A few recent pictures of the big boy

Here you can see he is very comfortable sitting in an "awkward" position. Bohdi has always sat like this and it has nothing to do with the surgery. He bends the knee well and seems to have full ROM, Range of motion.

Here he is sitting on his favorite chair...Mom AKA me. This is from the day I went into labor. I swear he knew it was going to happen. He was treating me very differently and was especially gentle.

This is the best shot I have taken recently of the leg. LOL. I will try and do better, but honestly, you can't even see the incision scar anymore. The hair is growing back slowly but surely.

12 weeks and beyond

the short and skinny of it.....we are past our recovery period of 12 weeks and doing great. i had the baby as well so that explains the lack of updates! i will post in more detail later. for now, here is a video..

CCL Pictures, Pre and Post Surgery Tools, Shopping List and Links

See a list of things you may need after the pics. I have researched and found some good pricing on these items via Amazon as well. Bookmark this page for reference and yes, please use my links to shop!


CCL Cranial Cruciate Ligament Picture:


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Surgery imagery:

Incision Site:

Post Surgery Medication Anti-inflammatory, Pain Medicine, Antibiotics

Tramadol-Pain Control *post surgery

Deramaxx-Pain Control and anti-inflamatory *post surgery and long term 

Cephalexine-Antibiotic

Shift Glucosamine-Treatment for Osteoarthritis 

Things you will want and need:

Crate or Superyard

 *Get a crate if you work during the day and can't be there with your dog. The superyard is not ideal for jumpers. I highly recommend having at least a week off to tend to your best friend right after surgery.*

Dog Bed

Old Sheets

Disposable Changing pads or Pee Pads

Betadine

Ice Packs *the old fashioned one work great with crushed ice because they will drape nicely over the knee

Homemade salt free broth for hydration the first few days

Mobility Harness

Life Vest *if swimming*

New toys and snacks to keep your buddy busy and distracted

Dog Ramp if you have an SUV and can't lift you big buddy (mine is 90lbs!)

A medication check list to make sure you don't miss a dose or overmedicate

    

   

  

A walk to the park and other milestones (VIDEO)

I am happy to say that the worst of the allergy attack seems to be over. The swelling in Bohdi's face has gone down significantly and he is no longer trying to rub his face off on the carpet. It sounds funny but is literally what was going on.  He is 100% on the new food (Avoderm) and is still loving it.  We plan to keep him on the antihistamine until Monday when I will call the vet and ask if it is okay to take him off of it.

Today we took a walk to the park (video below). It is only a block away from the house but still I was nervous because there are dogs and sounds to get really excited about and I didn't want any jumping.  We stayed near the sidewalk and away from the playground area just to be safe. Once there we meandered around and strolled to various trees he frequently "marked" before the surgery. It was a success and I think we will walk that way more often now. He is so happy and distracted that I think he uses his leg more naturally while there. 

As for me, I waddle along behind for now. He is a good boy not to pull me too much, even though he is soooo excited. I would definitely take a spill if he cared to bolt off after something.

He is off the leash to use the "potty" when outside. Yay. I need to get him over to Petsmart for a bath soon before the baby comes. Possibly the hose will warm up enough for a home bath.

Our dog food brand

Now Allergies????? Arrrgh!!!!

After finding that Bohdi had rubbed his face raw on the carpet Sunday night to the extent of it bleeding, we were off to the vet's office Monday morning. You may recall me mentioning that he was chewing his feet/paws lately.  I first presumed it was due to boredom. Maybe not after all. He received an antihistamine shot, and we were sent home with Hydroxyzine (75mg every 8 hours). 


Causes? Fabric softener on his sheets? An environmental allergy? Well, apparently, the antihistamine should be working if so and it doesn't seem to be making any difference other than making him drowsy.


I am leaning more towards the issue being a food allergy. I am switching him over to a high quality dog food. In doing some research I found that Beneful is loaded with low quality and non-absorbable fillers.  PLUS, corn, wheat, and soy are all accounted for in the Beneful recipe as top ingredient and they are also top causes of food allergies in dogs. With internet research, I found many stories of dogs developing allergies to this food over time. We are trying AvoDerm Lamb and Brown Rice formula and are trying a speedy switch over the next 3-4 days. During the trial on the new food, he can have absolutely no other food (he will continue with the Deramaxx and antihistamine). Luckily, the food is so pure it is easily changes to a wet food consistency by adding some warm water and Bohdi takes his meds hidden in the food.


It is also helpful that he LOVES the food. For over a month or so, he has been nosing the Beneful and not really wanting to eat it. I thought it may have been that he was getting spoiled by the wet food that accompanied the medicine and was getting picky about dry food.  Not so. He dug right into the 25Bene/75Avo mix.


Also, I will be holding off giving him the Glucosamine until the new food is established. I will try and reintroduce it to see if shellfish could be the culprit.


This poor dog. And poor me!!! On Monday I went to my OBGYN and found out I'm 3cm dilated and 50% effaced. I would appreciate a little help from the powers that be in healing my dog. As it may be, I could be having a baby in the next week or so.


Wish us luck!!!

4 weeks post op CCL surgery-let the walks begin!!!

Four weeks ago today, Bohdi was dropped off at 7 in the morning at our veterinarian's office for surgery to stabilize his knee (also called the stifle joint) after a cranial cruciate ligament tear. (Please read prior posts)


At this moment, he is fast asleep at my feet. We have stopped using the superyard and he roams the house freely. We have to watch him carefully because at times he will try to play and dash around. We don't want the tightrope to fail or the other knee for that matter.  He has been swimming for therapy. He hates the life vest he has to wear so he would rather prefer a walk or to have free range of the pool sans vest.


We get to start short walks now; short as in to the end of the block and back. We will wait until Monday (today is Wed) of next week to start as we still have some warm weather and I would prefer to swim this weekend. I don't want to overwork him. We need to start slow. I wonder what the neighbors will think when they see me walk him. We will be out for such a short distance they will probably think I have agoraphobia or something. hehehehe


As far as his progress goes, I can't say there is huge improvement in his walk as he never really favored it anymore after the surgery as he does now. I suppose I will have to consult a physical therapist for ideas to get him to really start using the leg to avoid atrophy and grow so muscle. I saw a video of a dog being led over obstacles he had to step over, but I am not sure how many weeks post surgery he was. There were balance activities as well. Any ideas on how to make a dog sized teeter-totter?  Some days he is obviously more sore than others. He will lay down and "stare" at his knee like he is irritated at it. I do want to start weaning him down from daily Dermaxx as well. I found this info online regarding long term use and I am not so keen on daily dosing. http://www.vetinfo.com/arthritis-treatment-deramaxx.html

I think Bohdi may be getting a little depressed. It is time to lower meds and add new activity. In 5-6 weeks I will be caring for a new baby as well as my four legged boy. Keeping both happy may be a challenge. Oh, and his hair is growing back very slowly.

The Funny Bone

We gave the bone one more shot before it went into the trash. We had to actually pretend to eat it for him to get the idea. Boy but when he did!!!! That bone never had a chance. I hope we are not in for an exciting evening of "the runs". EEEkkk

One end gone:

Bohdi's First Swim (VIDEO and PICTURES) 3 weeks post op

I have been taking Bohdi into the pool. At first I tried without a swim vest but quickly realized how much easier it would be with a vest.  I can hold him in one place without having to support his weight.  It also has made assisting him out of the pool a lot easier. I had my daughter film the first day as he took his first laps. He was a bit nervous but really does love the water. He is used to the vest now and knows it means he's swimming. We will be working up our time to two 10 minute sessions for now. We take breaks in between. My pool isn't as hot as a standard therapy pool (which is usually in the high 80's) so I want to make sure he is comfortable. I'll tell you, this is great that he can go swimming again. It is part of my "preggo-therapy" as well.  He and I are both happy to have each other through this *uncomfortable* phase of our lives.

On another note, we are down to only 50 mg of Tramadol at night plus the Dermax in the morning. Still taking the 1500 mg of Shift Glucosamine as well. We've taken down the superyard, but kept out some sections to use as barriers/gates. We block of the front door and sometimes the kitchen. Seems we are doing good!!!!

On a Mission:

Video:

    

Name of our Veterinarian and Hospital/ Veterinarian referral for Tightrope Surgery

Veterinarian referral for Tightrope Surgery

San Joaquin Veterinary Hospital

4333 N Blackstone Ave
Fresno, CA 93726

(559) 227-3596

Get Map & Directions »

Dr. Kenneth Stocks DVM

We had our 2 week Check up! What did the Vet Say???

He said that Bohdi looks great. He will wait till recovering a full 4 weeks before we start short walks, but he is allowed to start swimming now. Yay! I just hope the pool isn't too cold already. It has been hot in the valley during the day, but cooling off at night so the pool temp may have dropped.  Note that I am the one who would care.  Bohdi would get in a 50 degree pool if we let him. We may give swimming a go later this afternoon when it warms up. The vet did note that he could be doing a little "too well" in the sense that he is a little overconfident walking. I was aware of this and will continue being extra careful and vigilant. I will need to keep an eye one his other leg as it could blow out from doing so much of the weight and work while the other heals. He will still be on leashed potty walks and needs to be confined for the most part, but can be out of his pen and with the family if he is being calm and still.

We are going to start weaning him of the Tramadol. We are thinking we'll start with the night dose since he sleeps right after anyway and has never fussed at night. As far as the morning goes, possibly we will just give the Dermax then Tramadol later in the afternoon or eve. I'm not sure yet as I'll have to evaluate how he feels. He was on such a low dose anyway.

We didn't make anymore dates for required check-ups. We will call if we see a reason to bring him in.

I asked our vet if it was okay to share his name and the hospital name as a referral. He said it's fine, so for those of you who emailed me requesting our vets info, I will post the info in a separate post. If we get to swim today, I will make sure to video it and share.

Here are pics from this morning...from the OUTSIDE of the pen!! Check out the incision line. Healed! And remember, no staples. :-)

13 Days post op-The boredom in Full Bloom

Well, we are done with the Antibiotics! We are still giving the Dermaxx and Tramadol in the morning, and Glucosamine (1500mg) daily.

Bohdi is starting to chew on his feet (all of them, he does not discriminate) so I think he is getting bored as he has never had allergies; a common cause for foot chewing.  I catch him doing it when he is alone on the pen and doesn't chew when he is with me..another reason I think it's stress and boredom. I’ve tried to give him some new toys but he just isn’t interested unless someone else is yanking on the other end of said toys.  Since we have to lay off the rough play that is out of the question.

I tried to give him a bone. It is a real bone with some kind of supposed slather of sauce on it.  He was disgusted and proceeded to roll it up (I am not kidding people) and cover it with the napkin I gave it to him on.  He used his nose to roll the napkin over the bone several times and even tried to cover up both ends. So much for that idea.  I try to have him out of his pen most of the day.  I make sure he isn’t wandering around the house and that he stays put. BTW, I bought disposable changing pads/cloths before Bohdi came home from surgery and they have been invaluable. I highly suggest them to prevent messes of all kinds. That is what the bone was "buried" in.

Our check up is on Friday, so a few days past the two-week mark. I am hoping they will not have to manipulate the knee too much or let me demonstrate for them. He is really starting to dislike the vets office. He figures something dreadful is going to happen every time he goes.

He is healing up great and putting more pressure on the leg while walking. 

He is still cautious with it when turning a 180.  He tried to dash after me into another room the other day. I stopped him almost immediately yet I did get a chance to note that he was trying a three-legged sprint. This reinforces that I want to get him rehabbing with walks and the pool ASAP.

I will follow up after the check up if not before then. Here are some pictures of “The King of Boredom”.

Another just to show HOW DANG CUTE HE WAS AS A PUPPY!!!!

-Thanks for reading!

-Bohdi's Mom

Just in case:

Got the Giggles

I had to comment that I hadn't watched the video I posted in the one week post op till now. I am cracking up. What a great view of the dogs but! What do you say!!! hehehe
Next time I will have my daughter film.
 -Bohdi's Mom
Oh and here are some tools I didn't get, but may have been useful:

One week post op and video of walking

We made it a full week!! Any setbacks???? 

Well, in my last post I mentioned that we were considering stopping by a friends house Sunday afternoon for a BBQ. Well we gave it a go. They live just a city block away so we checked up on him after the first 40 minutes. We had left him in our bedroom with the door closed as he is familiar with this room being his "confinement area" if we ever need one. We were at first considering leaving him in the superyard, but he is such a confident jumper that we were scared he would try and jump out. 

Well, sorry to say we had to come home after the check up. My husband had come back to check on him and said that he was too excitable and we figured it's just too early to leave him unattended if we could avoid it. The vet did not send us home with any sedatives which I am fine with but I see why some doggy parents may need them if they can't be around 24/7 and have an active dog. So,he picked me up and we headed home. Good thing too because I noticed there was a little bit of blood on his sheet. I figure he was licking the wound or had stood on the leg too long. He had no visible bleeding when we got home and was using the leg as he had been in prior days. So, no real harm done.

The last few days, I have let him out of the superyard several times a day so that he could lay by my feet. At night he sleeps in the master bathroom and is gated in. From where he is he has a good view of me on the bed so he is calm.

He only has 3 days left of the antibiotic. I have started weening him from the wet food, and he is 75% back on his normal food (which is Benefull Healthy Weight BTW). I have included a video of our morning pee-walk. Much easier to show you than to verbally try to describe his gate.

(video is at the bottom of this post)

As far as the measure of his pain goes, it does seem that in the afternoon he is a little more aware of the knee. With the Tramadol (50mg) we are allowed 1-2 pills every twelve hours (the usual dose in dogs is 0.45-1.8mg per pound of pet's weight given by mouth every 8-12 hours.). Since he has been managing well, I have stuck to only one in the morning and one at night. He also gets the Dermaxx in the morning. At night he tends to go to sleep right after he gets the 2nd dose of Tramadol. He has managed the pain well, but there were two days during the week where I gave him another Tramadol in the mid afternoon. 

His incision is healing really well. I only clean it with the betadine if I really see a need. At this point, we are really anxious for our check up. I would love to get the go at the two week point to get him walking a little more and swimming laps. I am anxious to hear if the knee is healing well and that we have good stability. 

I'll tell you though, this is all a bit much for an 8 month pregnant lady. I am grateful that Bohdi is such a trooper. I need a nap!!!

New pics, 4 Days post op

The pictures on the 3 days post op posting are actually from the day we brought him home. These are the most recent.


Note the incision is healing very nicely.

He is eager to get outside and pulls a little on the leash. He is putting some weight on the knee both when standing and walking. I'm glad that he feels good enough to do this. I have read some horror stories regarding dogs being 3-legged for 2-3 weeks. It makes me feel a little bit better about lowering the chances of blowing the other knee.

A friend is having a BBQ this afternoon. We are leery of leaving him home alone just yet. Do we try and leave him in the "superyard", the bathroom, our bedroom?  

-Bohdi's Mom

We have Poop!!

Bohdi finally relieved himself. It was not pretty, let me tell you. It is important to recovery so I will say the amount was unbelievable and the stool was very lose, but not runny. Yay poop!

-Bohdi's Mom

Day 3 Post-Op

Hello All, (please note all pictures on this post are from the day we picked him up, day after surgery)

My 90 lb American Bulldog/Pitt mix had the Tightrope Proceedure 3 days ago. He is 8 years old, and besides the knee injury, is in excellent health. We think he injured the knee exiting the pool several months before. We noticed a limp right after he jumped out (in-ground pool). It seemed to get better and I resumed our 2 mile/day walks. A couple months after, we could tell it was no longer healing. To the vet we went and started this journey.

One thing I would like to note, is that when it comes to recovery and outcome, it may be important to ask your vet and include in your experience how much if any at all of the meniscus of the knee is removed during surgery. Some dogs have to have this scraped out and some have had it intact. My vet stated it depends on the severity of the injury, current arthritic level, and damage already acquired to the meniscus. This can affect the dogs recovery experience. As well as if there was a partial tear or full tear, did the surgeon remove all of the CCL???

In our case, the meniscus was left intact, and the CCL was scraped and removed (was a full tear).

Our dog is doing great thus far. We picked him up the morning after surgery (central california).He came out of the kennel bearing weight and using the repaired leg. Although this should be restricted, it was a good sign. My biggest initial fear was regarding how we would manage to pick him up and get him home safely. My husband was out of town, and I am 8 months pregnant. Luckily the techs lifted him in the car and my mother and I were able to assist with a sling/sheet to get him out of the car at home.

He is an indoor dog and quite large so we have never crated. What we did do is buy a baby/toddler “superyard” and set it up in the living room for the recovery. He is happiest when he can see me and be with me at all times. I currently am not working so this has worked in my favor due to the surgery.I was worried that he would need assistance to get up from a laying down position and being pregnant, this type of lifting would be a no-no for me. He was able and willing to get up, leash walk outside to pee, and back inside with no assistance from a sling. He is cautious with the leg but is bearing some weight on it.

He is eating fine, but I have spoiled him by feeding 1/2 his regular dry food and 1/2 rice, chicken, garlic, and veggies. The garlic will stay on the menu through recovery (8-12 weeks) due to the miracle food it is. He is taking 50 ML Tramadol twice a day, Dermaxx in the morning, Cephlexine 500 ML 2 times a day for 10 days, and 1500 ML Glucosamine (the dr recommended the brand Shift due to a study that reviled it actually had the amount in it that was stated and was absorbed quickly. this is a human brand, not veterinary brand). I have him outside to pee about 5 times a day and get about 3 good pees from him. He has yet to go #2. If he doesn’t go by tomorrow, I’m calling the vet for supplement advice. What do you give a dog?? Prune juice??? Colace???

Again, so far I can’t evaluate too much more than my dogs endurance. He is doing soooo well; no whining, no visible discomfort passed what the pain meds can handle, eating and drinking normally.  I should mention I give him home made broth -no salt- and water mixture a couple times a day just to keep the hydration up. One thing I do know is that my surgeon was able to use internal stiches and NO STAPLES. I have not read anywhere else that the dog was without staples. We also had no bandage and no e-collar. They tried to collar him but he was having "none of it" and removed it several times. They said he has a pretty big neck too. He is not much of a licker and hasn’t licked the wound much. It wept for the first day and he did lick so out of precaution, we are all on anti-lick supervision duty. I understand infection is a huge risk in these surgeries, as a matter of fact, the second largest contender that causes failure. I wash the incision area twice a day with betadine. If you do this, you can’t bandage the leg until all the betadine is dry. We are bandage-free so it didn’t matter to us. Another hint is to never BLOW on the incision area if you think the betadine burns. Blowing introduces bacteria from your mouth. Use a magazine and fan away.

We have mild swelling around the ankle and knee, but not too much redness. I have done a few ROM exercises with him and he does not seem to mind. His knee thus far shows great flexibility and no limited movement. I have iced the ankle and knee a couple times. He does hate that, so I will not push it.

He has a check up in 2 weeks. At that time we will evaluate if we can start short leash walks and if we can get him in the pool to start laps. I will check back in often and update. I plan to be extra vigilant regarding the other knee and will be looking for signs of weakness from over use. The last thing we want it to have the other knee go. I do know there is a 50% chance of that but so far the vet said the other knee seems very stable. The rupture of the other leg/knee seems to be the biggest set back to these types of surgery. Pray for us.

Best to all who are enduring the TightRope surgery. All other options seemed way to invasive to me. (And to my dog LOL). Please keep posting updates on your dogs recoveries as well. Hopefully this info can be helpful to others and to vets who I know are finding the information limited and may need to share more about recovery with their patients.

Regards!!
Bohdi's Mom