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ACL - advice needed!

9K views 47 replies 11 participants last post by  Lalla 
#1 ·
Hi everyone!

My Honey injured her knee in September and I rushed her to the ER where the vet felt the problem was a luxating patella (she had previously had surgery on her other back leg). I didnt have the money for xrays so for the last 2.5 months she has been on limited movements/play etc. She has shown improvement, even running a little while playing (until I stop her haha) - yet she still has a limp. I brought her to an orthopedic surgeon who told me that it was the ACL not the LP.. but he was going to do the xrays when she comes in for surgery - so still no xrays.

Does anyone have any experience with ACL injuries? Would she be able to play if the injury was 'that' bad? If this is going to help her in the long run, of course I will have it, but what if it is unnecessary? Her surgery is scheduled for next Monday and now I am concerned that she may not need it?

Please, any input is GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you,
Meredith and Honey
 
#2 ·
I brought her to an orthopedic surgeon who told me that it was the ACL not the LP.. but he was going to do the xrays when she comes in for surgery - so still no xrays.
Poor thing :( . . .if the surgeon suspects ACL instead of Patella injury, he's not still operating on her patella is he? If that's the case and it was my pet, I would seek another opinion before letting my dog go under the knife for random surgery rather than accept a "we know something is wrong, but don't know what, but in case it needs surgery, we'll be in there anyway and will fix what ever is wrong". I mean, unless I'm missing something, sounds odd to me . . .

Keep us posted and best wishes! :)

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App
 
#3 ·
He told me that she has grade 1 patella and he will fix it at the same time without charging me and this way it wont be a problem in the future... the knee has been popping quite a bit, so at least that is definitely true, and she definitely has a limp.

The orthopedic surgeon is one of the top in the state - he is really well known and has operated on show dogs and the like.. so I probably shouldn't question him.. My vet doesn't do orthopedic surgery and recommended him. ..While she played a lot this weekend she still isn't jumping on/off furniture so it may be bothering her... I just don't know and was wondering if anyone on here had experienced anything like this.

Thanks :)
 
#4 ·
I would trust him , sounds generous to me too. He is a specialist , that would be more reassuring to me.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the input!!

Honey ended up having the surgery a week ago on 12/17, and while her first few days were very tough (so heartbreaking to see her bewildered & in pain), she seems to have turned a corner in her recovery the past day - eating/bathroom normally, more energy and more affectionate.. :)

Happy holidays!

~ Meredith & Honey (Cavanese - Cavalier KC/ Havanese mix - 3.5 y/o)
 
#9 ·
great, Meredith. :whoo:
 
#14 ·
Good luck to little Miya.. if it helps, Honey is doing really well- improving every day.. She is up to 3 walks a day at 15 minutes each plus some restricted play time (on the floor in a small area) - I try to limit the play to 10 minutes a day, but Honey tests me on that one :)

Keep us updated on how Miya does!
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the good wishes. This is Miya first surgery and the poor thing is not taking it too well must be the anesthesia they put them under. All I can get into her is some yogurt through a syringe and water. I have finally got her to pee twice a day but no bowel movement yet. Any idea when she will start eating on her own? She is in day after the surgery.
 
#16 ·
She should eat unless she is in pain or a picky eater. Fred had patella surgery last April. One of the pain meds caused him to act really strange. He just wasn't himself and was so miserable & skittish. I took him off that one pain med and he was fine after that. I hope recovery goes smoothly!
 
#17 ·
I completely agree with Linda.. Miya may be nauseated with her meds. I did not like the way Honey reacted with her fetanyl patch, but she did fine with the tramadol/rimadyl combo.. in fact, I took her off of them (as directed) 10 days post-op and she had a bit of a setback.. Dr put Honey back on the two and she was fine after a few days, then I weaned her off them a week later... so I would def recommend weaning Miya off of the pain meds/anti inflammtories rather than cold turkey.

Regarding bowel movements, Honey had one the day after she came home but then didn't have one for 2 more days. Dr said it was normal, and sure enough she got back on schedule after that.

What type of ACL surgery did she have? Honey had the traditional.
 
#18 ·
Miya is on tramadol and her antibiotic as well as metacam. I have still had no luck with her eating on her own. Finicky yes that is her and she also does not like to drink too much water. Today she threw up bright yellow fluid which I believe is bile. I don't know if that is a reaction to the yogurt the VET suggested or if its due to a empty stomach. I still have had no bowel movement from her. I just hope that she returns normal soon.
 
#20 ·
i've given Honey 100% pumpkin before.. about a tablespoon. My breeder actually recommended it if I ever have a problem and she suggested making 'ice cubes' of pumpkin and keep it in a freezer bag.. It does work well for both constipation and diarrhea.

I have a picky eater too, and one thing that I made for Honey which she did gobble up post surgery were meatballs made out of lean ground turkey breast, 100% pumpkin, brown rice and an egg. She LOVES them and it definitely helps with firming up stools if that is an issue. Got the recipe from Julie (Piper's Mom on here)
 
#23 ·
I had to take Miya to VET as she was throwing up through out the night. He gave her an antibiotic shot and a anti vomiting shot and gave me some gravol for vomiting and told me to stop all her meds. So far I have fed her via baby spoon canned food and water and she has held it down. Thank God! Thank you for your good wishes and concern.
 
#24 ·
poor girl . Keep us updated.
 
#25 ·
I took her to the VET yesterday as she is still not eating but drinking alot. He gave her an anti vomiting shot and an antibiotic shot. She was fine but still not going towards food only water. Then in evening she started vomiting again. I took her to the 24 hour animal hospital where they told me after doing bloodwork this morning that she has high kidney levels which he feels is due to the Metacam she has been on for three weeks prior to surgery. I thought when a dog goes through surgery they do bloodtest to see if everything is good before they do the surgery but apparently not. I was not very happy with the decisions I made in the past month. I listened to an acting vet that said rest her on Metacam for a couple weeks and see if it fixes the problem. I wish I had done the xray and blood work initially. Hindsight knows no bounds. Please say a prayer for my Miya:
 
#26 ·
yeah I thought they always preferred blood work before an anesthesia too. Hugs coming your way .
 
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