Torn ACL *3/6/10 8wk Check Up*

[Seravieve]

Thanks for both of your replies. It's good to hear what others have done, even though the detail are a little different.

Eli is already on a daily Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement as well as Deramax. And he also has arthritic degeneration in his spine, near his hips, and up near his shoulders, which causes him to arch his back excessively and has lead to muscle spasms (which I initially thought were seizures! Was so scary the first time I saw it.). Our vet thinks the damage to his spine was from some sort of trauma... So I guess his previous owners did a number on him in the few months they had him (~3 months). The Deramax helps him relax his back some and be more mobile, and has put an end to the muscle spasms (fingers crossed) as he hasn't had one in at least 6 months.

So this whole CCL thing has just added more stress to his already weakened back end... rather aggravating. We're trying to keep him as calm and relaxed as possible. Hoping to prevent any further damage to either knee. It just tough since Treo and him LOVE to play race and chase and he can't jump and run like he should be able to.

[K9karen]

Cody had both his knees done, 2 months apart, when he was around 5.

He sailed through everything like a trooper. I had to keep him quiet (yeah, a yellow lab. golden retreiver) for 6 weeks with each surgery. Luckily, the weather was nice each time, so I moved into the downstairs family room with him since there's a door to the yard. First day was Rimydal, I think, afterwards, Maalox coated aspirin. As long as he had company, he was fine, well behaved. He lost 30 needed pounds. No kitchen table to beg at, and no stoopid hoomans to accommodate the big brown eyes.

Afterwards, he was back to normal, no setbacks. I took it harder than him.

Good luck with Eli. Big kisses for him.

[Freedom]

My friend had her miniature poodle in Agility, and he did this. So it doesn't matter if he is overweight or not, it is how they land, and can happen to any of them, in theory.

Teddy was 2 years at the time. She went with the vet's recommendation for the surgery. She said keeping such a young active pup calm during the recovery was a bit of a challenge, but he healed up fine. He is 3 years old now. He is no longer in Agility, and both of them miss that.

Wait for the xrays, listen to what the vet says and recommends. Take notes so you can think about it at home, if need be.

Best wishes!

[Kona & Oreo's mom]

I'm so sorry to hear that Eli hurt his knee. I hope that you'll get some answers from the tests on Tuesday, and I hope that he feels better soon!

Oreo ruptured her CL on her 10th birthday. Our vet gave us the choice beween traditional extracapsular repair surgery and TPLO surgery. Not having surgery wasn't an option for us because of her size--65 lbs.--and because of the complete tear. We chose to do the traditional surgery because it didn't involve bone changes. An orthopedic surgeon came to our regular vet's office, which I think was great because he had lots of experience with the procedures. I wrote about Oreo's surgery and recovery here and here.

It's been a little over a year now, and Oreo is walking and running great! The vet said Oreo has great range of motion for any 11-year-old, which she attributes to Oreo being in athletic shape before the injury. Oreo has very little arthritis and pain only very occasionally when she overdoes it. I'm thrilled with the result: she has truly exceeded my expectations.

Best wishes to Eli and you.

[Seravieve]

Eli's back from the Vet's... and not with good news... He completely tore his Cruciate ligament. The Vet recommended TPLO, but he cannot do it himself. It'd have to be with a specialist or with this traveling surgeon, who'd come into their office. He said $2k for the TPLO with a specialist, maybe somewhat cheaper with the traveling guy. He said there's no damage to the knee bones, which is good. And he was surprised how well Eli gets around with it completely torn. Attributed that to the Deramax, which eliminates the inflammation.

Koko, why do you say there are too many risks with TPLO?

I tried to do some research on CCL damage, most people said the outcomes of regular surgery vs TPLO were pretty equal, but for some reason the Vet doesnt think so. He said we'd get much better results with the TPLO, than the regular surgery, which he could do for ~$500-600.

We're kind of at a loss... J just lost her job last week to 'downsizing'... so coming up with an extra $2k is a stretch right now. $600 wouldn't be as bad, but when he acted like the results would be so poor... Its a hard decision.

It's also hard because this isn't our normal vet, he's just the one in the office who'd be able to do the surgery. Our normal vet isn't able to do so I guess, so she had us see him instead. So trusting him... is kind of hard too. Although, I know she trusts him, enough to share an office with him (and has for many years).

On a good note, his hips look excellent (always worry since he has so many bone issues...) and he was a very good patient.

[boomersooner]

I'm so sorry about Eli. Our cockapoo tore hers when I was in college, then almost two years to the day tore the other one. Our vet did it. Never was a mention of a specialist. Of course, this was back in the early 80's. She lived to be almost 16 and never had any problems whatsoever. I hope everything goes well with Eli whatever you decide to do.

[Seravieve]

Thanks Boomer. =)

Looks like we'll be getting a second opinion next Saturday (Jan 2nd). J called another vet today and actually was able to talk to the doctor directly. He spent quite a while explaining the in's and out's of ligament damage to her. He explained SO much more than our vet. I love our regular Vet, but the guy we saw is always less than impressive. So the new vet she talked to still thinks that its possible that its not completely torn, even though that's what the first Vet said. He said since Eli is willing to occasionally walk on it, run on it and even tip toes, that its a possibility. He would also be able to do the regular ligament surgery, TPLO or TTA. He said TTA is a newer surgery, with a much quicker healing time (1 month) and a more natural outcome/movement, for approx the same price. So we'll see. I guess we'll be looking into the Care Credit program.. so that'd make it easier for us to afford it.