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.

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. :-)