My Pem and possible 2 torn ACLs!
UPDATE: Jake had his surgery on Tuesday the 27th and had a complete tear in the CCL as well as a blown meniscus so it had to be removed. Dr. guarantees us he can get back to his old running days but WILL have arthritis pretty badly in that leg when he is older. Dr. says that therapy will be crucial.
For more on the Tight Rope procedure, see below.
My Pem possibly torn a ligament in his back left leg in January and the vet saw him twice since then and he was on anti-inflammatories awaiting a visit to Ortho on Apr 23rd. Well, we just got back from vacation and boarding him for 6 days where he went to doggie daycare for 4 of those days and rested the other 2. I got him home, played with him a little in backyard and as he was running for a ball, he collapsed. THE OTHER LEG just gave out and it appears he TORE an ACL or ECL this time. He cannot put ANY pressure on it at all and now is trying to walk on the first bum leg. Called vet right after it happened. He's on a different antibiotic now awaiting the earliest Ortho appt I could make, Apr 13th. He now has to drag his back end around...but does show slight improvement on the anti-inflammatory. OMG, I've been in tears since Wed when it happened. My poor boy. He's only 2.5 yrs old. Anyone else go through this? What is it like if he needs surgery on both legs? Will he need a wheel chair as he heals? Therapy?
I'm so stressed out and feel it's all my fault for playing ball with him that day. The guilt is killing me.
Jill
http://www.arthrexvetsystems.com/en/mediacenter/clientinformation/u...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jill Usher on
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Hi,everyone. It will be a week tomorrow since Jake's surgery and he seems to be doing great. We are keeping up with the exercises, icing, and two 5 min walks. He looks incredibly bored in his "pen" but there is not much we can do. My hubby said he broke out this weekend when he was out in the evening. Pen was almost collapsed and Jake was at the front door waiting for him. OH NO! It was fireworks being shot off in the neighborhood that spooked the dogs. Then he woke up the next morning and the little guy had taken his new e-collar off so he could have licked his incision all night for all we know. I bought him a blue blow-up e-collar by Pro-Collar. It's more like a pillow for him so that is good but we have to watch him with it on. Leg is looking better with one spot that is quite red. He seems to be walking much better on the leg and his range of motion in the leg is getting better every day. He goes back May 12th to have his sutures removed and have his first PT session.
Take care everyone.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on
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Seanna got out of her pen too one morning...we think Sage freed her though...I'm glad Jake's doing good!! Time does go by quick...
Seanna never got her collar off, but she hated it tremendously. I was glad when she got the staples out. We only made her wear it at night when we couldn't watch her all the time.
It amazes me how fast they recover! Seanna was pretty sore the first two days, but healed pretty quickly. She's to the point now where she fights me doing the range of motion, even with treats. She looks at me like "is all this really necessary?"...LOL. She is pretty sure she's healed completely. When I walk her she pulls soooo hard trying to run. It's actually kind of funny watching her try to take off.
Hang in there!!! Seanna goes for her 6 week check up next Tuesday, and this week is the last week of scheduled hydrotherapy. She gets rechecked by the rehab doctor next week too, to see if she needs to continue or not....Only two more weeks and she's hopefully on no restrictions!
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OMG, how time flys! That is so great that she's almost there! Wow...
We pretty much have to keep the collar on at all times because the first thing he wants to do is lick his incision. Augh. Did Seanna ever nip at her ankle? I think he's in a little pain there. :(
Jakey is already getting fiesty...I've been working from home today and had him outside of his pen next to me but then he heads over to his toy bucket and goes to pull out a ball as if I will play with him. I'm trying not to do the ball rolling to him just yet because he can really hurt his leg getting up and down. It's soooo hard not being able to play with him. I gave him tons of new toys in his pen and a big knuckle bone but he just doesn't want to play! Only once in awhile if I tease him with a stuffed toy. He's still healing so I have to accept that he should rest.
I'm so glad that Seanna is doing so good. That gives me a lot of hope!
So 6 weeks later they still have you doing the range of motion exercises? Wow!
Jill
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Seanna tried to lick her incision only a few times. She'd turn her head towards me when I was doing her range of motion excersises, for the first few days after surgery--you know how they turn their head real quick like they want to nip at you when they are hurting? But other than that, she pretty much left it alone.
She really didn't do anything the first few days after but sleep--you could tell she didn't feel good. I have a few toys in there with her, and occasionally she'll play with them briefly. Otherwise unless she's sleeping she's staring me down, trying to get me to feel sorry for her and let her out of her pen. Did I tell you about the day I put the cat in there just to give her some excitement? :-)
Hopefully we can stop the range of motion next week--she really doesn't think she needs it, and it's becoming a real chore to get her to cooperate. She's even turning down the treats. I can't even bribe her anymore!!
Let me know how things are going!
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Jen - Let me know what the surgeon says tomorrow about Seanna's progress! Good luck.
Oh, and sorry, I didn't say Happy Mother's Day!!! Hope you had a nice day even though you probably had to work.
I went to lunch with my Mom, Dad, sister, hubby, and my stepson, Dan. He is 22 and just moved back home. We don't really trust him to do exercises with him or walks when he comes home for lunch on his break (he's a personal trainer) but at least he comes home and can check on Jake in his pen.
Jill
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Permalink Reply by Quincy ^,,^ & Michelle : ) on
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Yeah!!! Glad to hear Jake is doing well! :)
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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It sounds like he's getting the best care possible! My Wynn would be a terrible patient! Keep up the good work and please don't blame yourself...it happens! I have 2 bad knees but the more I keep moving the better and I also have bone on bone but so far it doesn't bother me and these injuries are over 25 years old!
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Hi, everyone. Well, it's been a week since we picked Jake up from the surgeon's. He is too funny. I can't believe it's only been a week. It feels like 20. :)
Anyway, he is healing nicely and now is done with all his meds except the Rimadyl.
We are up to three 5 min walks a day starting today, with icing after the walks.
Starting today we are up to his range of motion exercises three times a day (with heating the leg first) as well as adding in exercises so that he puts pressure on the surgical leg (like having him stand and kind of pushing him gently toward the surgical leg). He couldn't do it this morning, he keeps sitting down. Augh. Guess I just have to be patient and he should get stronger.
He is like Seanna. He is getting very impatient when it comes to the range of motion exercise and wants to just sit up. PITA! He does prefer the heat (hot towel inside a freezer bag and then wrapped in towel). He kind of nods off.
He is getting more and more fiesty everyday and wants to play so bad. He was looking everywhere for his ball last night. Poor thing. :(
One more week and the staples are out!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jill-
I got Seanna to lay on her side by getting her over, and then putting my arm across her side with my elbow kind of resting on her neck...it puts pressure on them like mom would do, and gets them to relax. I could still use my hand to support the leg while using the other hand to do the range of motion....worked pretty well. I can send you a picture if it's kind of confusing? Seanna is pretty impossible to work with now. I think mother nature tells them when they don't need it anymore. She went to hydrotherapy last night and walked without whining at all for the first time, but wouldn't do the balance board or let them do range of motion at all. My husband said she wouldn't even look at the treats. I had to work so didn't go...she usually listens to me pretty well, but not lately!! So glad to see the surgeon next week--maybe we can be done with the stuff she hates. She LOVES her walks though! :-)
Seanna still prefers the heat...she liked the ice for the first week after it had been on a minute or two, but hated those first two minutes of it. I feel for you!! Glad you guys are doing well and getting through it OK!
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Isn't it amazing how quickly they bounce back (or at least they think they can!).
My biggest worry right now are those standing strengthening exercises. They say I need to hold his chest up and hang onto his rear with the other hand and kind of lean him towards the surgical leg and hold for 5 seconds. Yeh, right. He's too weak to do that right now. Then I'm supposed to stand him up and basically push him from the side toward the bad leg. If that doesn't work, I'm supposed to push him toward the good leg so that he leans back into the bad leg. OMG, it's a pain and not working. I'll try again tonight.
Let me know what the surgeon says about Seanna! I hope she is free and clear next week to romp and play. Sweet girl. I love those pics of her in the therapy tub. :)
Have a good week.
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Yeah--Seanna is supposed to do "three-legged stands", but sits every time. She does OK if I grab one of her front paws, but sits right away when I lift up the opposite rear leg. I don't think it hurts her to put weight on that leg, but I think she senses it's weaker and just doesn't want to do it. Hopefully the water excersises will strengthen her up....otherwise we'll be having a "come to Jesus" meeting here pretty soon! :-)
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