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experience with acl tears?
right after new years my maltese bam-bam tore his acl. the poor little guy is limping around and as per the vets instructions we are keeping him confined to a small area so he cannot run and the scar tissue can start to form. we went to babiesrus and got a play pen and he is in there in our kitchen during the day. the vet told us that he may not need surgery because he is small, but we won't know for months and we have to be very careful not to let him run and re-injur himself. it's hard because he has a sister pebbles, who wants to play with him the second he gets out. i put her bed right next to the playpen to they can still sleep and hang out with each other. we give him pain meds every night. it's only been two weeks and months of this seems torturous. i read online that some people just opt for the surgery right away, because even after six months of bed rest he may still need surgery anyway. he's so small, only 5 pounds, and i'm hoping he won't need surgery and will heal fast. we're taking him to an orthopedist tomorrow to see what he has to say.
has anyone gone through this before? how long was recovery? did you opt for surgery.
Re: experience with acl tears?
Both times I opted for surgery and had it done the same week. Didn't think twice about it or consider conservative management. My dog is bigger, though, so maybe conservative management works for smaller dogs, like yours.
Don't make any decisions until you meet with the orthopedic surgeon, though. Ask him/her what they would do if this was their dog. I am lucky--the orthopedic surgeons I know are not "surgery happy" and out to make a grab on my money. When he said surgery, I did it, knowing he would not do it if it wasn't necessary. Also, he did the most non-invasive type, an extracapsular repair. He said he could do the other kinds (TPLO or TTA) but he didn't think she would need such an extensive or expensive surgery.
One of my dogs had the surgery three weeks ago, a year and one day from when she had her other knee done. All is well.
Good luck! Let us know what the surgeon says!
My thoughts are that if they are going to be confined for that time anyway, at least have a pretty much guaranteed outcome (barring complications). I would have hated to confine her for months, then find out it didn't heal, and have to do it all over after a surgery. Also, I think if CCLs injuries are allowed to heal on their own there is more of a chance for arthritis???
ETA: After two weeks she was able to have the strict restrictions lifted a bit. No more 24/7 crate confinement. During the day she has to be on the main level of the house and can't jump on furniture. Leash walks only, and only for short periods. We are at the point now where we are to take longer walks and build her muscle back up.
Maybe try a surgeon with experience in small animal ACL tears.
My dog is 26 pounds. She was completely lame and is used to a lot of activity. I'm talking walking over an hour a day, and frisbee time, and other play. She also is young...4yo. So conservative management wasn't an option. She was NOT herself because she was hurting and restricted. We made an immediate decision to do surgery, but had to research which one.
I'm wondering if your doctor isn't accustomed to such small dogs with tears. I also found the regular vet to be clueless. TPLO requires a metal plate to be placed on the tibia, so research if there are plates small enough for your baby. TTA requires cylindrical pieces to help restructure the knee, maybe these are too big? For a small dog, I would lean toward Tightrope surgery, where a "string" is tied through the tibia and femur to support the joint. Extrascapular is similar to Tightrope, and so maybe good for a small dog. Extrascapular and Tightrope are also cheaper.
I believe surgery for my dog was the best option. She even put weight on her leg right after surgery! It took one month before we could do ANY activity, and another moth to build up her walks to normal. So two months total, but the first month was the hardest. Even short walks were wonderful in the beginning and it wore her out!
Two things to consider: 1) It will cost $$$. Extrascapular and Tightrope are probably going to cost up to $2k. TPLO and TTA are twice that. 2) the dog will never be at 100% before surery, but realistically 80-90%, but that's also a grand improvement from now with the injury.
I have no regrets, only that we had to wait a few weeks to save money.
Also, you say you hope he will heal fast without surgery. No, he won't. I don't mean to be blunt, but you should have realistic expectations.
If it wasn't an ACL tear, he would be doing significantly better by now. If it is a partial tear, then he might resume normal activity after many many months. If it is a full tear, I very much discourage conservative management. He also has a high chance of blowing his other knee within a year (30-50% chance depending on who you ask). So if he blows both knees, he will be miserable. This is a big part why I recommend action.
I wish you and your furbaby well! It is difficult, but this board will support you!
ETA. Ask the orthopedist about the drawer test if you have doubts whether or not there is a tear. The femur and tibia will click if there is a tear. But trust the doc too, they have experience, and I believe they want what's best for the animal, not their pocketbooks.
My family had a lab and she had acl surgery (not sure of the exact procedure). I think she only had a partial tear, but it was the best option for her. I remember she healed quickly. For the rest of her life though we had to limit her activity. We used to go to a lake where she would jump in the water from a dock, but to get out she would walk up some rocks. She was not allowed to do this after the surgery because they worried she would hurt her other leg or re-injure the first. She also could not go on longer walks.
ETA: To clarify, she healed quickly after the surgery. I think we waited a a while (maybe a month?) before the surgery and she was clearly not getting better.
My Cooper is 7 years old & 65lbs. He's had both CCL's repaired, both within a year of eachother, he was 5 (?) at the time of his 1st surgery.
Anyway, since I don't want to repeat myself I'll just post the links. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, or just need a shoulder to cry on! There are plenty of us on here who have been through this who can offer you support! My best advice in terms of the decision making, is to go w/your gut. Trust yourself & take your time making a decision; I just mean, don't feel like you have to make a decision the day you go to the Vet. Yes, time is important, you don't have months & months to wait, but don't feel rushed into something.
Oh, & just know that months of confinement for your small dog is nothing!! My dog is, as I said, 65lbs, but he's also a German Shorthaired Pointer, which is a highly active, high energy, hyperactive breed. If we can survive the confinement & recovery process, anyone can!
Here's a link to the last 2 posts I responded to about the same subject
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/62093276.aspx
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/61635381.aspx
HTH, & GL!! Make sure you let us all know what you decide & how your baby is doing!