It’s also important to try to keep everything as routine as possible, though this may be hard, it is important to try to stay within your normal schedule. One area that comes to mind that is impossible to stay normal with is feeding. Most of the time prior to surgery, the vet will ask you not to feed your dog for at least 8 hours before the scheduled surgery, this is to prevent the dog from vomiting while under anesthesia.

After dropping your dog off for knee surgery, take the day to go home and prepare your house. After most CCL surgeries, the doctor will suggest 2-4 months of no activity, or highly restricted activity. Setup pen, crate or kennel that your dog will stay in, try to make this in an area where the dog will be the most comfortable an where you and your family tend to hang out and/or congregate – the kitchen or the family room is usually a good option. If your dog is a puppy or very playful, you’ll want to make sure that all toys are picked up and hidden as it would be torture to be stuck in a cage looking out at your favorite toy. If you have more than one dog, make sure that your other dogs are not able to disturb or rile up your dog that is recovering from knee surgery.

Picking up your dog is obviously going to be exciting, but at the same time, it is very hard to see your buddy with a shaved back leg and hind quarter and a large bandage wrapping the leg. Move slowly with your dog and make sure that he/she is comfortable in the car before driving home.

When picking up

Related posts:

1. The Day(s) Before Surgery – Preparation and What to Expect – Dog Surgery Checklist

The Rescued Pooper is a support group for dogs that have been rescued and dogs that are currently looking for a new home. Our goal is to tell the story of each poop saved from abandonment, abuse, or neglect.

Related posts:

1. Diagnosing a Torn/Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament in Dogs

1. Make sure that your dog is restricted. Most dogs love to greet guests when they come in the door, and many dogs get excited and stand on their hind legs – DO NOT even put your dog in a situation where this could happen. Keep your dog in a pen. Depending on your situation, you may want to:
   1. Put your dog in another room, away from all company and activity.
   2. Put your dog in a crate in a location where he/she can see and hear most of the activity that is going on in the house. This will help keep the dogs spirits up.
2. If your dog is penned up, make sure that your guests know that he/she is injured and not to rile him/her up.
3. If your dog is penned up, ask your guests to go visit with and pet him/her. Dogs love company, just like we do.
4. We don’t feed our dogs from the table, nor do we encourage it, but we do make exceptions when our dog is crated up and unable to interact. Remember, dogs have a great sense of smell, so just imagine how much they want some of that turkey and gravy!

Hopefully these small tips help you and your pet make it through the busy holiday season!

Photo by turtlemom4bacon

Related posts:

1. The Day(s) Before Surgery – Preparation and What to Expect – Dog Surgery Checklist

One of the questions that I get asked most frequently (through email, and comments) is, “Are there any non-surgical options to repair a torn ACL/CCL?”

The direct answer is NO, because unlike muscle pulls and sprains, a torn ligament can’t be repaired without surgery. As the title of this post suggests, we will be looking into “management” options for dealing with a torn cranial cruciate ligament when surgery isn’t opted for, or just isn’t an option due to cost or other hardships.

The key part in managing a non-surgically repaired CCL is being “conservative”, meaning the dog should cut back drastically on activity, and limited and restricted when alone, because when dogs aren’t being watched, many of them will find a reason to run around, or jump and bark at things.  If you think that you’ll be able to restrict your dogs activity level, then conservative management may be an option for you, and the use of supplements can definitely help.

Choosing a Supplement
When you’re trying to pick a supplement for your dog, you’re obviously going to want the best. If you’re like me, you’ll research everything before trying one, so hopefully this short list will help you out. These are supplements that we recommend based on our use of it and/or the use of other products by the same manufacturer.

One of the biggest problems with a torn knee ligament is inflammation, swelling and stiffness. These products aim to help with that.

• Nupro Joint Support for Dogs (Silver)
  This product is great because it contains both Glucosamine and MSM, both help with joint stiffness, and MSM has been shown to help with inflammation and some studies have showed it to reduce pain.
• Cosequin DS Anti-Inflammatory
  Cosequin is known as an anti-inflammatory and many surgeons recommend that a dogs take this daily after knee surgery. Cosequin has manyy benefits and is recommended for any dogs with inflammation or joint pain. A 4-6 week period should typically be enough time for the owner to tell if there is an improvement in mobility.
• Joint Treats® (60 Soft Chews)
  Healthy and beneficial for dogs of all ages. Can be used as treats or as daily supplements. I’ve heard of people using these supplements for dogs with hip dysplasia.

The above supplements are two of the better ones that we have found. There are also some other options in terms of oils, such as Salmon Oil, Flax Seed Oil and even Olive Oil. One of the main benefits of adding these types of oils as a supplement is that it will help with the dogs skin and coat.

If you’re looking to try conservative management as a treatment option, the above supplements should definitely help with mobility, range of motion and possibly inflammation. If you’ve used these products, or others, please let us know how they worked for you!

Update

I was just made aware of another product by one of our members. It isn’t necessarily a supplement, but rather an anti-inflammatory analgesic. Try out Traumeel Gel – 50gm Tube. It’s a cream or rub that addresses inflammation and is commonly used in dogs, cats and horses.

Update 2

ARTHROPLEX for Canines (180 Capsules) was just recommended by one of our readers. Each Arthroplex capsule contains Glucosamine Sulfate (225 mg), Green-Lipid Mussels (90 mg), DL-Phenylalanine (75mg), Boswellia Serrata Extract (35 mg), Bromelain (35 mg), Vitamin C (100 mg).

If you have any other product suggestions, supplements or otherwise, let me know and we’ll post them on here as well.

Related posts:

1. Conservative Management as a Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) Treatment Option
2. Cost of Dog Knee Surgery – Are There Options to Reduce the Cost?
3. Save Money by Ordering Pet Medications Online for a Dog Knee Injury

Your veterinarian may be able to match some online prices (if they sell the product that you’re looking for). Typically, veterinarians are going to sell items at full retail price, so if you find a lower price online and print it out and take it in, some vets might be willing to match the price in order not to miss out on the sale. It’s basically going to come down to their bottom line. Your vet might not sell large quantities (like an online retailer may), so they might not have the buying power of a large online retailer, meaning that a large online retailer gets product at 50% off, and the smaller local vet may only get product at 30% off. So in the example below, the vet wouldn’t even be able to offer the same price because they’d be losing money by making the sale.

For example, lets look at Frontline Plus flea and tick medicine for dogs – we’ll look at the 3 pack for dogs that are 45-88 pounds.

• $51.99 – Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price
• $33.99 – Frontline Plus at Amazon (3 pack)

Here’s the same pricing info for the 6 pack:

• $99.99 – Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price
• $65.99 -Frontline Plus at Amazon (6 pack)

Amazon offers the 6 pack of Frontline Plus at an approximate 35% discount.

Related posts:

1. Save Money by Ordering Pet Medications Online for a Dog Knee Injury
2. The Use of Supplements for Conservative Management Rather Than Medications
3. Canine Knee Surgery on Both Knees at the Same Time

We only had about 4 days of downtime between the injury and the surgery, so we just kept our dog restricted in the house and backyard. Since we had a 2 year old puppy who constantly wanted to play, whenever we had to leave the house for an extended period of time, we’d leave the puppy out back and leave Roxy inside. Though we had a few people tell us she should be in an crate or pen, we decided to just let her have the house to herself – she usually just lays in the sun by our sliding glass door while we’re gone, so we really didn’t have to worry about her too much. This obviously wouldn’t work for everybody.

While we were home, we went about our normal routine. Both dogs had access to the house and the backyard, but rather than leaving the doggy door open as we usually did, we instead left our sliding glass door open in order to make it easier on Roxy with her injured leg. We worried about her trying to squeeze through the doggy door and getting stuck, or worse yet, bumped by our puppy causing her to do more damage to her injured leg, or even worse, injure the other one.

While you try to keep things as normal as possible, your dog will most likely sense that something is wrong. Roxy seemed to get a little bit stir crazy by being left in the house, and our puppy really had no idea what was going on, he had never been left outside alone and now, we’d split them up anytime we had to leave the house.

Day of Surgery: Short Checklist

• Make sure that your dog hasn’t had anything to eat or drink in the last 12 hours.
• If your dog has had any food or water in the last 12 hours, make sure to inform your veterinarian.
• Most vets will ask you to bring your dog in prior to normal operating hours in order to avoid distractions. Arrive on time, whenever that may be.
• Sometimes, depending on the vet, type of surgery, length of surgery, and/or length of recovery at the vets office, you may be asked to bring in a blanket for your dog to rest on post surgery.
• Stay calm, act normal. No need for long, dramatic goodbyes. That can only upset your dog.

Related posts:

1. The Day of the Surgery – Dropping Off and Picking Up Your Dog
2. External Capsular Fixation (Extracapsular Imbrication) Knee Surgery

• Traditional Repair / Extracapsular Fixation
• TPLO
• TTA
• TightRope

Each of the above types of surgeries is great in its own application, however the size and weight of your dog may disqualify it from receiving one or more of the particular types of surgeries. For instance, a large dog, such as a Rottweiler probably will not be eligible to receive a Traditional knee surgery strictly due to its size and weight. Most vets will probably recommend TPLO or TTA surgery for a dog this size, and unfortunately, TPLO and TTA are two of the more costly surgery types due to the fact that they are more invasive and involve cutting of the bone in the knee joint to create a new angle of the knee joint in order to reduce the amount of stress on both the joint itself and the surrounding ligaments.

Cost Reducing Options

At the end of the day, if your dog needs surgery, there really isn’t a way around it, though I have heard of some dog owners who have just not had the ways or means to cover the cost of dog knee surgery so they simply chose to use conservative management as their way of “treating” the injury. The reason that I put “treating” in quotes is because choosing not to repair a torn knee ligament will leave the knee unstable and it will really reduce the dogs quality of life in most cases – especially if the dog is overweight. Should you elect to avoid the cost of surgery by going the conservative management route, here are some things that may help you:

• Limit the dogs activity
  This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many dog owners will just forget about the injury all together after time. The dog may seem to be better, but chances are the injury is still there and the dog has just found a way to cope with it. Make sure you restrict or limit the dogs activity after it suffers a torn cranial cruciate ligament.
• Manage the dogs diet
  If the dog was overweight when the injury occurred, chances are the weight was a contributing factor in the torn/ruptured knee ligament in the first place. Putting the dog on a weight management diet can drastically improve the dogs quality of life (though many dogs will seem miserable when their food intake is limited) weight loss can definitely help improve mobility and recovery because the knee joint will have less force on it.
• Anti-Inflammatory medications
  Though this may be an option, it’s not recommended in cases where the dog owner has elected not to get a knee surgery for the dog. Giving anti-inflammatory medication to a dog with an untreated torn knee ligament may give the dog the false sense that the knee is actually better and more stable than it actually is, causing the potential for more injury.

Though most wouldn’t consider not treating a torn knee ligament as a treatment option, it is in fact the only option for some people out there, strictly due to the cost. If you ever find yourself in this circumstance, you could always try to negotiate with your veterinarian – they may be able to work with you on the price.

Related posts:

1. Cost of TTA Surgery for Cranial Cruciate Ligament – Cost of Knee Surgery for Dogs
2. Cost of TPLO Surgery – Cost to Repair Torn Cruciate Ligament in Dogs
3. Dog Knee Surgery Costs – Cost of Repairing a Torn Dog Knee Ligament

Our dogs CCL was torn while at the beach, our other dog was playing and ran into her at full speed while she had her feet set in the sand and was digging. The impact caused an awkward twisting of her rear leg that was planted in the sand and it caused the CCL to give way. After the impact, she immediately held her leg up and began hopping/skipping and only using one rear leg.

This was an extreme situation, and it was obvious when it happened that our dog had suffered some sort of an injury. Whenever anything like this happens, the dog should be taken to the vet immediately, though I’m not sure I’d recommend the emergency vet anymore. If you’re unable to get your dog into the vet within a few days from the injury, the emergency vet may be your best option, but chances are, they’ll have you take your dog to your primary car veterinarian.

There will be cases where the injury slowly develops over time, and ligament will eventually give way, tearing/rupturing partially or completely. In this circumstance, you may notice your dog limping on occasion (not all the time), probably particularly after heavy activity, strenuous activity or prolonged activity. Some breeds of dogs have knee joints that aren’t physiologically great at bearing weight, and any of the above mentioned conditions can aggravate the CCL, and over time it can eventually deteriorate enough to the point where the ligament gives way. In this case, you’ll want to take your pet to the vet to get an opinion as you begin to notice the symptoms – limping, stiffness, sluggishness, less playful, etc. As the owner, you’ll know when your dog isn’t acting normally. If your dog is developing a slowly forming knee injury, it can often be treated by conservative management, weight management, and sometimes even change in diet. Your veterinarian will be able to give you treatment options and recommendations, but hopefully seeing the signs early will be able to prevent a full tear or rupture of the CCL.

Related posts:

1. Diagnosing a Torn/Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament in Dogs
2. Surgical Options for Torn/Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament (Cranial Crucial Ligament)
3. How Our Dog Ruptured Her Cranial Cruciate Ligament

The cost for the surgical procedure to repair the CCL will depend on a number of factors, including, but probably not limited to:

• The type of surgery – there are 4 different types of CCL surgery.
• The size of the dog – Depending on the size of the dog, some procedures may not be an option.
• The location that you live in – For example, surgery in Idaho will probably be less than it would be in Southern California.
• The severity of the injury – Depending on how much damage was actually done to the stifle joint.
• The hidden cost – The follow-up visits. We usually don’t take these into consideration when evaluating the initial cost of surgery, but the follow-up visits definitely add up, and is something you should be clear on before committing to the surgery, especially if you have a limited budget.

All in all, when all is said and done, the average surgery cost will probably end up being somewhere around $2,500. I’ve gathered this figure through my personal experience, through talking with people (in person and via email) and through reading stories from other people online.

Related posts:

1. Dog Knee Surgery Costs – Cost of Repairing a Torn Dog Knee Ligament
2. Cost of TPLO Surgery – Cost to Repair Torn Cruciate Ligament in Dogs
3. Cost of TTA Surgery for Cranial Cruciate Ligament – Cost of Knee Surgery for Dogs

The first step to take if your dog is diagnosed with 2 torn knee ligaments would be restriction. When I say restriction, I mean putting the dog in some sort of crate or pen that will drastically restrict movement. You don’t want the dog to have room to run and jump as sad as that is to say. While confined, icing the dogs knees can help reduce swelling and inflammation – if your dog will actually let you apply ice.

As the dog is confined, you’ll be left with some more questions to answer – Should we have both knees repaired at the same time, or should we do one, let it recover completely and then do the other. And then the next obvious question that comes after that is, can we afford it? I’ll address these questions together because they can tie directly into one another. We’ll look at these questions considering 2 cases. Case 1 – We get both knees operated on at the same time, and, Case 2 – We get one knee operated on, then wait for it to heal and then get the second knee operated on.

Option 1 – Repair both CCLs at the same time
I’m calling this option 1 because I think that this option will be the all around best option for both the dog and the owner(s). In terms of time commitment, this option will require less time because the knees will be recovering together, rather than waiting for one to recover, then waiting for the other. This option, though drastic, will be less harsh on the dog. With this option, the dog will only be required to be confined for 2-5 months (depending on the type of surgery, the veterinarians recommendations, etc.). This will essentially equate to half of the time as the other option. And the final reason that I think this is the better option is that there is greater potential for savings. If both knees are operated on at the same time, chance are you’ll be able to talk your vet into doing 2 for 1, or at least the second at a 50% discount.

Option 2 – Repair one knee at a time
With this option, you’ll be looking at strict confinement not just once, but twice. This was one of the hardest things when our dog had her knee surgery. There are many things that could come into play when deciding which option is best, age, activity level, attitude, etc, but if you have an active dog, I think that repairing one knee at a time would be absolute torture because it would lengthen the amount of time that the dog is penned up in a confined space. Though the possibility is there, I don’t believe the potential for savings is quite as large in this instance, because by spreading the surgeries out by 3-5 months, you’re in essence taking your dog back for an entirely separate surgery, and the veterinarian will probably want to bill you as such. It’s always worth trying to negotiate the price down a bit, but I would anticipate that the vet would be less willing to cut the price in this instance.

As terrible as this situation would be, it does happen, so I hope that this information helps in making decisions about how to treat a dog who does encounter a dual CCL rupture.

Related posts:

1. Cruciate Ligament in Dogs, Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligament (Crucial)
2. Dog Knee Surgery Costs – Cost of Repairing a Torn Dog Knee Ligament
3. Cost of TTA Surgery for Cranial Cruciate Ligament – Cost of Knee Surgery for Dogs