Surviving The Post-Op: After Your Dog's ACL/CCL Surgery

You're probably all worried, I was too. Let me start with the good news. Based on my experience with Jasmine's bi-lateral ACL surgeries I truly believe that the post-op recovery is actually going to be much easier for your dog than it will be for you.


Dogs are survivors. They don't sulk or complain, they take what there is and make the best of it. They have an amazing ability to adapt and make things work. This is probably one of the times when the difference between a dog and a human attitude is the most profound.

The other good news is that from the moment of the surgery your dog is on his way to get well. That's what I kept telling Jasmine--and more importantly myself--when I was counting the days. You are one day closer to getting your life back. And then two …

Prepare your home


It will make it easier for both you and your dog if you plan ahead and get some things ready before the surgery. Of course, if you have a little dog some of the points below won't apply, because you can simply carry your dog around. However, large breed dogs are more likely to suffer an ACL injury.

After your dog comes home, you will have to restrict his movement. Prepare a comfortable and safe place for your dog, ideally somewhere near you.

He will not be allowed to use stairs. This means he will be restricted to the main floor for some time. Think how you're going to make this work so your dog is excluded from your life as little as possible. Good spirits are important for physical healing.

We dealt with that by moving all our activity to the main floor, and because our bedrooms are on the second floor, I slept with Jasmine in the kitchen. Clearly, you don't have to go to the same extreme, but whatever you're going to do, have it figured out beforehand.

Slippery surfaces can be a danger to your dog after the surgery. You can assist your dog when walking on them, or you can do what we did--buy some cheap carpets and rugs and cover the entire main floor. Problem solved.

Are there a couple of stairs on the way to his potty place? Again, you can assist your dog by supporting him with a towel (towel-walking) or, if you have the means, you can build a simple ramp. Jasmine didn't like the idea of towel-walking at all. She would either freeze or move awkwardly backward – clearly not very helpful when trying to assist her up and down the steps. She did, however, love her ramp. We also covered it with an outdoor rug to make a safe non-slippery surface.

If getting a ramp, make sure it's comfortably wide and with a very mild incline for safety (which means it will need to be fairly long as well).

Prepare your dog


If you never tried towel-walking your dog before, you might want to try and see how he responds to it. Place a towel under his belly and support his weight when walking. There are also some cool products designed for this purpose. In any case, I think it's a good idea to have this figured out beforehand also.

Prepare yourself


The post-op is going to be quite similar regardless of which surgery you choose for your dog. It will be a long journey. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is what will help you to get through it.

Prepare yourself for a visual shock. When your dog comes back home, his leg will be shaved, bruised and with a long incision. He might be quite spaced out from the surgery and from the meds. When Jasmine came home, her eyes looked quite bewildered. He will be using the leg very little or not at all.

Do your best to make him comfortable. Plenty of deep sleep is important for the healing process.

Have your vet explain the post-op rehabilitation to you in detail. You will probably get a printed sheet – read it and ask questions until you understand everything you need to do.

Taking care of the incision


Keep an eye on the incision. Make sure it remains dry and clean, do not allow your dog to lick it. This can lead to infections and neither you or your dog need the additional trouble. The incision shouldn't be bleeding or oozing.

TIP: We found that Preparation H (yes, the hemorrhoid ointment) works wonders in promoting faster deep wound healing.

The PROM is not a party


Passive Range of Motion exercise (PROM) is an important part of your dog's post-op program. It is a flexing and stretching exercise that promotes joint health prevents contraction of the muscles and stimulates blood and lymphatic flow.

However, there is a good chance your dog won't like it at all. Have your veterinarian show you how to do the exercise properly. I recommend you consider muzzling your dog for the exercise (simple cloth muzzle works fine).

Don't use force. If the joint is too painful to do the exercise, consult your veterinarian about pain management.



Bringing it home


Safety is the most important part of the post-op period. Do everything you can to prevent any mishaps. One bad slip or one bad jump of the couch can be disastrous.

Follow your dog's post-op schedule religiously. The better you do with that, the better and faster will your dog recover.

Figure out ways of entertaining your dog during his restricted exercise period. Try some clicker training. Get a lot of yummy chew toys. You can even try some dog companion videos, such as the ones by Stanley Coren.

It will feel like a lifetime. But that too shall pass.

Wishing your dog perfect recovery


Related articles:
Talk To Me About ACL Injuries
Preventing ACL Injuries In Dogs
ACL Injuries In Dogs: Xena's Story 
ACL Injury Conservative Management: Sandy's Story
Don't Forget the Physical Therapy
ACL Injuries in Dogs: Non-Surgical Alternatives?

Comments

  1. It is not okay for a dog to pant, tremble and show other signs of pain. It is not okay. Some seeping can be normal. All that pain should not be happening. Please insist they revise the pain management protocol at least.

    What pain management is he on now?

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  2. Cookie had almost exactly the same reaction to sedation; she was gushing fluid from her bum. Yes, they said stress as well but I insisted the next time she was sedated the protocol was revised. Different protocol was used and we took a number of other precautions and she had zero issues the next time around.

    Now, sedation and anesthesia are different but I do believe that the protocol and approach be carefully discussed and considerations made.

    For example, the second time we asked to be present when she was waking up etc.

    Please see the article I wrote about it

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  3. oops, wrong link. This is the right link
    http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.ca/2016/03/does-your-vet-listen-to-you-cookies.html

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  4. Thank you so much for this post and allowing people to share their experiences. Our 4 yr boxer mix, Freida, had the surgery a week ago. I am worn out playing nurse maid to her and keeping an eye on her. She was walking on her leg the day we picked her up after surgery, the vet said she had a very good tolerance for pain. Two issues for me, the cone thing is awful - it makes her drool excessively when she wears it (her nose became cracked and I fear dehydration - really) what can be used in place of a cone! The other issue is we have two flights of steps to get to our main floor (I have been living on the lover level with her for a week, and I am worn out and I know she misses the normal family affairs upstairs. We are thinking of putting a ramp in on the steps. She is 78 pounds, and I don't think they want her doing steps for quite a while yet. Can I add that this surgery seemed easier on the dog than me, I feel fried from lack of sleep and just being able to relax. Again, thank you for allowing this sharing of information.

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    1. It's always really difficult, particularly the first time around. With Jasmine's second surgery, everybody (including her) knew what to do, what to expect ... it was much easier.

      With Jasmine, we actually didn't use the cone at all; two reasons - I was always there to keep an eye on her (I work from home) and she was not overly set on messing with it.

      It is imperative that the incision doesn't get licked and is allowed to heal. Since it's been a week now, you don't have much longer to getting the stitches out and not having to worry about this. How is the incision healing?

      There are other options out there; you need to see which you can get and which will work because, for example, JD had the soft cone (doesn't really seem that much better accepted) and was still able to stick his foot into it to lick his wound (on hock). There are things that look like a life preserver, inflatable, but she might still be able to reach the incision. Could try a rolled-up soft towel (you can google how that is done). Some people also use clothing; could try some stretchy kids' pant ...

      As for the steps, I was living with Jasmine on ground level throughout the whole recovery (both of them.) Ramp(s) would certainly work, as long as you can make them long enough not to have a too crazy of an angle. Ramps are indeed awesome if they can be made to work. Could also try helping her using either Help'Em Up harness or Bottoms Up (name?) harness.

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  5. Love this article! I wrote an article for a local vet clinic after my boy's ACL repair about what I wish I had known beforehand and it really goes hand in hand with this piece. If you'd like to read it, it's here: http://leesvilleanimalhospital.com/guest-post-what-i-wish-i-knew-about-my-dogs-acl-surgery-beforehand/

    It's so scary to put our dogs through anything so drastic, especially when their ability to communicate with us is so limited. Sometimes we just want to say "what would you like me to do?" Still, we do the best we can and pray it's the right thing!

    As for my boy, he's going on 6 years post ACL repair and not only has it held up, but he didn't blow out his second ACL either! Talk about feeling blessed!

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    1. Hi Amy, yes, it is very scary. I'm glad your boy has done well.

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  6. Glad I found this, I know its very old, but my own Rottweiler is looking at TPLO surgery and I'd no idea how we'd cope with recovery. She is a very special little girl too, I think it's just a Rottweiler thing to be so very wonderful.

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    1. Best of luck with your girl's surgery. This stuff is pretty much the same today as it was at the time of writing of the article.

      Please make sure your surgeon provides sufficient pain management and that they provide detailed post-op regime. What happens after the surgery is just as important as the surgery itself. You can look up articles on physical therapy and an example post-op plan.

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  7. My bichon Coconut just had his surgery today. He can't seem to even really stand up on his own or readjust himself if he wants to. Do you think that's really scary for him? Do you think he thinks he'll now be stuck their like that? It is kind of hard not to picture fearful things like imagining that he'll think he won't be able to move from where he is again and give up on himself. You said dogs are survivors though. I guess as long as he eats something he hasn't given up. I think he'll get through this and be okay. Also he's 13 years old with heart and thyroid medicine. However he never really seams as old as he is.

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    1. Sorry Coconut is not doing well. What pain management is he on? Should be enough pain meds, these days they often give a pain patch also.

      Should be able to stand whether using the leg that was operated on or not. Though might need to figure out "live on three legs" for the time being; I know that when Cookie was fully lame on her hind left, she didn't actually know "how to limp" and took her a little while to figure it out.

      To help him out in the meantime, look up "toweling" or "towel support." This can be done with a towel or any other like idea (some people used cut up shopping bag, for example, as well as specific harnesses for this purpose are available)

      Do talk to you surgeon about all this, though.

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  8. My Roxie had her surgery yesterday and she just pee this morning with the help of a towel to support her back leg. But still hasn't had water and is being very lucky with food. Had to give her turkey and rap her pain pills with cream cheese

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  9. It's not unusual for them to be "under the weather" this soon after surgery. I hope she has sufficient pain management?

    Drinking is important, though, try offering bone broth, goat's milk or something that would be enticing enough. Maybe offer in small bowl if having to stand to drink is an issue. With a small bowl she can drink laying or sitting down.

    Could make a thick soup with some shredded boiled turkey, could add some liver ...

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  10. Jillian, was this Dr Harrison you used?

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  11. My pom is only one an a half years old and just had both her knees done .we have just fetch her home am just wondering how she can wee x

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  12. Jillian, no, not normal. The pain management is insufficient or ineffective. Talk to you surgeon about a different protocol.

    That said, sometimes dogs (and I imagine cats also) whimper from the anesthesia drugs. So need to figure out whether it's the anesthesia or pain. Either way should talk to the surgeon.

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  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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