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Old 03-03-2015, 05:08 AM   #1
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Default Torn ACL

My 5 year old 17 pound (not fat - really - very big boned) Yorkie, Ginger, was diagnosed as having a torn ACL in her left rear leg. 1 1/2 months ago, the vet said he could tell because the movement in her knee was a "1" on a "0 to 4" scale. I took her back yesterday to have her knee and hip x-rayed to be sure nothing else was going on.


The x-rays came out quite nice, with no arthritis showing. But he could see fluid and inflammation around her knee. He also said that the movement has deteriorated from a "1" to a "3" on the scale.


The vet said we have two choices, surgery or no surgery. With surgery, it would be done in his office and she would be home the next day and then would have 4 months of strict rest. No playing, jumping, going for walks. Just in the crate or leashed. That seems like such a long time and I think it would be extremely difficult to be compliant with that.


Also, after surgery, there is an option of taking her to Michigan State for rehabilitation after surgery which seems like it would be a good idea for a quicker and stronger recovery.


The option of no surgery would entail pain management and anti-inflammatory medication such as Quellin until it gets to the point of fusion and then she would always limp.


At this time, she's been limping for several months, sometimes very noticeably and sometimes not noticeably. She never seems to be in distress. Even when she limps, she wants to play & run. She does not seem to be bothered if we touch or extend the knee.


I'm just not sure what we should do in the best interest of Ginger. I would appreciate any insight or direction one might be able to give me.


Thanks,
Peg
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Old 03-03-2015, 07:20 AM   #2
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I would recommend the surgery, providing it is being done by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. At 5 years of age, she has only lived a third of her expected life span, and 4 months of recovery isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, compared to 10 potential years of arthritis and pain if she is not operated on.

That's just what I would do. Other people, who have had dogs that have actually gone through the surgery, will weigh in with their opinions. You may wish to have this thread moved to the Sick & Injured / Emergencies Talk forum.
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Old 03-03-2015, 07:31 AM   #3
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My Gina had a severed ACL. She had surgery and the rehab restrictions were not that bad. Then she tore her other ACL and I opted not to do the surgery. She would do a little hop often when walking but she did well. Board certified is the only way to go. Good luck in making your decision.
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Old 03-03-2015, 11:17 AM   #4
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I would do surgery but I would have it don't with an orthopedic surgeon not a regular vet. Mine 3 years ago had LP surgery as well as a partial ACL tear fixed. It's not as bad as the confinement sounds and you get through it.
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Old 03-05-2015, 04:20 AM   #5
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We have decided to go to an Orthopedic Certified veterinarian for a second opinion. Our general DVM has been performing this surgery for about 13 years, so we're pretty comfortable with him, but based on the advice we've received so far, we think an opinion from an Orthopedic Vet is the first step. After that, we may have our regular vet do the surgery if the Orthopedic Vet is in agreement with him. We appreciate the feedback from everyone.
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Old 03-05-2015, 08:02 AM   #6
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Good decision. I, too, saw two ortho vets before making my final decision on who would do the surgery.
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Old 03-31-2015, 04:32 AM   #7
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Angry Mistake after ACL Surgery

We did have an orthopedic surgeon perform the ACL Surgery on 3/25/15 and Ginger came home on 3/26/15. The surgery went really well and her recovery is going well - BUT - on day 5 after surgery (3/30), while she was leashed and right in front of my husband & I - she jumped into a chair in a split second


I can't tell you how shocked we were at how fast it happened. She doesn't act like it hurt her at all, but I'm really nervous that by not having that leash short enough we might have let her do permanent damage.


How much should I worry about this? Can I assume that because she is acting as if it didn't hurt her that it didn't? I have no intention of making the same mistake twice. I fully understand that she shouldn't be jumping at all until week 9.


Has anybody else had this happen with their recovering dog?


Thanks!
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Old 04-01-2015, 08:50 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pegdubuc View Post
We did have an orthopedic surgeon perform the ACL Surgery on 3/25/15 and Ginger came home on 3/26/15. The surgery went really well and her recovery is going well - BUT - on day 5 after surgery (3/30), while she was leashed and right in front of my husband & I - she jumped into a chair in a split second


I can't tell you how shocked we were at how fast it happened. She doesn't act like it hurt her at all, but I'm really nervous that by not having that leash short enough we might have let her do permanent damage.


How much should I worry about this? Can I assume that because she is acting as if it didn't hurt her that it didn't? I have no intention of making the same mistake twice. I fully understand that she shouldn't be jumping at all until week 9.


Has anybody else had this happen with their recovering dog?


Thanks!

1 Year ago our 80 lb Airedale Terrier ( yes , much bigger scale ) severely damaged his knee and ACL . He had MMP surgery with an Orthopedic Surgeon .. It went really well . He was on strict crate confinement for 6 weeks . Only outside to potty on a short leash and towel looped under his back legs for support .. I was terrified he would hurt himself by slipping on the ice as this was during the winter . He had a minor slip one time but he was fine . After the 6 weeks he had to go back to the Orthopedic Surgeon for ex rays and all was well . Then another 6 weeks of restricted activity . No running , jumping , only short walks on a short leash .. It was quite an ordeal but he made it .. The main thing is to watch the running and jumping .
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Old 04-01-2015, 09:22 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pegdubuc View Post
We did have an orthopedic surgeon perform the ACL Surgery on 3/25/15 and Ginger came home on 3/26/15. The surgery went really well and her recovery is going well - BUT - on day 5 after surgery (3/30), while she was leashed and right in front of my husband & I - she jumped into a chair in a split second


I can't tell you how shocked we were at how fast it happened. She doesn't act like it hurt her at all, but I'm really nervous that by not having that leash short enough we might have let her do permanent damage.


How much should I worry about this? Can I assume that because she is acting as if it didn't hurt her that it didn't? I have no intention of making the same mistake twice. I fully understand that she shouldn't be jumping at all until week 9.


Has anybody else had this happen with their recovering dog?


Thanks!
Sasha had an FHO on 3/4 and the EXACT same thing happened to me. About 4 days after, I was holding her in my arms while sitting in the recliner. She seemed like she had to pee so I put her on the floor right in front of me where we had put a pee pad for her. As soon as she hit the floor that munchkin took 2 steps and jumped onto the couch because she saw her brother there. I mean one huge flying leap! I just about freaked out. But she never winced, never cried. I keep telling myself that she was only using the good leg so no damage was done to the healing leg. She is now 4 weeks removed from the surgery and doing great. She is allowed to move around freely so we put some steps up for her to get on and off the couch (she uses them about 80% of the time). We started swimming rehab last night.

Your baby is going to be fine. Do the best to keep her calm and quiet but don't kill your self when she does get a little rambunctious. She is a dog who has gotten used to playing with a little pain. They don't realize that they just had surgery and need time to heal. The pain that they put up with would knock me off my feet.

Let us know how her recovery goes.
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