| Bear's story | ||||
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Owner: Tina Date posted: October 31, 2000
How it all started.
Bear is our adorable lab/border collie mix. His problem started last February when he was 7 months old. We went to a dog park that had ice on the ground. We didn't notice him slipping but we assume he did because when we got home he was lame. We took him to the vet and they did x-rays. She said it was probably a sprain and not to allow him any off leash play for 2 weeks. We listened and everything seemed to be just fine.
This summer we started taking him to a dog park on a regular basis. Some days he would limp slightly after we'd get home. I just figured it was him being sore since he injured his leg several months before. Even sometimes when he would be laying around, he would get up and limp (we thought he was just stiff).
Oh no ... he needs surgery
On October 22nd, I just fed Bear dinner and let him out to go to the potty (we have a fenced in back yard). He came back inside holding his leg up. He was obviously in pain and we figured he really did something to it while he was out (probably chasing a squirrel). I took him to the vet the next morning, and they determined it was a torn cruciate ligament. They referred me to a surgeon who confirmed this and said Bear would definitely need surgery. He was surprised at how young Bear was to have this condition. He said the x-rays revealed mild arthritis.
The surgeon told us he would be doing a procedure that involved removing the torn cruciate and puting a stainless steel wire to bind the knee together. He would need to be confined to a small area in the house for 8 weeks to allow scar tissue to build up in the knee. He could not stress enough how important it was to keep him from jumping and running. So away I went and the Dr called at 1:30 to tell me Bear was doing just fine. He could be picked up the next day but I asked that they keep him an extra night so that my husband (who was out of town) could help me get him home.
October 27th - Bear comes home (2 days post surgery)
We picked Bear up who was more than elated to see my husband and I. He had a pain killer patch on that would last for another 2 days. His stitches looked great and he had very little swelling. The tech told us this was one of the best that she had ever seen. She then showed us how to give him physical therapy and Bear grew quite impatient. We took him straight home where we placed him in our family room now converted into Bear's room. He was quite tired so we left him alone to sleep. My husband carried him up to our bedroom at night so that he could sleep with us. We did one session of the physical therapy and he did just fine.
October 28th - 3 days post surgery
We did physical therapy on Bear and he did just fine. We had a lot to do that day so that my husband could leave town on business the next morning. We left Bear in his new room and ran errands most of the day. We came home at night and hung out with him in our room that night. He resisted the physical therapy so we decided not to push it. We think the pain patch had all but worn out and he seemed to be uncomfortable. He whined all night and paced the floor.
October 29th - 4 days post surgery
My husband left which means Bear would have to remain in the family room. (I can't carry him up the stairs.) So I would be camping in the family room as well. He still wont let me do physical therapy so I will call vet in the morning. He seems fine when I am with him. He doesn't like it if I have to run upstairs to get something. He doesn't appear to be in as much pain but he will not even put his leg down. He paced all night again but I think it's because he's bored. He's used to having a lot of exersise so he's probably not tired.
October 30th - 5 days post surgery
Vet says not to worry about physical therapy. Some dogs won't let you do it and we shouldn't push. If he'll let me ... do warm compresses. He does let me do that so I will continue that.
2 Weeks Post Surgery (Possible Setback)
Bear's knee appeared to be healing well. The stitches looked perfect and the swelling was completely gone. We took him to the vet to have the stitches removed, but when the surgeon felt Bear's knee, he was concerned. He thought that maybe Bear might have dislocated his knee and he wanted to do x-rays to find out. If this was the case, he would need to operate again. He said he had never seen this before. Of course we were completely baffled because we couldn't figure out how a dog that hasn't put his foot down in 2 weeks could dislocate his knee.
As it turned out, he didn't dislocate his knee, but it is out of alignment. This happens about 10% of the time. The surgeon said it would be premature to operate because most of the time the knee works itself back into place. He wants to look at it again in 2 weeks and if it's not better, he'll re-operate to fix it. We were told we would only be charged an additional $150 if he needs the surgery. Grand total so far is $1750.
Bear has been a trooper throughout this whole thing. He doesn't complain too much about being inside all the time. He just likes us to be with him. I am the most pleased about this, since before the surgery we exercised him everyday. We give him lots of things to chew on. He loves those yucky knuckles. I've noticed in the past couple days he's been putting his foot down more. He still won't let me do the physical therapy.
4 Weeks Post Surgery
Bear went back to the surgeon and he said that he seems to be doing better. He's behind where he should be at this point, but not to worry. He's using his leg more and more but won't put all of his weight on it. Knee is still out of alignment but should get better through exercise. He told us that Bear could now go up and down the stairs on a leash. He also told us to take him on short walks to start building up his muscle.
5 Weeks Post Surgery
Bear's becoming more active. When people come over he runs around like a crazy dog until we can settle him. Obviously he is more comfortable with his knee. He still limps and his foot is cocked outward when he walks. Called surgeon to ask if this was normal. He said yes.
8 Weeks Post Surgery (December 27th)
Bear still limps but he is putting more weight on it then before. When he walks his limp isn't as noticeable but it is still there. We now let Bear go up and down the stairs on his own. Sometimes he goes up and down too fast so he's obviously feeling much better. We keep hoping that he will eventually be able to walk normally again (no limp). He definitely could use more exercise but the freezing weather and ice has not been helping. We are going to work on taking him on more walks as soon as the icy sidewalks
melt.
Jan 5, 2001 -- Bear has major setback
We took Bear to the surgeon on Friday because he still wasn't walking on his leg and it was still turned outward. I had called the vet earlier in the week and he said he wanted to see him again. The surgeon recommended that we re-operate. So we scheduled the surgery for the following Thursday.
Jan 7, 2001
We think Bear had broken the stainless steel cable because he all of sudden started limping really bad. He wont even put his leg down or let us touch his leg. This is a what happens when the cable breaks. Good thing they are re-operating.
I dropped Bear off on Thursday and he started shaking like a leaf. He knew what was going on and he was so scared. They gave him a sedative to calm him before his surgery.
At 2 PM the surgeon called to say that the surgery was done. He said he was glad we re-operated because the steel cable did break and the knee was still laterally out of alignment. He said he cleaned it out,
removed the cable and wrapped it in a bandage to keep his knee stable. Apparently there was enough scar tissue to keep it stabilized and a new cable would not be needed. It was a relief to know that he wouldn't have a cable anymore because in the back of my mind I think I would always worry about it breaking.
He also mentioned that there isn't a lot of arthritis which is great news.
Jan 12 - Bear comes home from Surgery #2
We picked up Bear on Friday and he was very groggy. He laid around all day and would occasionally moan. We left him to go out to dinner so he could just rest.
They said we would not have to pay for the surgeon fees and charged us $250 for material cost.
Bear Goes to the Emergency Room!
We came home from dinner and found Bear in the middle of the room panting with his tongue out and moaning. He had pulled his pain patch off and was obviously in a lot of pain. We took him to the emergency vet for them to put a new patch on and to give him a shot to ease his immediate pain. Uggh, this could be a long weekend.
By the way ... this visit cost another $200 but worth every cent since it obviously eased his pain.
Jan 14 - 3 Days Post Surgery
Bear seems to be doing just fine. He didn't seem to be in too much pain after Friday's incident. We made sure we were around him all weekend to keep his spirits up. We go back Friday for a post-op check up.
Jan 29 - 2 Weeks Post Surgery #2
Bear had staples removed and the surgeon is pleased. He thinks this surgery will be a success. Knee seems stable. Surgeon says to keep him still for another 2 weeks and then gradually add physical therapy and short walks. Then each week add on to his walks. Hopefully by Mid to end March he will be ready to live a normal life again.
February 22 - 6 Weeks Post Surgery #2
Bear is doing great. He is walking much better now. He limps very little and the short walks are really helping. Only problem now is that he feels so great that we can't keep him still at times. He gets burst of energy and want to run around the house like a crazy dog - AND JUMPS ON BEDS! YIKES! I do notice after walks he gets a little sore and will limp a little more. We are hopeful that this surgery was a success and he will be a normal dog again this spring.
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