Lily's new stifle brace.
- Thread starter bxrbgood
- Start date
LoveMyDoggie
Boxer Insane
I wish you and Lily great results. Me and my family will be thinking of you both.
bxrbgood
Boxer Insane
Lily is home and recovering from her surgery. We are preparing for a 3 month convalescence period with her.
She is moving around better each day. Our main concern is going to be keeping her inactive for that time. You know Boxers, high energy.
The three stages of recovery include, 1-incision healing, 2- bone healing and 3- physical rehabilitation.
She must be kept from running, jumping, playing with the others etc for the 3 months to allow for proper recovery.
Needless to say we are implementing new routines in the household to that end. She is pretty much isolated from the other two for her protection.
She is moving around better each day. Our main concern is going to be keeping her inactive for that time. You know Boxers, high energy.
The three stages of recovery include, 1-incision healing, 2- bone healing and 3- physical rehabilitation.
She must be kept from running, jumping, playing with the others etc for the 3 months to allow for proper recovery.
Needless to say we are implementing new routines in the household to that end. She is pretty much isolated from the other two for her protection.
Harv
Boxer Buddy
Hi bxrbgood,
How is Lily doing now?
Are there any more updates or has the discussion moved to another thread?
We took Harvey to the vet today and he is booked in on Thursday to be anaesthetised so they can check out his leg and take x-rays.
He was limping a few weeks ago so we were advised to just stick to lead walks and he was given anti inflammatory medicine. We have gradually let him run around a bit more each day the past week but on Monday after a good play with his pal Bill he was limping home, so it seems he has aggravated it again.
The vet said they would check him out but they are already talking about damaged ligaments and surgery. We are really worried about it, Harvey is just coming up to 4 years old and we really don't want him to have surgery. However the vet said if he has damaged his knee it will just gradually get worse until he can't use it, so surgery is the answer?
I have read Lily's story with interest as it sounds like a similar problem.
How is Lily doing now?
Are there any more updates or has the discussion moved to another thread?
We took Harvey to the vet today and he is booked in on Thursday to be anaesthetised so they can check out his leg and take x-rays.
He was limping a few weeks ago so we were advised to just stick to lead walks and he was given anti inflammatory medicine. We have gradually let him run around a bit more each day the past week but on Monday after a good play with his pal Bill he was limping home, so it seems he has aggravated it again.
The vet said they would check him out but they are already talking about damaged ligaments and surgery. We are really worried about it, Harvey is just coming up to 4 years old and we really don't want him to have surgery. However the vet said if he has damaged his knee it will just gradually get worse until he can't use it, so surgery is the answer?
I have read Lily's story with interest as it sounds like a similar problem.
msnitsirk
Boxer Booster
My Sammie had a torn CCL along with patellar luxuation a few years back. Her surgery was trochleoplasty and tibial crest transposition and fibular head transposition rather than TPLO. The recovery is similar to TPLO but the procedure itself is not quite as invasive. You may want to ask a vet about it. Today she sprints around the yard like a speed demon and she is 9+ years old. She was 5 when she had the surgery.
I wrestled with it because during the first attempt at surgery she almost died on the table (possible morphine allergy or botched epidural is what my vet suspects but the surgery people wouldn't give me a clear answer). I couldn't stand to see her never run again though, so after another consult with my vet I took her to a different surgeon (who used different anesthesia) and everything was great. I was in tears when I took her to the second surgery. The surgeon and anesthesiologist were very patient and kind and spent extra time explaining everything to me.
Looking back I should have just taken her to the place my vet recommended in the first place. I chose a reputable veterinary college instead though to save some time and money. I thought their reputation was excellent and maybe my case is an anomaly but I'll never go there again. I didn't like how they handled the botched surgery. They were horrible.
I wrestled with it because during the first attempt at surgery she almost died on the table (possible morphine allergy or botched epidural is what my vet suspects but the surgery people wouldn't give me a clear answer). I couldn't stand to see her never run again though, so after another consult with my vet I took her to a different surgeon (who used different anesthesia) and everything was great. I was in tears when I took her to the second surgery. The surgeon and anesthesiologist were very patient and kind and spent extra time explaining everything to me.
Looking back I should have just taken her to the place my vet recommended in the first place. I chose a reputable veterinary college instead though to save some time and money. I thought their reputation was excellent and maybe my case is an anomaly but I'll never go there again. I didn't like how they handled the botched surgery. They were horrible.
bxrbgood
Boxer Insane
Sorry I'm so late to update Lily's progress here.
Even though the $1000 leg brace was a waste, it was a learning experience.
Lily's recovery from the TPLO was agonizingly slow, with very little or no use of her leg until week 5 or 6. The vets and I were somewhat concerned. Then about that time (week 5-6) she started putting more weight on and using the leg more. She continued to do better and better.
The first time she realized she could run in the back yard was cool. She was bucking and prancing around like a colt, she was so happy.
We made her take it easy until week 12 or so to help ensure good bone healing. Now she runs and play's with Ginger like she used to do at 2yrs old. She goes on our 1 - 2 hour walks thru the countryside around here with no sore leg at night now.
As much of a skeptic as I was about getting her surgery, I'm glad we finally went that route. She turned 4yrs shortly after her surgery, still a young dog. So, it was well worth the expense and hassle. To see her now is very satisfying.
Here's a short shot of her playing: