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  1. #1
    House Broken Angela_WM's Avatar
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    ACL surgery for senior?

    Hey all... my 13 year old lab injured himself in January... to make a long story very short, he instantly went from jumping over the back of a 4' tall couch to only sleeping in the low one, barely moving around, and not even getting off the couch to bark when guests arrive.

    I took him for what was supposed to be a self-swim session where the trainer gets the dog acquainted with the pool and then you swim with the dog without the trainer. It quickly turned into a therapy session as it was VERY obvious my dog is injured and had been hiding it well. Everyone (three vets, the trainer and me) all agree that there is at least possibly a tear there, but his two primary vets (one is regular, one for urgent care) said they "wouldn't bother treating it at his age".

    This is a hunting dog in service training. My pic shows a little of what he USED to do, but can't now. Overnight.

    I am nearly certain he's got a few more years in him at least, he's really not even gray. He's got no other health issues besides what used to be considered mild arthritis (he's been on a buttload of pain meds since January). He is now using the ramp to get in and out of the car because I made him start because I don't want him injuring himself further.

    Is it worth fixing? I think I if it improves his quality of life and reduces suffering, that's worth any amount of money.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog
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    The rehab for knee surgery is LONG. I wouldn’t do it on a dog that age as by the time he is fully recovered something else will most likely have gone wrong. Maybe look into a knee brace?

    Plus, I just noticed in your other thread that you say his kidney and liver values are off. That does not make him have “no other health issues” and may make him a poor surgical candidate.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  3. The Following User Says Thank You to Annette47 For This Useful Post:

    Angela_WM (03-14-2017)

  4. #3
    House Broken Angela_WM's Avatar
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    I've done the rehab with a Mastiff before. Twice. I remember how long it is, and at his age, I'm aware it would be longer. But this is a hunting dog who is suddenly afraid to swim. That's frightening. I know there is some damage in that knee, but there was most definitely a sudden injury that day... I'm getting imaging done next month to find out exactly what it was and will look into my options from there, but ACL is suspected.

    Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

  5. #4
    House Broken Angela_WM's Avatar
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    The video in this thread is a lot like what he was doing (I don't know how to link properly in tapatalk): 4 year old suddenly limping back leg

    He is bearing a LOT more weight than that now and it's less obvious, but he's still favoring one side...

  6. #5
    House Broken Angela_WM's Avatar
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    Some info I found on non-surgical options... my gut tells me if it is a tear, it was partial, but we'll see what it is...

    Alternatives to Canine Surgeries | Whole Dog Journal

    Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

  7. #6
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Having done TPLO on my dog...it would be VERY unlikely that i would opt for this surgery with a 13 year old, especially if they had other issues. it's intense. POSSIBLY would consider tightrope but even there, I doubt it. Rehab is hard hard work. I'd go with conservative management-rehab with a specialist. maybe with a leg brace. I'd talk to a professional in the field for a diagnosis and then another for treatment (someone knowlegdable and experienced in rehab of such injuries).

    For CCL tear I believe swimming is not recommended. underswater treadmill is used though.

  8. #7
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    I wouldn't do surgery on a 13 y/o. You can buy a knee brace for the hurt leg. That's about as far as I would go outside of pain meds.

  9. #8
    House Broken Angela_WM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JenC View Post
    I wouldn't do surgery on a 13 y/o. You can buy a knee brace for the hurt leg. That's about as far as I would go outside of pain meds.

    ^ post injury (today), halfway filled by me today.


    The rest was done before the injury, again, I'm in the process of refilling it.

    He's a HIGHLY active dog in VERY good shape. He also qualifies for a service dog discount. I still don't know what exactly he injured and won't for a few more weeks, though, so I'm just trying to prevent him from being over active (like in the pics), but he's SO BORED.

  10. #9
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    if he's injured he should be on leash and on crate rest. even if not a CCL he needs total rest in order to recover meaning not offleash romps and being on leash/crated/tethered in the home so he doesn't jump/run/play. at least 10-14 days.

    CCL injuries can happen just doing normal stuff. Fetching, running (not too over the top even). Slipping a bit on ice. Running in the snow. anything.

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  12. #10
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    Even if he’s capable of being very physically active and energetic, that doesn’t mean that his organs etc. aren’t aging. Again, you said in your other thread that his liver and kidney values are off which would not make him a good surgical candidate. Have you discussed this with your vet?
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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