par...

[ParNone]

hi lovemyshiba!

Yeh I keep thinking he's trying out for the lead in Flashdance. ;)

Par...

[micki76]

Aw, Murph. You and Chester could be cell mates. :) Poor Chester’s already getting a bit stir crazy and wants out so the next few days should be interesting for us, but 4-6 weeks and we’d all be batty. I really feel for y’all!

Take care Murph, and let Mommy get some sleep tonight.

[K9soul]

Glad to see Murph is doing so well! He looks so adorable in his little cast, and he doesn't look the least bit upset about his situation, what a little trooper! I haven't had a dog go through ACL surgery, but from the way Murph seems to handle things I bet he will bounce back really quick :)

[Sudilar]

Awwww, Murph looks soooo cute. Glad the surgery is over. Good luck on the 4 weeks of confinment. My RB Pyr had ACL surgery and did very well with it.

[ParNone]

Thanks ya'll! He did really well last night. Woke me up about 3am to go potty, but he wasn't really whining much throughout the night. Oz finally calmed down about the whole thing, so that helped too. I've gotta go check on him at lunch today. Looks like it's going to rain. I sure hope that doesn't happen, because we're not suppose to let the bandage get wet at all. So I have to put a baggy around it everytime we go out to potty. Not sure how well that's going to work, if it's pouring down rain.

Par...

[lizbud]

Originally posted by ParNone
Did you have issues keeping Buddy inactive for 4-6 weeks? I feel like that's gonna be a huge challenge for Murph.

Par...


It wasn't hard at all at the beginning, but by the 6 to 8 wks
stage, Bud felt so much better & it was very hard to keep him
from running when he wanted to. I know every case is different,
but Bud's Vet told me expect a 3 month recovery time. Anyway
I'm attaching a link to his old thread. Maybe something someone
else said might be of help to you & Murph. Hugs to Murph.

Buddy's Knee Surgery (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3731&perpage=15&highlight=Buddys knee&pagenumber=1http://)

[ParNone]

Well just got back from the emergency vet. Could not get Murph to pee. We were heading on 19 hours since he last peed, which seemed waaaayyyy too long to me. Course the rain all day here isn't helping matters either. They took a x-ray, then took him out to an enclosed grassy area and let him walk around. And sure enough he peed and pooped for them. Why they couldn't have tried this before the x-ray, I do not know. I told Murph that was an extremely expensive potty break.

Anywho, seems like he wants to be able to walk around a lil' unleashed to potty, so guess I'll have to stop at Petsmart tomorrow and look at x-pens. Unless anybody else can think of any other suggestions on making an enclosed area in the back yard, that might be cheaper? Can't really block anything off for him. The only area, small enough to do that, is a muddy mess, so that's a no go.

Par...

[Shelteez2]

Good to hear Murphy is doing so well...

Here is a site with a detailed diary on a dog's recovery from ACL surgery.

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/darbydiary.html

Thought you might find some of it useful??

[micki76]

Originally posted by ParNone
Well just got back from the emergency vet. Could not get Murph to pee. We were heading on 19 hours since he last peed, which seemed waaaayyyy too long to me. Course the rain all day here isn't helping matters either. They took a x-ray, then took him out to an enclosed grassy area and let him walk around. And sure enough he peed and pooped for them. Why they couldn't have tried this before the x-ray, I do not know. I told Murph that was an extremely expensive potty break.

Anywho, seems like he wants to be able to walk around a lil' unleashed to potty, so guess I'll have to stop at Petsmart tomorrow and look at x-pens. Unless anybody else can think of any other suggestions on making an enclosed area in the back yard, that might be cheaper? Can't really block anything off for him. The only area, small enough to do that, is a muddy mess, so that's a no go.

Par...

I don’t know how much x-pens are, but you can get a small roll of chicken wire at Home Depot and maybe a one or two 2x4’s and make your own if x-pens are very expensive. LOL, I love chicken wire. We’ve used about 600’ of that stuff for various reasons since we got Chester!

I thought we were going to have to take Chester back last night, too. He wouldn’t poop. 24 hours, no poop, and lots of food makes for a very worried Mommy. He was just waiting for the dark. He doesn’t like to be watched, lol.

[ParNone]

Thanks for the links lizbud and shelteez! I'm going to read them tonight.

Thanks for the suggestion micki! If x-pen is too expensive, I'll probably go that route. I asked the emergency vet last night what the absolute max time was for them not peeing and pooping, before you needed to panic and take them into emergency. 24 hours on peeing and 2 days for pooping. Just for future reference, because they won't tell you this info over the phone. errrrrrrrr...

Par...

[KYS]

So glad Murph is doing well.
He looks so cute with blue leg.
Sending quick heal hugs to Murph.

Karen

[ParNone]

thanks kys!

I took Murph into the vet this morning to get his pain patch removed. We were sitting on a bench waiting to go back into an exam room, when the office cat jumped up beside us and stuck his face right into Murph's. Have I ever mentioned that Murph hates cats? Well he actually touched noses with the cat. No barking, growling, lunging. Nothing. I was totally amazed how friendly he was towards this cat. They must have made friends with all of Murph's overnighters at the vets over the last 2 weeks.

When we finally got into an exam room, Murph was still being his normal happy self. His tail was wagging and he was kissing the vet tech, when she took him from me to remove the patch. She mentioned what a "Cool" dog she thinks he is. That Murph. He's such a sweetheart. He charms'em wherever he goes. :)

The vet looked over the x-ray we had done at the emergency clinic Thurs and it looks like Murph has a bladder stone. :( So Tues when we go back to get his bandage taken off, he's going to have a urine test done. Hopefully we can fix this by just changing dog food.

Par...

[micki76]

Oh no! :eek: Oh, I hope it can be corrected with food! Please keep me updated, I'll be worried until you hear something. :(

[jenfer]

Wishing speedy recovery for Murph. :D

[ramanth]

Glad Murph is home and recovering well. That's so cool about how nice he was to the cat! :)

EEK about the bladder stone. :( I hope it's nothing serious.

[micki76]

Just wondering how Murph's doing and if you know anything about his stone yet?

[ParNone]

Hi Micki!

Murph is Mr. Conehead now, which he's none too happy about.:) He got his bandage off and the vet's real happy with how the incision looked, so just gotta keep him from licking on it for a few days. And now we start the physical therapy on the knee. 3 times a day for 3 mins. That must really hurt, because when the vet was showing me how to do it, Murph actually put his mouth on the vet. Didn't bite though, but the vet said it probably would be best to do the therapy with the e-collar on too.

Got some new dog food for him, to see if we can dissolve the bladder stone. WooWee that is some horrible smelling stuff. They weren't sure Murph would eat it. I guess a lot of the dogs hate it. He woofed that stuff down. That's the most he's eaten since the surgery. Hope this stuff works, because if not, we're probably going to have to do another surgery in a couple of months. :-(

I have to say, so far he's been really good about being in the crate and the x-pen outside. Thank Zeus!

How's Chess doing?

Les...

[micki76]

Oh, I'll be praying the food works, cause this surgery is no FUN for anyone!
:( :p

Chester's doing GREAT! He's currently barking at me to get out of the crate. :mad: He's gotten really impatient and sick of the crate, but I just don't know if I should let him out or not. The vet said no jumping until the stitches come out, but he's been jumping some. Hmmm... May let him out later. I wish he'd just settle down until Thursday!

Physical therapy doesn't sound too fun, but only 3 mins at a time, so that should go quickly. :) I'm sure he'll tolerate it a lot better with you anyway. They usually do.

[ParNone]

Tell Chester, 2 days'll go by real fast. :) I can only hope that Murph is going to be this good for the next few weeks.

I really shouldn't look at petfinder, since I know I couldn't even consider another dog, until Murph's all healed. But look at this cutie I found today (Collie/Great Dane mix):

http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2422371&adTarget=468doggeneral&SessionID=4020431c36cb7d45-app3&display=&preview=1&row=0&tmpl=

Les...

[captain]

Par,

Sorry I missed this thread on Murph.

What a brave boy ............... those pics were gorgous,and now the change of dog food and a cone head ......

Hope everything goes well and that stone "melts" away .....

My darling Captain would NOT GO POTTY attached to the lead until he was almost 3 :eek:

So walking him was a pleasure ............;) . Not anymore tho, he realised he is a boy, and trees have his "name" on them ....

[lizbud]

Originally posted by ParNone


I really shouldn't look at petfinder, since I know I couldn't even consider another dog, until Murph's all healed. But look at this cutie I found today (Collie/Great Dane mix):

http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2422371&adTarget=468doggeneral&SessionID=4020431c36cb7d45-app3&display=&preview=1&row=0&tmpl=

Les...


I'll bet Morgan would give Oz a run for his money.:D Such a
cute & interesting mix of breeds.:)

Hope Murph is feeling better & that the new food helps dissolve
the stone.
:)

[lizbud]

Par,

I was just wondering how Murph is doing. Hope he's feeling
better each day. That crate time's gotta be hard once Murph
"thinks" he should be playing.:)

[ParNone]

Hi lizbud!

Murpher is doing great actually. I can't believe how wonderful he's being about the crate. Plus, I've been working some crazy hours on top of it. Him and Oz have been absolute angels this week. Hummmm better *knock wood* or I'll come home to mass destruction.

He seems to be progressing pretty good. He gets to start taking a short walk down the street next week. Once he gets a taste of a lil' freedom again, he may think differently about that crate.

Thanks for asking about him!

Par...

[tatsxxx11]

That's great news, Par!:) Can't wait to hear how he does on his first walk!:)

[daisykatep]

Hi everyone, I'm new here! You all seem to be a kind lot! I'm a dog walker & pet sitter, I absolutely adore animals. I'm replying to this one because I walk a golden retriever who's 11 now, she's had both her cruciate ligaments go and she's fine now, it was only about 3 weeks before she was up and about again so hope your little one goes on well. They say a smaller dog heals quicker with that sort of thing because they don't have so much weight to carry, thats what the vet told me anyway. I shall be visiting your site again soon, it' the best one I have visited so far. Keep up the good work and advice. Pat. By the way my user name is made up from the names of my two favourite dogs Daisy ( now gone to the Rainbow Bridge ) and Kate and the P is for Pat me.:)

[lizbud]

Par,

Great news about Murph.:) So glad to hear he's doing so well.


daisykatep,

Welcome to Pet Talk.:) If you love animals & enjoy talking
about them then you're in the right place. Of course, pictures
are also welcome. :D

[micki76]

Any updates on Murph? I hope he's doing good! Let us know whenever you can. :)

[ParNone]

hi Pat!

Welcome to pettalk! Murph is now just past the 3 week mark, so he's starting to do just a bit of walking. He's not allowed off leash until after 6 weeks time though. Love to see pics of your two dogs, so hope you'll post some.

Hey ya Micki!

Work is just crazy, so very limited on pettalk time right now. Gotta work tomorrow, but the day was so beautiful (a sunny 75 degrees) that Oz and I got out of the house and out and about. Poor Murph too soon for him to get to go, but we brought him back a nice big bone to knaw on. So he's happy happy!

He seems to be doing really well. Starting to put more weight on the leg, with less shaking and we're taking short lil' walks. We've got a vet appointment this coming Saturday, so hopefully the vet'll say things are going good. Murph and Oz keep trying to play with each other through the crate, which I end up stopping. Don't think racing around inside the crate was what the vet had in mind, when he prescribed crate rest for 6 weeks. So hopefully the two haven't caused any damage with that activity.

I saw this really cute lil' girl on petfinder this morning:

http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2570408&adTarget=468doggeneral&SessionID=4037d98f127a965f-app1&display=&preview=1&row=0&tmpl=

She sounded so wonderful that Oz and I stopped by Petco to see her. Couldn't find her though and when I asked one of the adopters, they didn't know anything about her. I figure that's destiny stepping in that she's not the one for us or that it's still too soon to think about another dog.

Anyway that's what we've been upto today. How's things with your gang?


Par...

[lizbud]

Hi Par,

Good to hear that Murph is doing so well. :) I used to think
that smaller dogs recovered easier than larger dogs from this
type of surgery, but know realize that's not really the case. A
smaller dog (smaller bones) would take as much care & time
to recover as a heavier dog (bigger bones).

I'm so glad he's being a good boy during his re-coop period.

p.s. Louise is a real doll baby. I enjoyed her lovely write up.
It's very well done & shows her sweet nature.:)

[ParNone]

hi lizbud,

Yeh that Louise, sounded just about perfect. I'm thinking about emailing and asking about her, but I really should wait until Murph is completely healed to even consider a third dog again. I just can't seem to resist the pull of petfinder.:)

Par...

[lizbud]

Originally posted by ParNone
I just can't seem to resist the pull of petfinder.:)

Par...


Oh , I do know what you mean there. :D

Part of me thinks I'll see that one dog out there who will have
that certain look & personality and I'll be a goner again....:D

[ParNone]

Took Murph to the vet this morning for a check up on his knee and the bladder stone. The food, to help reduce the bladder stone, really didn't work, since Murph kept throwing it up and I had to take him off it. But when the vet did the ultrasound, he noticed that it looked like it was embedded in the bladder wall, which reduced Murph's risk of it causing a problem and would also be hard for the vet to find to remove during surgery anyway. So no surgery for now, thank zeus, just have to keep an eye on Murph and make sure he doesn't show any urination issues and then the vet'll check it again in 6 mos.

As for his knee, the vet said it looked and felt great to him and Murph's walking pretty good on it now, so we've got the okay to start increasing his activity level. Bad news is though, his other back leg is making all kinds of cracking and creeking noises. It's taken quite a bit of stress and strain while the other leg has been healing. The vet said it felt okay, but I've got to watch that leg for signs that he's hurt that knee too. So I dunno, I hope we're not going to have to go through this again for the other leg in a few months.

The vet was commenting again on happy Murph is to be at the vet's. I told him the next time I bring Oz in, Murph's coming too, as his morale coach. ;)

Of course, the vet didn't see Murph growl at a poor scared doggie in the waiting room. He was twice the size of Murph, but since he looked so frightened, I guess Murph decided he could kick his butt. I promptly picked him up and put in my lap though, which put an end to his macho posturing. That's one habit, I don't want him teaching mister Oz.

Par...