Cruciate ligament surgery

[justginger]

My poor Great Dane, Bella, has worsening arthritis in her back left leg.

She went through a series of injections to build her joints back up in July, which seemed to help quite a bit for a couple of months. However, over the last 2 months or so, she''s gone back downhill. Sometimes she walks/runs with no sign of discomfort, and other times (often late at night), she avoids putting any weight on it at all. I''m giving her steriod painkillers as a temporary bit of relief, but try to keep them to a minimum as to not make the disease any worse.

We''ve now reached the point where surgery is necessary. She''s been booked in for Thursday morning, and she''ll spend the night recovering in the overnight doggy hospital. I''m taking Friday off of work, so I can stay home and take care of her. We''ll see how the weekend goes; I may take Monday off as well (I''ve got so much flexi-time built up I could probably take the month off!). My boss had a Great Dane who went through surgery on both of her knees, so she''s quite happy to let me have as much time as I want, thankfully.

Has anyone else had a pet go through surgery for a cruciate ligament repair? I need some reassurance!! I''m very scared, as she''s getting older now and I don''t want to think about something going wrong.

I lost a 16 week old kitten after abdominal surgery earlier in the year and I don''t think I''ll ever look at surgery the same. Bella''s already had one surgery this year as well -- emergency abdominal treatment after she ate some of her bedding!

I''m hoping she''s a tough old bird...

This is my princess:

 

[CasaBlanca]

Pour Beautiful Baby Bella.

But on the other hand, how great for her that you are going forward with the surgery!

Yes, I have a pup that went through the same* surgery. My baby wouldn''t or couldn''t use her back leg. She just kept it up and it appeared to be hanging. I know it is heart breaking to see your Bella that way. I completely share your anguish. This opportunity for surgery is a Godsend. So put your mind at ease and know you are doing the best for your babe.

My best advice is...the recuperating time is the most important thing YOU are going to do for her. You MUST FOLLOW the rules to the point of paranoia. It is 3 months of a new life for you. No walks without a leash. No long distance. Only short limited outages for potty. You have to be dedicated and not give up. My babe only weighed 80lbs and was easy to maneuver. So I think Bellas size is going to be your biggest hurdle. I am glad you have another Great Dane mom to consult.

I have heard GD''s are slow movers...if Bella is high spirited you must quell her outbursts. Restraint is the best recovery medicine. You will eventually build up her walk time...but in due time. She is going to be think she is ready...but you have to use your mommy powers and stand firm knowing you know what is best.

The main thing to remember, don''t let this scare you, is your dog''s bone actually is going to be broken for the surgery. And placed in a way that the lingament is overridden. The purpose of restraint is to allow that break to heal itself. That new position of bone is going to allow her to use her leg again. But while recuperating, if she over exerts in anyway...it can heal un even and defeat the corrective surgery. Only you know that it broken (she doesnt''t) and only you know it needs to be healed correctly. She will think her leg is back and all systems are good TO GO. Your job is to be the traffic cop. Red light all activity.

Restraint on both your parts is the best thing for Bella. Confinement. Keep stress at a minimum...and just know you are doing the right thing for your baby.

*Not sure if you want to know this...NOW...but I have gone through this same surgery twice on the same dog.

The following year her spirited energetic activity damaged the other cruciate ligament (this is common). Now, we have the most perfect, non injured bionic dog. No signs of any damage. No signs of stopping her. Just yesterday she sprinted full trottle to catch a squirrel and you would swear there had been no previous issue. Perfect stride. Often I catch myself in tears as I watch her restoration in action. Nothing is more beautiful than an injured, lame animal, restored. Her runs are more beautiful to me than any performance of swan lake...or any ballet for that matter.

Review that instruction sheet. Follow it to a T. Do not deviate from any instruction. Spring will arrive and your Bella will be as good as new!

So Ginger, rest you negative thoughts and worry...

put all that energy into ways to make her recovery stress free and restrained.

 

[MagsyMay]

I don''t have anything to add but just wanted to say what a beautiful dog you have! Those kind brown eyes just melt my heart!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Sorry to hear about your Bella. I ditto everything CasaBlanca said. My lab has also had surgery on both legs. He tore one, had the surgery, recuperated, and as soon as the first leg was healed he tore the second one. I totally agree that it will be harder on you than it is on her.
The instructions were very strict. Only outside on a leash and only long enough to potty, then after 8 weeks I think we could take a 5 minute walk (I''m sure instructions vary some by surgeon). Max was 2 when he had both surgeries and 3 years later you would never know it.
One thing I remember initially was that he didn''t really want to eat/drink very much for the first couple of days. The not drinking much really worried me, and I did get him to eat ice chips but he just didn''t want to drink water. The hard part was getting him to take his pills (he came home with an antibiotic, pain pill, and a mild sedative to keep him calm). I had plenty of different treats on hand for the pills but he would eventually figure out there was a pill in it and not take it. So I had to get creative with that.
I also have all hard wood floors and so I bought a bunch of cheap rugs to cover where he would be. I crated him when I couldn''t be right with him. They were really worried that he would slip on the hard wood, or if there was tile, etc. And we have 5 steps that lead down the back deck so I used a towel as a sling just to catch him if he fell.
Good luck!

 

[justginger]

Thank you so much for your support - it''s nice to hear from other people who have gone through it before. I guess I didn''t realize exactly HOW long the recovery period would be. I assumed it would be weeks, but not months upon months. I''ll be leaving Bella in the laundry (it''s quite small - only about 3 of her could fit in there) with as many chew toys as possible during her recovery, while we are at work. Unfortunately, if left to her own devices, as she demonstrated earlier in the year, she takes to destroying and consuming her bedding -- and I don''t think that not having any bedding would be appropriate for a comfortable recovery. So lots of things to chew, and very little overtime at work, since we''ll have to get home and let her out for potty.

My main concern is Bella''s age - she''s 6, which is really a senior for Danes. I don''t like the thought of anesthetic in older animals.

I don''t think she''ll go on to tear her other leg, as this surgery is not for her behavior causing damage, but just from arthritis/being old. She''s not a very bouncy Dane anyway, very laid back and relaxed. I guess that will be beneficial when it comes to keeping her calm and slow moving during her recovery.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you guys for the reassurance.

PS - MM, she melts my heart all the time!

Her soul is as beautiful as her face.

 

[CasaBlanca]

Ginger,

Glad to hear you aren''t as panicky.

*I am concerned that this is the first you learned about recovery. My vet made us, hubby and I come in for a preop decision committment meeting. He said he wasn''t willing to do the surgery unless he knew he could count on our committment and understanding to the importance of the recouperation period. It is KEY. I think he was one of the founding fathers...in the actual procedure for dogs. So he really takes it seriously.

Ok, I failed to answer your original inquiry and concerns about Bellas age. That was the reason you posted, wasn''t it? I completely skipped it. I am sorry. Our rescue pup was nearly 4.5 on her first surgery (guessing on her age as when rescued she didn''t come with papers or a manual

) and then about a year or more later the other surgery. So give or take we had at least one surgery at 6.

When you mentioned age of 6 being old...it reminded me of an experience just yesterday...I spoted a lady (senior citizen) in the parking lot with her boxer. I adore boxers so I asked if I could met hers. "Well, of course" she said. "Sir Winston is an old man. He is 6 you know..." 6 I said? OLD? hogwash! The personality of the dog was just reserved and calm. Somewhat debonair or more suave. This dog was blue bood! I mean royal. Her last boxer was feisty, bouncy, spunky and energetic until age 13! So in conversation I made her promise not to refer to Winston again as old. He is afterall listening.

Just like people...age is just a number. Every breed is has certain dispositions to certain things. For example, Boxers are prone to tumors...etc. I would encourage you not to get all hung up in years or the number.

Arthritis is not necessarily an old age side effect. Some dogs are just prone to having it much younger than others. The GD has so much growth so fast...that those bones/joints/cartiladge are different than say one that is a teacup breed with only a minimal growth spurt. Bellas arthritis may have nothing to due with age, and all to do with her genetic makeup. So again, don''t get hung up on a number. I have a friend who had a GD for 18 years! That makes your Bella''s current age not even a register as a middle aged! NO MORE OLD AGE TALK!! Ok?

Our dog that had the surgery, is a sister dog. The other girl has 10 more pounds on her moves like a tank, and has no joint issues. Just some kink in the genetic serving from the parents I assume. The surgery dog did have a lot of arthritis in the joint...the surgeon expressed in his post surgery meeting. Learning that, we steered her diet and care accordingly. The changes we made we made for both dogs. Excluding the monthly injections we gave surgery dog following surgery.

The injection was adequin. Here is a link: adequancanine

We gave her an injection every month on the day...for two years-because of the concurrent surgery. Then learned that another vet was having great success with a human pill he got from Sams. He learned about it through his wife. As she had great success for her arthritic knee. It is members mark brand Glucosamine Chondroitin. I give two pills for my 80 lbs dog a day. I whack them in a ziploc bag until pulverized and sprinkle on her food. She has had absolutely no problems or issues since...and we have completely stopped the actual injections. (her hip motion -post surgery-seemed wratchity...more mechanical...about 5 days between injections.) Now we see no sign of arthritis or slow mechanical movement since the pills have been added to her diet. Even in cold weather! Woo Hoo. I have never failed to give the pill. If you skip you loose the build up of protection and have to start again. It takes about 2 to 3 months to begin to see benefits. (oh, vet said that evey brand is different. He said it is a supplement and not precise in content. Best advice is to find a human that has success with a brand...and use that brand. So you might ask around and see what you can get in your area. But do consider it. I woudn''t have brought it up if I didn''t believe so much in it!)

I should tell you we also have altered their diet to accommodate joint health etc. Lots of salmon Premium Edge Brand dog food. We add salmon oil, flax oil, and this new fountain of youth we found for dogs...Molasses, blackstrap. Please do your own research and see the success other pet owners have had incorporating this to their dogs intake to alleviate arthritis aches and pains. We have seen the bouncy youthful playful ballet return in a week after adding it. I would say we use about a tablespoon a day.

Concerning the pills you will have to administer. I struggled for years poking a pill in the back of the throat and closing the snout off to force swallowing. Then I learned the cheese thing. Any cheese can be warmed in your hand and formed around the capsule or tablet...and in your other hand have another piece of cheese so Bella knows as soon as she swallows she gets an even larger piece. You can halve pills to make them less noticeable. Or my fave WHACK A MOLE on your counter...in a zip loc...pulverize and sprinkle on something she will eat.

For her comfort...try to come up with something cushiony for her bedding. There has to be something she won''t destroy. Those joints need cushion epecially during her recovery. Can you get an infant mattress for her?

Well, I hope something with in this post will be helpful to you. The subject is so dear and near to my heart...I am so thankful I have my girls...and healthy, restored and renewed. I only hope the same for you and your Bella. My best...

 

[Haven]

I just wanted to say that Bella is a beautiful little girl, and I hope everything turns out wonderful for her.

 

[Missouri]

My Goldendoodle, Dewey, went through a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in June to repair one of his knees. You didn''t mention what kind of surgery your little girl will be having, but that''s the route we took. My husband and I stayed home two weeks with him to care for him and we''re glad we did. He was given a pain patch (fentanyl) which caused some restlessness and aggravation. He was actually much better after the patch came off.

Be very careful that she doesn''t lick the site, as that can cause a horrible infection. Dewey ended up licking his leg and needed additional antibiotics.

I won''t lie, it was very stressful, but we are so glad that we got Dewey the surgery since he''s great today.

The hospital we went to is attached to a rehab hospital, so right after he started recovery, we started his rehab. Use of an underwater treadmill was instrumental in building up the muscle in his leg. I really think that if you can get her into rehab that would help.

I also highly recommend that you check out Orthodogs. It''s a yahoo group for owners of dogs who have orthopedic problems. It''s a great forum with great recommendations for anyone with a dog who has cruciate ligament repair.

Good luck to you and Bella!

 

[justginger]

This whole situation has taken quite a different turn now. I took Bella in for her consult, and upon examination it became very clear that there was not a problem associated with her knee, but it was her ankle that was lame. She had a gajillion xrays, which the vets and I reviewed together, and it''s clear that her hock is what will require surgery. She has some very minor arthritis, which isn''t much of a concern - but there appear to be 2 chunks of SOMETHING in her joint that are not supposed to be there. The best guess just from viewing the images is that she''s had a minor fracture and pieces of cartilage have chipped off. They need to be removed and the area must be examined for ligament damage (and then repaired if necessary).

I internally debated very strongly as whether to have my vet do the procedure (it will be him and his father doing it) or to have her transferred to the top vet hospital in the state and have it done there orthoscopically. I have great pet insurance, so the cost associated with the top tier hospital wouldn''t be a concern. The specialists there would be great -- but to me, having 7 people in on a dog''s ankle operation might just be a bit of overkill. If she were having internal surgery, having her in their ICU would be a necessity (for my peace of mind, anyway). However, Bella''s already at my vet''s facilities (which is a hospital of its own right as well, not just a clinic), is comfortable with him (and so am I, for what it''s worth), and the surgery can be done there today, while if she were transferred, Tuesday would be the earliest it would be done at the other hospital.

So, she''s been operated on today, by my father/son surgical duo. The father has been a vet surgeon for 38 years, so I don''t doubt his experience. It''s just that the other hospital has the alluring stimga of being "the best" -- but I''m not sure it''s necessary in this case. To me, it feels like going to Johns Hopkins for a routine appendectomy or something.

Now I''m at home, fervently cleaning the house in an attempt to keep myself busy and my mind off worrying about her. I''m very anxious to hear that she''s woken up and everything has gone smoothly.