Today is the first day of the Caring for Critters Round Robin. Think of the Round Robin as a relay race, each day a ‘blogging team member’ will write a post about a specify injury or illness they have experienced. At the end of their post, they will ‘pass the baton’ to the next blogger. This is not your typical blog hop, as there are no linky codes, and there aren’t a whole bunch of posts on one particular day. Instead you will be able to read a post a day about how a fellow animal lover helped their furry loves with a particular ailment.
Please keep in mind, I am not a vet and this is not advice on how to handle an ACL injury, this is just my experience, and what worked or didn’t work for me. Always consult your veterinarian before choosing any course of treatment.
This is the story of Sampson.
Sampson is a 92 pound Golden Labrador Retriever. He shares a home with me, (Jodi) my husband (Hubby) and Delilah, a 8 1/2 year old Chocolate Lab. We live down the street from a lovely wooded park with hiking trails. Walking the trails off leash is one of Sampson’s favorite past times.
I’m Sampson, this is my experience with a torn ACL.
On January 8, 2014 he was diagnosed with a partial Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear. At the time of his diagnosis he was about 9 1/2 years old.
The Treatment
Initially we treated the injury conservatively. We limited his exercise, allowed him outside only on leash and supported him with Canine Musculoskeletal Support and Ligaplex.
After two months, our vet felt the injured knee was as stable as the uninjured knee and he was cleared for light play with Delilah. They were running in the house in their first play session and Sampson fully tore his ACL.
When All Else Fails
With a sad heart I made an appointment with a surgeon. He confirmed a full ACL tear and we scheduled Sampson for surgery. Two weeks later he had the surgery.
The Outcome
On March 25, 2014 Sampson had ACL repair. The surgeon said, “It went well.” His meniscus was intact so he made a slight incision to release pressure and hopefully keep the meniscus from tearing.)
I’m not gonna lie, it sucked.
Sampson’s recovery was not typical of most dogs. I kept Sampson on the original supplements, and he was also on pain medication (Gabapentin, Tramadol and Carprofen.) His exercise was limited to five minute leash walks twice per day and eventually increased to three times per day. His potty breaks were on leash. I kept him quiet in a room, but spent as much time with him as possible. A week after surgery Sampson had a Seroma, which is fluid at the surgery site. I treated this with hot compresses and after a couple of days the fluid was gone.
At the two week mark Sampson’s staples were removed and we started physical therapy twice per week. This involved hydrotherapy (underwater treadmill) and cold laser.
You want me to do WHAT?
Sampson was slow to progress. Sampson kept turning his knee out when he walked and wasn’t putting the weight on it that he should. The physical therapist was convinced the meniscus was an issue and thought the surgeon might need to go in and check it out. I called my own vet who told me sometimes the larger dogs had trouble with a deep muscle called the Iliopsoas.
When Sampson had his post surgery six week check up the x-rays showed the prosthetic was doing its job. Then the surgeon examined Sampson and diagnosed him with a sore Iliopsoas.
Sampson struggled with the Iliopsoas strain for quite some time. I also think he was a bit depressed. Everything he loved, sleeping on the couch, walking in the woods, running in the yard, were all taken away from him.
Around eight weeks, the physical therapist cleared him for the couch, as long as he was climbing up and not jumping, and he was also cleared for off-leash walking as long as we could keep him from running.
At about the ten week mark, I met with the surgeon and we had a heart to heart. We were both so disappointed in Sampson’s recovery, but neither one of us was ready to proceed with more surgery. The surgeon felt that Sampson was a dog that just needed more time. I told him how much Sampson loved walking in the woods and he said, “Take him.” So I did.
Our first venture into the woods.
Changing tactics
We knew after the surgery that Sampson had some arthritis in his knee. I suspected at almost 10 he also had some in his hips. We began giving Sampson acupuncture treatments, about one every three or four weeks.
The combination of the acupuncture plus the limited freedoms he was allowed made a world of difference. Sampson began to progress in leaps in bounds.
After three acupuncture treatments we went back to the physical therapist for our last appointment. She was thrilled with the way Sampson was walking and acting.
Finally, five months post surgery Sampson is back to doing everything he did before, with the exception of jumping up onto our bed. He still limps for a minute or so after he first gets up, which is perfectly normal at this phase in his recovery and he does seem to tire a bit more on our walks, but I suppose some tiredness is expected in a dog who is ten years old. We intend to continue acupuncture treatments probably at about one per month and may consider Adequan injections to help with the arthritis.
What I’d do different
If I could do it all over again, I would have had the surgery done before a full tear. It felt like so much time was wasted for an outcome that in a dog Sampson’s size was all but inevitable. I would also allow him a bit more freedom in the first two weeks after the surgery. No I wouldn’t let him climb on the couch, but I would let him have access to common areas as long as we were there to supervise.
Tomorrow’s Round Robin Entry
Tomorrow’s Round Robin will be hosted by Linda at 2 Brown Dawgs. Linda will be sharing Thunder’s life-threatening brush with Canine Bloat.
We are so glad that everything worked out and we know you both had a hard time. Onwards and upwards from now on. Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly
Sigh, we are sorry that Sampson’s ordeal with his knee has not been an easy road for you are him. We wish him continued recovery. Thanks for sharing your story and organizing this round robin. We look forward to participating.
Great blogpost 🙂
Sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out as originally planned but I’m glad to know he’s back to doing his regular activities now. It’s a tough call; I really don’t know what I would do in that situation, I think I probably would have waited on surgery as well because from what I understand it can heal on its own sometimes. I guess given his size maybe it was less likely? I don’t know all the specifics. Generally no one wants to opt for surgery right away if there’s a chance it can get better without it. Again I’m sorry it’s been such a good ordeal but it’s clear you take good care of him and he’s lucky to have you.
We are just so glad to hear he is doing well finally. It is a hard road for you both, but in the end it will all work out. Happy Labor Day!
It’s been a long hard road for Sampson, and for you as well! I’m just glad that you’re finally on the other side of it, and maybe your experience can help make it a little easier for someone else who has to go through the same thing.
I agree with you. Conservative management sounds very tempting but often it just ends up being waste of time and asking for furthered damage (such as to the meniscus, the other leg etc.)
We so didn’t want to put Jasmine through surgery but we are glad we did.
Iliopsoas can be a bugger. Jasmine had trouble with them couple of times; takes forever to go away.
Has it really been five months already?! I’m glad I could be there for you, if only via text messages and phone calls! I know how hard it is to watch our “babies” go through ACL surgery and then the post-surgery care and rehab. Callie went through the surgery almost a year to the day before. I know you know how happy I am that Sampson is back to doing those things he has always enjoyed, and that you can finally relax some. Keep us posted on how he progresses with the Adequan injections. Callie’s arthritis is in her hips, mostly, but also a little bit in her knees, so even with regular exercise and twice-daily doses of both Rimadyl and Tramadol, she’s a bit stiff when she first gets up from a nap. Yes, it’s to be expected as they get older — just like with us humans.
Has it really been five months already?! I’m glad I could be there for you, if only via text messages and phone calls! I know how hard it is to watch our “babies” go through ACL surgery and then the post-surgery care and rehab. Callie went through the surgery almost a year to the day before. I know you know how happy I am that Sampson is back to doing those things he has always enjoyed, and that you can finally relax some. Keep us posted on how he progresses with the Adequan injections. Callie’s arthritis is in her hips, mostly, but also a little bit in her knees, so even with regular exercise and twice-daily doses of both Rimadyl and Tramadol, she’s a bit stiff when she first gets up from a nap. Yes, it’s to be expected as they get older — just like with us humans.
Hey, I was just told off by your blog: “You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.” What the ??? Then it posts it twice.
Thanks so much for organizing this Round Robin. Of course I was following along with Sampson’s progress as it happened, but I bet a lot of people will find your post very helpful if their dog has a similar injury. I am so happy that Sampson has turned the corner. 🙂
Glad that Sampson is finally doing better! I think age and size definitely play a factor in the recovery rate.
Thanks for creating this great Round Robin event!! 🙂
Great post and I think your round robin is fantastic! So glad Sampson is doing so well now 🙂
Wow, you and Sampson have been through a lot. It’s so wonderful that you were so committed with his recovery and worked together with your vets to get him there in the end.
Cruciate tears can be very frustrating and difficult to manage. It’s one of those things where there are many different methods of repair because no one technique has been shown to work perfectly 100% of the time.
I’m so happy he had a good outcome and is doing well, and have learnt something today from the success you have had with the acupuncture xx
Thanks for sharing your story about Sampson! My dog tore her acl about a month ago and it wasn’t a fun experience….I didn’t want to surgery so I had to look for other options. I ended up getting her a a-trac brace from woundwear and it has been wonderful! I know the recovery phase will take a while but she is doing so much better already! Just though I would share my story 🙂