Cosmolo Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 Dexter has done underwater treadmill and swimming before for his HD and ED. While i will definitely give it a try, my only concern is that when he went before he got so wildly excited and aroused- i mean completely 'gone' mentally in that environment. It was the one environment where we couldn't get him to settle- he was the same at the beach but because he had more freedom at the beach we could gradually get him to be a bit calmer. Perhaps now with the extra training he has had it will be different but i wouldn't hold my breath. I can't believe how long it took before the free running with other dogs.. The specialist gave me the impression that at the end of the 8 weeks of crating he was free to do whatever he liked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 (edited) Hmm Kenz was crated 6 weeks post MPL surgery, then gradual reintroduction to leashed activity and then off-leash activity. 8 weeks is only bone healing time. Mostly it then takes another 4 weeks to rebuild muscle adequately. Total recovery time is 4-6 months. Plenty of dogs recover well from cruciate repairs without anything more then gradually building leash walks. Edited May 8, 2013 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Dexter has done underwater treadmill and swimming before for his HD and ED. While i will definitely give it a try, my only concern is that when he went before he got so wildly excited and aroused- i mean completely 'gone' mentally in that environment. It was the one environment where we couldn't get him to settle- he was the same at the beach but because he had more freedom at the beach we could gradually get him to be a bit calmer. Perhaps now with the extra training he has had it will be different but i wouldn't hold my breath. I can't believe how long it took before the free running with other dogs.. The specialist gave me the impression that at the end of the 8 weeks of crating he was free to do whatever he liked. That was also me being over cautious as she did her cruciate after colliding with one of the other dogs at speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 4-6 months.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 :laugh: well Cosmolo its 4-6 months if things work according to plan if that makes you feel any better about it. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 Wish i had known that before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Maybe I should clarify - there are dogs on the orthodog list who are back to 100% and running agility at 4 months post-op. There are dogs who continue to struggle on and off for more then 6 months. It doesn't mean they aren't back unrestricted it might just mean they come up slightly sore on occasion. Every dog is different but thats just a guideline. Then you have Kenz who compared to a cruciate repair surgery had a relatively straight forward no bone cutting procedure and will be 12 months post-op on Friday and is as bad as she was before. Hang in there. It is not all as bad as it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luffy4688 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I know how it feels when your dog is not able to walk. Sending a lot of healing vibes your way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 One of the biggest concerns for us is being able to tell whether any residual pain is coming from the surgery or his hips/ elbows as well. While we believe his hips have been worsening over a number of months the vet said 'are you sure it was his hips' as he thinks it was the cruciate disease. Unfortunately there was no way to know so we could end up still having a sore dog post op anyway. No idea what we'd do then- i just can't believe how messed up this dogs joints are. Surely it's unusual to have every joint affected by these things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 No, many moons ago we had a Rotti with OCD of the elbows and hocks as well as HD. That is all we know of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Oh Cosmolo I feel for you. I could make you feel better by telling you Kenz's ortho said to me only yesterday that strictly ortho related issues are normally fairly straight forward - even if you have them in multiple joints. You operate and you can mostly repair things. But complication is when you add in a condition which also produces neurological symptoms. Not sure if he is on any supplements at present but I have had Kenz on fish oil and the Rose-hip vital canine and I do believe that is helping. I know from what I saw with Ness and minor arthritic changes and having run out and having her off it for a few days it seems to have made a noticeable difference to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 We have had him on heaps of different supplements over the years and one by one they seemed to stop working. The only thing that was still giving some relief was cartrophen injections but even that was limited. I haven't tried the Rosehip though- what form does it take? The other complication for him is that if you try to put different things in his food he won't eat it so it needs to be something he will like to eat or a tablet we can wrestle into him. I understand what the ortho is saying- i guess the problem is when is enough enough? How many surgeries and confinements can you put them through before it becomes too detrimental to be fair/ kind? That is the question i keep wrestling with and i can't find the answer.. I don't want my selfish desire to have Dex for as long as possible to end up being to his detriment if you know what i mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 (edited) Hmm the Rose hip is a powder - http://rosehipvitalcanine.com.au/. Kenz is super fussy and even she seems ok with the taste although I normally mix it in with something like yoghurt or sardines or tuna. If your on FB they have a facebook page and others have said they can get there fussy dogs to eat it so may be worth considering. Its suppose to be a natural anti-inflammatory. The company are pretty responsive to answering questions and queries on the product. As for your question I know - its the same one I am wrestling with and its certainly not easy. I don't have answers anymore then it sounds like you do. Kenz's is complicated having a neurological condition for which there is no real cure other than management as best I can. Edited May 9, 2013 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 So last night he was weight bearing a little bit when he went out to toilet. Today so far- not at all Swelling is still the same as is the bruising. He seems a little brighter though which is a good and bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Still early days - is he on a combination of NSAID and tramadol? I found I had to make sure Kenz had her tramadol right on the minimum interval (think from memory it was every 6 hours) to keep her comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 No he isn't Ness- just the antibiotic and Rimadyl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 (edited) Interesting vets are all different - if I were you I might see if I could get some tramadol for him. It can be used safely in conjunction with the rimadyl. The only downside to it (which isn't necessary a downside is some dogs can get slightly sedated being on it). Edited May 10, 2013 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 One of the biggest concerns for us is being able to tell whether any residual pain is coming from the surgery or his hips/ elbows as well. While we believe his hips have been worsening over a number of months the vet said 'are you sure it was his hips' as he thinks it was the cruciate disease. Unfortunately there was no way to know so we could end up still having a sore dog post op anyway. No idea what we'd do then- i just can't believe how messed up this dogs joints are. Surely it's unusual to have every joint affected by these things? Did you raise this dog from a puppy? When I worked at a shelter we had an approx 5 month old Crossbred with some Newfie in him, brought in as a cruelty case. He was painfully thin and had been left chained up all the time with the collar growing into his neck. They removed the collar, healed the neck wound and got some condition on him before putting him up for adoption. The people who took him were wonderful but a couple of months later they rang to say the puppy could hardly walk. She brought him back for x-rays and assessment and was given the tragic news that his joints were all shot. She surrendered him back to the shelter and he was pts the same day. The 3 vets were so intrigued that they did an autopsy on the puppy. None of them had ever seen anything like it. None of his joints had formed properly - hips, elbows, shoulders, stifle joints were almost non-existent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerMax Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Interesting vets are all different - if I were you I might see if I could get some tramadol for him. It can be used safely in conjunction with the rimadyl. The only downside to it (which isn't necessary a downside is some dogs can get slightly sedated being on it). I'd be very careful with Tramadol if the dog has never had it before. In some dogs it causes disorientation and the subsequent distress means they are more manic than sedated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 (edited) We got him from a shelter aged 12 weeks. That poor puppy and family dancibcs. I don't think he needs any other drugs at the moment but we'll see how he goes. No weight bearing yet which is a little worrying. Edited May 11, 2013 by Cosmolo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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