...a knee was born! Yes it is the first anniversary of Moose's knee surgery to repair his cranial cruciate ligament (Same as ACL in humans).
Since then we have met lots of other DWBers who are in the same club! Parker, Ivy, Dozer, Sophie, and unfortunately many others. To those of you who are not in the club, you are hearby not invited to join! It stinks! No fun at all and we have more than enough members!
I wrote a post all about this kind of injury in case you are blissfully ignorant (as I was) of one of the most common orthopedic conditions in dogs.
After 1 year I am happy with Moose's knee function and think he is doing better than I expected. He still leans a little because he is not putting his full weight on the surgery leg (notice his right leg is out to the side and behind him in this photo). He can put all of his weight on it if I force him to so I think he has just gotten used to favoring his other leg. I need to work on this with him a little but have not given that a good effort yet.
During the three months he spent on crate rest I don't think I could picture life getting back to normal. Although he moves around pretty close to normal I can't really let go of the worry. I have two worries that keep him from doing all he did before and the first one is that he will re-injure his surgery knee of course, but I am actually more worried about the other knee going. It is very common for dogs that tear one CCL to tear the 2nd one too. As it is now I am managing this risk by not letting him do strenuous things. There is a tradeoff though because he is missing out on a lot of the fun of being a dog, specifically the dog park! If he tears the other ligament it means another painful surgery and months in a pen and no dog park or general romping for months and months. It is difficult to know which he would pick if he really had a say in it. I try to do things that are fun for him, and it is not like he never has fun I just think that the dog park was one of his favorite things. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Both bipeds in my house have had ACL surgery, and hope that us quadrupeds don't have to go through anything like that because it looks like No Fun. Personally, if he is doing lots of other Fun Stuff, I doubt he'll miss the dog park, and I'm sure he doesn't want another knee surgery. I know Mom and Dad are both trying to avoid additional surgeries! (Of course, they are ski racers, so who knows...) Good luck!
I would have to say that any dog would chose the option that does not involve a vets office and a prescription for 3 months of crate restriction! I think you are making the right choice. Thanks for sharing his xray pics, I love xrays!
We say do whatever it is that you have the most fun with - so off to the dog park with you! Understanding that it is a calculated risk, and the other surgery may or may not be needed - why undergo the risk of anesthesia if it isn't absolutely necessary? Frenchies do very poorly with anesthesia, so I might be a bit biased... Brutus has a grade 2 luxating patella, which could be repaired with surgery. I'll do it if it starts to cause a problem, but in the mean time, we'll do agility and everything else we love. It might cause a problem, but then again, it might not. Good enough for me!
My Mom needs a new knee and she hopes she gets it soon. Will she really have to stay in a crate for three months? Maybe that is what is taking so long for her to do this!
I am glad Moose is doing good and I agree with those who say take care. He can maybe get used to changing his activity level and feeling OK about that.
Moose you are so lucky to have had such great care. Being in the crate for so long no fun!! Hope there is no need for another knee fixing. Ernie & Sasha
I think Moose is so lucky to have such a dedicated and caring owner. Don't feel guilty - dogs live in the moment - they're not thinking wistfully of the past or in anticipation of the future (like we humans do), so as long as he is happy doing what he IS doing (which I know he is and I know you always do the best you can do him), then that's more than he'll ever want or ask for. Sure, he might enjoy running around in a dog park but I'm sure he enjoys the other things you do with him just as much - and you do so much to keep him happy and stimulated and content...so I'm sure he was no complaints! Anyway, I have noticed with Honey that the older she gets, the less she's into running around and playing with other dogs, even though we go to the dog park quite regularly - mostly, she seems to enjoy plodding along, sniffing & exploring things with me the most. So I don't think Moose is missing out much! :-)
It is hard to keep an active guy like you from running, bouncy, and otherwise flinging yourself around. Just try to remain stable, OK? No more bad knees.
As you know - following right in Moose's + your footsteps, I feel EXACTLY the same way. But I agree with some of the other comments here. As long as our pups seem happy + PAINLESS, I think we are doing the right thing! congrats on the 1 YEAR!!!! i'm right behind you : ) We are very glad to have found you and Moose!!
I wrote a post all about this kind of injury in case you are blissfully ignorant (as I was) of one of the most common orthopedic conditions in dogs.
Both bipeds in my house have had ACL surgery, and hope that us quadrupeds don't have to go through anything like that because it looks like No Fun. Personally, if he is doing lots of other Fun Stuff, I doubt he'll miss the dog park, and I'm sure he doesn't want another knee surgery. I know Mom and Dad are both trying to avoid additional surgeries! (Of course, they are ski racers, so who knows...) Good luck!
ReplyDelete*kissey face*
-Fiona
I would have to say that any dog would chose the option that does not involve a vets office and a prescription for 3 months of crate restriction! I think you are making the right choice. Thanks for sharing his xray pics, I love xrays!
ReplyDeleteWe say do whatever it is that you have the most fun with - so off to the dog park with you! Understanding that it is a calculated risk, and the other surgery may or may not be needed - why undergo the risk of anesthesia if it isn't absolutely necessary? Frenchies do very poorly with anesthesia, so I might be a bit biased... Brutus has a grade 2 luxating patella, which could be repaired with surgery. I'll do it if it starts to cause a problem, but in the mean time, we'll do agility and everything else we love. It might cause a problem, but then again, it might not. Good enough for me!
ReplyDeleteMichelle (Brute's mommy)
My Mom needs a new knee and she hopes she gets it soon. Will she really have to stay in a crate for three months? Maybe that is what is taking so long for her to do this!
ReplyDeleteI am glad Moose is doing good and I agree with those who say take care. He can maybe get used to changing his activity level and feeling OK about that.
Kisses,
Stella
I think you're enough attuned to what Moose needs and wants that he'll be fine without the dog park. There's plenty of other fun stuff for him to do.
ReplyDelete- Anne
p.s. I tried the brain-game with Charlie and can report that he won't be going to grad school any time soon. ;)
Did woo get khake?
ReplyDeleteHugz&Khysses,
Khyra
PeeEssWoo: No sweat on Merdie's she-ness! She's Mercedes - her sisfur was Lexus (Lexie).
Moose you are so lucky to have had such great care. Being in the crate for so long no fun!! Hope there is no need for another knee fixing.
ReplyDeleteErnie & Sasha
I think Moose is so lucky to have such a dedicated and caring owner. Don't feel guilty - dogs live in the moment - they're not thinking wistfully of the past or in anticipation of the future (like we humans do), so as long as he is happy doing what he IS doing (which I know he is and I know you always do the best you can do him), then that's more than he'll ever want or ask for. Sure, he might enjoy running around in a dog park but I'm sure he enjoys the other things you do with him just as much - and you do so much to keep him happy and stimulated and content...so I'm sure he was no complaints! Anyway, I have noticed with Honey that the older she gets, the less she's into running around and playing with other dogs, even though we go to the dog park quite regularly - mostly, she seems to enjoy plodding along, sniffing & exploring things with me the most. So I don't think Moose is missing out much! :-)
ReplyDeleteHsin-Yi
It is hard to keep an active guy like you from running, bouncy, and otherwise flinging yourself around. Just try to remain stable, OK? No more bad knees.
ReplyDeleteKisses,
Dexter
I bet you're thinking about the dog park more than Moose...His life appears to be full and happy.
ReplyDeleteMom knows best!
~K
As you know - following right in Moose's + your footsteps, I feel EXACTLY the same way. But I agree with some of the other comments here. As long as our pups seem happy + PAINLESS, I think we are doing the right thing! congrats on the 1 YEAR!!!! i'm right behind you : )
ReplyDeleteWe are very glad to have found you and Moose!!