ACL Surgery (both legs) - what to expect and any advice?
Submitted by Beas03 on June 20, 2011 - 5:12pmHello there!
I have just joined as an official member after always using this website as a great source of information when in need for my beloved bully, Beasley. However, two weeks ago we discovered that Beas, who just turned three on 6/3, tore his ACL in his left hind leg after we noticed him limping and took him in to his regular vet. She supsected that was the case and an x-ray confirmed it. I was beyond devastated thinking how could this happen to my little guy who is so young?? We were referred to a surgeon who does ACL surgeries on bullies and went for our consultation last week. He decided to check his other leg, which he has never limped on just to be sure and discovered his right hind leg is torn too!! I could NOT believe this was happening to us. Apparently, this happens more times than not, but I certainly didn't think we would be here at three years old. Since then, my husband and I have been SO worried about the entire process from the surgery itself to recovery, as he is an active little guy. Needless to say, I'm paranoid the recovery is going to be terrible. Plus, we have to wait until his left leg heals and give him some time to get back to some normalcy before correcting his right leg.
Can anyone please share any similar situations or advice on recovery or ANY words of wisdom? We feel extremely comfortable with our surgeon and know he will do a great job, but I can't stop thinking about how much stress this is going to be on his little body. I greatly appreciate any help/advice anyone is able to offer.
Thanks so much,
Beas & Jackie
CCL Surgery
You might want to do a search on this forum as well as Google, as this is a topic that comes up alot. The correct term in canines is (Cruciate Ligament) and the CCL is the most common injury (Cranial Cruciate Ligament) a human has an ACL. I have had personal experience with 2 CCL surgeries on an older dog age 7 and a younger bitch, 1 year.
What surgical method are they using?
I am curious how your vet saw the ruptured ligament on an xray? Both my vet and orthopedic surgeon have said that xrays won't show a ruptured ligament and all the research I've done says the same thing. The only way to know for sure is to open up the stifle (knee).
< Radiography (x-ray) may suggest, but cannot confirm, a partial tear or a complete rupture. X-rays do not show ligaments or other soft tissues, but can show fractures and signs of arthritis as well as the presence of excess joint fluid. >
Here is just one article from my research http://www.rgvet.com/753/19353.html. They use what I call the old method and this is the method used on both of my dogs. BTW only 1 leg was repaired and the 1 yr old is now 6 and has nothing wrong with the other knee. So depending on if the rupture is degenerative or injury has a lot to do with both knees needing surgery.
Best of luck! The post surgery care is most important for a successful recovery.
Thanks so much for all your
Thanks so much for all your information, as this is all so new to us. I have googled it a bit and our orthopedic surgeon went in detail on the various methods to use. We are inching towards Beasley having the TTA method done. I know there are newer methods out there, however I don't feel that there is enough research at the moment to ensure how he will be years from now. I may have misunderstood our vet and the surgeon that the x-ray confirmed the rupture, but they also did the "drawer" test or something by that name where they could feel the movement that is occuring between his ligaments. I plan to have another consultation just to ask all of my questions again and be reassured that we have chosen the best option for our little Beas.
Honestly, I'm still doing research and not completely well versed on partial tears and complete ruptures of the ligament and all that this injury involves. Our surgeon suggested we do our own research to decide which method we would like to do and based on the information he provided us with as well. His left leg needs immediate attention because he can hardly bare any weight down at the moment.
I'm hoping that by having surgery on one leg, it may strengthen the other leg and it will not be necessary (that being if it is a partial tear.) Either way, we will do whatever it takes to make him 100% well. I am extremely concerned about the recovery period and what are the best methods to use, such as crating, any tips and so forth. He has so much energy and loves to play! So, we need to come up with a sold plan to keep him off that leg and doing the absolute minimal.
I will definitely check out the article you listed as well. Thanks again!
Recovery from surgery
our Clem had knee surgery when he was 8 years old. His surgery is what convinced me that all of my dogs will be crate trained. He was not crate trained and it made it very weird for all of us. We had to threaten all of our friends that beep their car horns, any blowing the horns would result in us flattening their tires. LOL. Because he was loose when we were not home, we didn't want him running to the door. We also had a sign on our front door-Do Not Knock/Do Not Disturb. We took our bed off the frame and slept on the mattress on the floor. Tipped over or covered all the furniture so he wouldn't jump up on it. Basically, we all lived on the floor for 8 weeks. Bought lots of rubber backed throw rugs so he wouldn't slip.
Clem was also a pretty active dog, he got lots of really good chew toys to occupy him. Stuffed marrow bones/Kongs. Leash walks in the yard. Carried him in/out of the house. We all had to stay very calm/quiet so we didn't get him excited and jumping around.
It seems like a long time but it goes by quickly. Truthfully, Clem thoroughly enjoyed the extra attention with us living on the floor with him, carrying him around.
Good luck
Lynn King CPDT-KA
Great tips!
Thank you Lynn! Your tips have helped greatly. Beas is crate trained and is crated while we are at work until our pet sitter arrives for his mid day visit. Any noise that sounds different and he is up in a flash! Even when he is in deep sleep snoring away, so I was thinking about how to prevent that. We need to definitely do the sign on the door, great idea. He does love to chew for hours on end, but his favorite past time is running with his toy to be chased in which he proceeds to do these pony bucks in mid air! This is why I'm stressing...
Thanks for sharing your experience with Clem. I'm definitely more at ease, or up until day of surgery anyway. He is our big baby!
"pony bucks in mid air"
LOL. Can't help you with that.
It is stressful, there's no way around that. I was 1 step short of shear panic when Clem had his surgery. But he came through it beautifully and made a complete recovery.
Good luck
Lynn King CPDT-KA
Method of Surgery
will determine the course of activity during recovery. TPLO is much more invasive and requires alot more down time, including at least 2 followup xrays, I don't remember the timing but I believe at 4 wks and then 8 wks with very limited activity until 10 wks.
My friend just had a TPLO on her bulldog and she did not even do range of motion with the leg like I did with the old method. She also used an expen. I'm not familiar with the TTA method.
Lynn's door sign is a good idea if your dog reacts to knocks. My vet did not want the dog crated but was happier with an expen, so the dog could move around some.
They will be very sore the first fews days and should come home with a Fentanyl Patch (pain patch). The patch release pain meds via time release, lasts for about 7 days.
Big thing is NO stairs, jumping or running. Leash walks only for at least 8 wks.
So if you have one that sleeps with you, I would start what ever training you need to (ie crate, no bed, no couch, etc) now, before the surgery to get them accustomed to the change.
CCL Surgery
Our girl had surgery two weeks ago. The surgeon thought because of her size and condition she would do well with the conventional surgery ad didn't need the TTA. She had what he called extracapsular surgery in which she received an artificial ligament that I believe works temporarily until tissue builds up to take the place of the torn ligament. The vet did not want her to be constantly crated (not before surgery either--said the damage was already done, so wouldn't help). She was restricted to leash walks for pottying and she's still not allowed to play with the other dogs and has to refrain from jumping. We're in a ranch so don't have to worry about stairs--she'd be restricted if we did. Her staples were removed yesterday--so far so good. Every day she seems to be stepping more and more on that foot. I stopped giving her pain medication and antibiotics yesterday. We're optimistic about her recovery. I don't know where you're located, but here is a website explaining the different surgeries from the vet who did Melanie's. www.caninekneesurgery.com Good luck and let us know how he does.
I'm so glad your little girl
I'm so glad your little girl is doing well after two weeks. From what I've read, the TTA method is less invasive and somewhat of a faster recovery, but it's still surgery and I know it'll be difficult either way. Beas is allergic is Rimadyl and Metacam, another pain reliever, so I'm concerned on what his options will be for pain medication. I have so many worries...but, overall I'm optimistic that he will do great. I just ordered an x-pen to put his bed in and bunch of pillows to keep him contained and out of his crate while we are at home. I'm doing as much pre-surgery setup as I can so we'll be ready and for him to get used to now. He does not like anything that looks remotely different! He's a touchy little guy. He will be scheduled for surgery in the next two weeks. Thank you all for your well wishes and I'll be sure to update on how everything goes.
Deramaxx
might be an alternative option for a pain med.
Glad you are getting all set up. It will make it less stressful for him. The first couple of weeks are the worst.
Best of luck!
Also, Arnica...
....before and after surgery I gave Arnica Montana (I get 30C strength from Washington Homeopathics). Maybe he won't be allergic to this homeopathic remedy, and then it's good to keep on hand. It really helps. I give it to the girls after their sections, and my husband and I have used it ourselves. I keep a bottle in the dogs' first aid kit. Good luck!
My Lola just had TPLO last week, both knees tore too
My Lola had a TPLO in Nov of 09 and just last week. We went with TPLO because of her size 70lbs and activity and age.. just turned 4 in may was almost 3 on the first.
I am a week out now and she is already using the leg and showing no signs of pain.. We are doing range of motion now and will start more exercises as time passes. I think there are positives and negatives to all of the types but everything I read has tplo as the gold standard. My fear with anything that relies on a rope or string is it could be too tight or too loose. If I was going to put her through the rest and surgery I wanted it to last and never have issues.
I tried resting lola for several weeks and if the tear is too bad it will just delay the surgery and create arthritus.. On her second knee I jumped in to surgery and its meant no artritus has built up and she didnt loose hardly any muscle..
best of luch in whatever you do and realize that its harder on us then them..
You're absolutely right...I
You're absolutely right...I think Beasley will be fine and we'll be the nervous wrecks. We've decided to have his other leg done in January, to give them ample time to heal and to just be a normal dog again. I feel like otherwise he would be depressed with having surgeries too close to each other. If we can wait a little longer that would be better, but I want to confirm w/ our surgeon first. I agree on the pros and cons of each method, it's a tough choice to decide not knowing how they will be years from now. Our orthopedic surgeon offers physical therapy using an underwater treadmill, so I'm hoping that may help speed up the healing process as well as the exercises we'll do at home. It's been a blessing to read all the similar situations and experiences we all have with our bullies, as it has greatly reduced our worries that we're not alone. Good luck with Lola as well, it sounds like she on a fast track to recovery and will be herself in no time.
size 70lbs and activity and age
These are some of the reasons you have to take into consideration as to what method you decide to use....thanks for putting that into your post. One size never fits all.
Water Therapy
I'm curious if your surgeon uses the water therapy after TPLO surgery. My friend just had TPLO done on her dog and her surgeon said you don't use water therapy with TPLO.
My vet also has a water therapy pool, he had that wing built after Cleo had her surgery so we never got to utilize it. And I'm hoping we never have to use it ;).
Beasley is 65 pounds,
Beasley is 65 pounds, relatively active (when he wants to be that is) and just turned three. He does love to sleep, but give him a toy and he's a puppy all over again. I believe our surgeon said the issue with the TPLO method on Bea is the length of his leg and that possibly being an issue, but he would not know for sure until he went in, plus he said he's had great success with TTA on bulldogs. I just wish I was able to wrap my head around each, both methods since somewhat similar and are still confusing. I heard so many bullies having great success with the TPLO and in the past few days that seems to be the case with the TTA as well.
As for the water therapy, I believe they do offer it as well for all orthopedic surgeries, but maybe weeks after since theTPLO is more invasive? He said the therapy was optional and in some cases is not needed, but me being overly cautious would like Beas to begin that after he heals a bit. I figure it can't hurt and the set-up looks like it would be extremely beneficial! We are in Dallas. Here is the link to our surgeon's site and also includes info on the rehab center and care after surgeries that is located in the building. I also hope you never have to enter the wing with the water therapy pool! One surgery is enough, that's for sure.
http://www.dfwvetsurgeons.com/