Pets
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Torn CCL
Our American Bulldog was diagnosed with a torn CCL this morning. We were hopeful that it was a knee issue until the x-ray came back.
So, we were given 3 options:
- medication (we started these today) and then re-evaluate in a couple months,
- traditional suture repair, using 2 or 3 because of his size and athleticism
- TPLO
There is also arthritis in the joint that would be addressed with either surgery.
Any experiences or advice welcome.
Thanks!
Re: Torn CCL
My dog is recoverying from traditional extracapsular surgery right now. Three more weeks! She had her other knee done a year ago and it's perfect.
My vet can perform TPLO but he said he backs off from it b/c "it's just going to be problems". Based on my dog's size and activity level, he said go with the extracapsular. I asked what he would do for his dog and he said the same.
All is well.
ETA: She is a german shepherd/husky with high drive. She can run "hard". Five weeks after her first surgery, I turned my back and she went out the door and chased a fox. Her surgery held up even though it was very early in her recovery, so it's a pretty sturdy repair technique.
PS. I didn't even bother with conservative management. The surgeon said the CCL is like a frayed rope, it's not going to repair itself. He said the reason a lot of people opt for no surgery is b/c scar tissue will form and stabilize the joint with or without surgery.
I couldn't see doing twelve weeks of rest and wait and see, end up doing surgery anyway, and then another twelve weeks of recovery. That's six months out of my dog's life. No thanks.
Our pit bull terrier partially tore her CCL last year. We decided to watch it conservatively and started her on glucosamine and anti inflammatories and lots of rest which was VERY hard for an energetic 2 year old like her. Luckily it seems that it worked because she hasn't limped for over a year now and is back to running like a crazy dog again!
We got lucky, but I know we would do surgery if we had to.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
After 2 years of IF workups/treatments and 2 IUIs, we have closed the door on fertility treatments.
We are very excited to be pursuing international adoption from China!
6000 miles and a day
1st of all, Hugs to you! 2nd, breathe! It will be ok!
My 7 y/o 65lb GSP has torn both CCL's (which is typical....there's a very high probability that the 2nd leg will go within a year of the 1st (sorry to be the one to tell you that!!)) He's now on Glucosamine/Chondroitin & Fish Oil supplements, & Deramaxx for arthritis daily now. He's doing great. Of course, that being said, he is having surgery on monday to remove one of the crimps on his left side that had shifted & is knocking into his tibia http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/63129089.aspx but Im optimistic that this will be the LAST surgery (crossing my fingers & knocking on wood @ the same time!!)
Being a GSP, Cooper is a super high energy, hyper dog....or, atleast he was...now that he's "older", & has gone through 2 knee surgeries, he's settled down a lot.
For the sake of repeating myself (&, just b/c Im lazy!!) here are links to my responses to pp's about this topic. (& other responses & questions too)
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/61494684.aspx
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/61635381.aspx
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/61888757.aspx
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/62093276.aspx
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/62310180.aspx
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/62505504.aspx
FWIW- we picked the Traditional (your option #2), for the same thing as you noted. I just couldn't put my skinny, athletic, high energy dog through a TPLO. Not that there's anything wrong w/that choice, I just knew in my heart that it wasn't the right choice for us.
My best advice is, to go w/your gut. Take your time, do your research. Make the decision thats right for you. Don't let anyone, any Vet...etc....sway your decision either way or rush you!! Only you know whats best for you, for your dog, your lifestyle..etc! (see other posts for more on that too
).
HTH & GL!! There are a bunch of us on here who have gone through the exact same thing, so don't hesitate to post more questions, or if you just need a shoulder to cry on! (sorry this is so long!)
This. Exactly.
If it is torn, it is torn. And it hurts. And he's athletic, so now he can't be and you all will go crazy attempting conservative management.
Surgeons recommend different surgeries for different reasons. Follow your instincts and trust your surgeon, get a second opinion if you feel uncomfortable. My surgeon recommended two procedures for my dog, and I researched and trusted my gut. She is doing FANTASTIC. She has become a slightly more mellow dog since, but her quality of life is soooo much better! (She is a corgi, and had TPLO in September.)
Good luck!
Thank you so much for all your help and support! My internet searching was so overwhelming. It is so helpful to have real experience from people you "know".
I think we are leaning towards the traditional surgery. But we are going to meet with the specialist and go from there. I will keep you updated. We have to do something because he is going crazy and it has only been a few days!
I'm so sorry. We're dealing witht the same thing right now. My 10 mo old Lab tore his CCL around Christmas. We tried 6 weeks of conservative management and it was pure torture. The poor guy was going completely BSC because he wanted to run. Anyway, it didn't do a darn thing and we're headed in for a TPLO tomorrow morning
. My vet is confident that he will return to his full normal activity level by then middle of the summer.
Like PP said, your surgeon will recommend which procedure to do based on your individual dog/activity level/injury so definintely take that into consideration. I went in with the idea that my surgeon knows a hell of a lot more about these injuries than the internet and I do, so we are going with what he recommends.
Lots of hugs. It's not fun at all but in the end it will be worth it to have a dog who can run to his heart's content and not be in pain.
P.S. You might want to look into pet insurance. There's a pretty good chance he'll blow his other knee within a few years. Just be sure the plan specifically states that it will cover the other CCL within x amount of time from his original injury. For me personally, I'm also looking for a plan that says it covers congenital defects as well because my vet informed me that often times pet insurance will claim that two blown CCLs is a congenital defect and will deny claims based on that.
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