Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Six Months Post Knee Tear

By

Seven months ago,  Sampson did a partial CCL tear on his right knee. The week before the partial tear, he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and a heart murmur. So surgery to repair the tear was not an option.

You can see the spot just above his knee where they shaved him for the Ultrasound.

Sleeping off the day at the vet’s office.

Instead, we had to give Sampson time…time to let some scar tissue to build up and provide some support in that knee.

It’s been a very painful process. Poor Sampson has no choice but to walk and use that bum leg. We did our best to limit his use of the leg and have given him a number of different supplements. Even so, you can see by watching Sampson that it’s a challenge. I can’t even watch him walk because it just hurts my heart.

From what I understand, a non-surgical healing of the knee takes a minimum of six to seven months, so I thought now was a good time to have it checked to see where we’re at.

So on Thursday, August 11th, Sampson went to the vet for a check on his right knee.

After examining him, Dr. Soutter said the knee has thickened, which is what is expected, but sadly, both of his Iliopsoas (ill-e-oh-so-as)Muscles are strained.

The Iliopsoas muscle is a very deep muscle right in the crease where the leg meets the hip. Because it is so deep, and does such an important job, it can take a very long time to heal. Iliopsoas strains are very common in big dogs, with CCL injuries.

Now mind, Sampson’s had shaky legs since last October and I brought this to her attention at his annual exam in the beginning of November.  At that time, she said it was old age tremors. But I never really bought that. I really thought it was muscular. So needless to say, I’m a wee bit pissed off that he’s been struggling with this for so long, undiagnosed.

I put my anger aside, and we discussed what types of treatments/supplements/medications we could give to Sampson to help him feel better.

Currently he gets Dasaquan, LigaPlex II, Catalyn and Green Lipped Mussel for supplements. For pharmaceuticals he gets Gabapentin and Carprofen.

I asked about Adequan injections and acupuncture. She feels with the tightness of the Iliopsoas, it really wouldn’t help right now.

So then I asked about muscle relaxers. I mean, the muscles are tight right? In my mind the logical step is something that relaxes the muscle. My vet said she normally wouldn’t suggest it, but she felt in this case, he could really benefit from them. So he came home with a bottle of Methocarbamol, with the instructions to start out with 1 three times per day, but the actual dosage would be 1 1/2 three times per day. She just wanted to make sure they didn’t make him loopy.

I started him out with one twice a day, and have maintained that schedule with him. So far, he’s maintaining his sense of decorum.

Her other suggestion, was stretching and massage. So anytime I think of it, or anytime he sticks his legs up in the air for a tummy rub, I get down on the floor and stick my hand in the crease between his leg and hip, and I massage those muscles, and stretch out those legs.

I’ve been doing this for 12 days now and what I’ve noticed is when I first started, I could feel a lump. One on each leg. NOW, the lumps are much smaller!

I really think it’s helping! I’ve noticed he’s not trembling as much when he’s lying down. Oh, he still trembles when he stands, but lying down, his muscles seem to be so much more relaxed than they were.

Please note, I am not a veterinarian and nothing in this post should be taken as medical advice for your pet. If your pet is injured, you should discuss all of your options, with your own trusted vet.

A New Normal

By

When Sampson did a partial tear of his right knee, a diagnosed Heart Murmur and Arrhythmia left us with the only option of conservatively managing it.

For us, conservative management is very similar to the rehabilitation we did two years ago, when Sampson had surgery for a full tear on his left leg.

We had to come up with a new normal, so here’s how we are conservatively managing Sampson’s CCL tear:

  • Short, slow leash walks. We started at 3 minutes out and however long it took us to get back and have worked him up to 7 minutes out and however long it takes to get back. We do this two times per day.

    She's the star? You're saying, SHE's the star? Look at how nicely I'm walking.

    Seven minutes? That’s barely enough time for a guy to do his business.

  • Blocking.  Sampson’s favorite spot on the couch is blocked off to prevent him from jumping/climbing up on it. The front window is blocked off with chairs. This it to keep Sampson from putting his front paws on the sill and standing on his hind legs to look out. It’s sort of like baby proofing your house, except never put chairs in front of windows when you have a toddler. Chairs and toddlers, it’s a bad combination.
  • Throw rugs. Any uncarpeted surface has a non-slip throw rug. This is to help keep Sampson from slipping. I have so many rugs, it looks like I’m remaking Aladdin. For dogs.
  • Pain management and supplements. Anti-inflammatories, pain meds, nerve blockers, joint supplements and vitamins have become an integral part of meal time. I spend more money on medications and supplements than an old guy spends on viagra.
  • Gates. Gates prevent him from going into areas where he could potentially hurt himself. Like bedrooms where he could try and jump on the bed, and stairs. Stairs are definitely off limits. We have more gates than a gated community.

    But the BIG bed is in there!

    But the BIG bed is in there!

  • No playtime. This is probably the hardest rule to enforce. As our physical therapist said, “From the waist up, he’s still Sampson.” He still has his mind and in his mind, he’s the same dog he’s always been.  And Delilah is still Delilah, she has energy and loves to run and play. It’s so hard to have to stop them from this small enjoyment. I feel like Cruella DeVille, when I have to say, “NO!”

 

The hardest part in all of this, is restricting Sampson without letting him get depressed. With any type of injury or illness, it’s important for your pet to feel like they are still part of the family and to make their life as normal as you can.

One Step Forward – Two Steps Back

By

I thought it might be a good time for a little update on Sampson’s CCL injury.

Since his partial tear on the 26th of January he’s been on restricted activity. Short, slow leash walks twice a day and no off-leash in the yard.

We started off with six minute walks and have worked ourselves up to 1-10 minute walk and 1-12 minute walk.

Four weeks ago we started on Hydrotherapy using the underwater treadmill. With the goal being to help build up some muscle and give him some strength and stability in that knee.

Except that hasn’t happened.

Instead he seems to take one step forward and two steps back.

After four weeks of Hydrotherapy there are still days when he won’t put any weight on his foot. Sometimes he puts his foot down, but his toes are just touching the floor. There are times when he holds his foot completely off the floor. And if he tries to move quickly, whether it’s in the house or on a walk, he holds that foot up and does a little three legged scoot.

With only one week of Physical Therapy left, it’s time to re-evaluate the situation.

I’ve been researching Conservative Management of CCL injuries and alternative treatment plans, so I felt it was time to speak to my vet and get her thoughts.

I shared all of the above with her and explained that eleven weeks post injury I’m not really happy with his progress. I shared my concerns with him not putting any weight on his foot in the house but using it outside and she feels like he might be afraid of slipping, so she gave me the suggestion of some things we could do to help him feel more confident. Once I make a decision as to what we will be using I will share that here with you.

I told her he was starting his fifth week of the Hydrotherapy and the final week of the package I had purchased. At this point I am wondering should I purchase another $500 Physical Therapy package or is my money better spent on something else.

She feels it’s time to try something different.

One the treatments we will be considering is Platlet Rich Plasma Therapy and the other one is IRAP (which has been used with great success for horses.) Dr. Soutter gave me the name of two different veterinarians, so in the next couple of days I’ll be making some phone calls and seeing if I can schedule Sampson for some consults.

In the meantime, he will finish out his Hydrotherapy and I will continue with his short, slow walks.

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog if you keep giving me short, slow walks!

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog if you keep giving me short, slow walks!

I’d love to hear any experiences any of you have had with conservative treatment of CCL injuries, also if you’ve heard or used either Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy or IRAP I’d appreciate hearing about that as well.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...