Sarah's story

Owner: Betty Humphrey E-mail: betty@swcp.com Date posted: November 14, 2000 The experience that we had with Sarah, our Great Pyrennes, was very similar to Kodi's. We spent a lot of time discussing the surgical options before deciding on TPLO, but I had researched the Internet and had technical articles as well as real life documentaries regarding each procedure. The orthopedic surgeon was Dr. Peter Schwarz in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our interaction with Dr. Schwarz was entirely positive. The day of the first surgery, he spent a lot of time going through all of the steps of the surgery, he kept us informed after the surgery, and let me see Sarah in evening of the surgery. When picking her up to transport home, he again spent time with my husband and me, showing us the x-rays and discussing the prognosis and her expected recovery. Sarah's recovery was just as we were told. Both times, there was slight swelling, but not as much as what was described with Kodi's second. We were instructed to put cold packs (bags of frozen peas wrapped in a towel) on the knee for 5 days. Also, Sarah had a morphine patch on her back for the first five days for pain control, however, she did not seem to be in a lot of pain. She allowed us to touch her knee and was very cooperative. We were very impressed with the short amount of time it took for her to begin using the leg. She was toe-touching in a day or two after surgery, and at two weeks when the stitches were removed, it was difficult to keep her from jumping in and out of the truck. The recovery and rehabilitation time is very long and time consuming, but it has been completely worth it. That goes for the cost as well. She is now just over three years old, it has been one year since her second knee was done, and she is very active. She runs our fenced 2.5 acres, chases birds, people, our cats, and rabbits. In the morning when she gets up, she seems a little stiff, but stretches her legs and is ready to go. We give her glucosomine and chondrotin every day, but that is all. Occasionally, after a very strenuous run or hike, we give her an anti-inflamatory. I know this surgery is not for every dog, however, our experience has been extremely positive. If anyone wants to discuss our experiences, I would be glad to respond.