Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Treatment for Cookie's Bad Cruciate Ligament Update

On Monday I got an email from Jasmine's vet following up on Cookie's PRP treatment.

It has been long enough, so asking the question; Was there value in the PRP for Cookie?

It was kind of a weird timing. If he had asked me on Saturday, I would have only been delighted to report on how fantastic Cookie was doing. She was looking great and her physical therapist thought she was doing just marvelous. There were no signs of lameness, stiffness or favoring of any of the legs. She was happy and ready for action, even though she needs to build up to more activity gradually.

She was hard back at the underwater treadmill exercises and her joints and muscles all seemed happy.

The Cookie machine zero defects as far as anybody could tell.

That would had been my response was I asked on Saturday. But I was asked on Monday. What has happened in between?

For not discernible reason, Sunday night Cookie was favoring the hind left leg quite a bit when she trotted after daddy to see what he was up to in the bathroom.

Earlier that day I thought I saw her using the leg a bit more gingerly but it was subtle enough that I could had been convinced I was looking too hard. The trot, however, left no room for doubt that something wasn't right.

My heart sank so deep it must have ended up in the basement.

What did that mean? That was the main question. Later that night the limp seemed to have gone away and Cookie looked just generally stiff in the hind end. That was kind of a good sign. But what did happen? And yet again, what did it mean?

I was quite shattered at the thought that the ligament was failing after all. Though it definitely didn't look like a full tear to me. I wasn't sure what I was looking at.

The next morning, things seemed fine yet again.

Cookie had another physio appointment on Monday and her therapist checked her out as thoroughly as humanely possible. She didn't find any issues with any of the joints. The only tenderness she found was mid-back muscles.

The night before, when touched, Cookie was twitching in that area.

Could it be that just the muscles got angry? But why?

I was glad to see the PT's report but still didn't know what to make of all that.

I described everything in detail to Jasmine's vet, including the fact that prior to that Cookie was looking amazing. By Wednesday, even the back muscles seemed to have quieted down and it was as if nothing ever happened. In fact, the physio therapist said that Cookie's muscles were never this happy since she started seeing her.

That all sounded good but I was anxiously expecting Jasmine's vet's thoughts on all that.

Deep down I was expecting something along the lines of having had put too much faith into the PRP treatment. But that was not what his reply was.

"Sounds like the foundation therapies did(or are doing) a good job to have her normalize so quickly," he wrote.

That was certainly a pleasant surprise.

He's not one to give false hope. On the contrary, he's always very guarded about everything he says. This sounded as positive as it gets.

Of course, we didn't really know what we should have been expecting. We didn't know what things would look like otherwise. All I knew was what I saw. Though one way or another it did seem very temporary.

Based on all this it seems we are still right on track.

Jasmine's vet feels that what happened was a transient back muscle spasm. While I still keep wondering why, perhaps it just happened because Cookie hasn't been very active for a long time and the muscles are just not ready for any extra load, such as Cookie getting angry at a passing tractor.

So that's what I choose to believe at this point. Should it happen again, we will try giving a muscle relaxant and see what happens. If it helps, then we'll know it is the muscles.

Cookie also has another chiropractic appointment to see whether the back needs another adjustment.

So after the big scare [for me], we will keep doing what we were doing, still hopeful that Cookie might be restored to full function. Which is what we all wish for.

Related articles:
From The End Of A Lead Line To Casa Jasmine: Meet Cookie, Our New Adoptee
And So It Begins Again(?) Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie 
I Didn't Know I Could Fly: Why Cookie Wears A Harness Instead Of A Collar
C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Chews For Dogs CAN Be A Choking Hazzard 
Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie: The Knee Or The Foot? 
Creative Solutions And An Incidental Product Review
Too Young For Pot: Cookie's Snack With A Side Of Hydrogen Peroxide  
Taming Of The Wild Beast: Cookie's Transition To Civilization  
Staying On Top Of The Ears: Cookie Is Not Impressed  
Putting The Easy Back Into Walking
Cookie's Ears Are Still Not Happy 
The Threat Of The Bulge Is Always Lurking 
Today Is Cookie's Three-Months Adoptoversary  
Cookie Meets The Electric Horse Fence And Her First Chiropractic Adjustment  
Why Examine Your Dog's Vomit? 
Why Is That Leg Still Not Happy? Cookie's Leg Keeps Getting Sore 
Cookie Too Is Insured With Trupanion
Does Being Insured Mean Being Covered? Our First Claim With Trupanion
Is Cookie's Leg Finally Getting Better?
Is Cookie Going To Be Another Medical Challenge Or Are We Looking To Closely? 
The Project That Is Cookie: Pancreatitis Up Close And Personal  
Pancreatitis: Cookie’s Blood Work   
Another Belly Upset: Pancreatitis Again Or Not?  
Happy Birthday, Cookie 
Incontinence? Cookie's Mysterious Leaks 
Who's Training Whom? Stick And Treat 
Don't Just Stand There, Do Something? Cookie's Mysterious Bumps 
Cookie's Mysterious Bumps Update
One Vomit, No Vomit 
Happy One-Year Adoptoversary, Cookie!
Cookie's Leaks Are Back: Garden Variety Incontinence Or Not?
Cookie's Leaks Update 
Don't Panic, Don't Panic: Know What Your Job Is 
The Continuing Saga Of Cookie's Leeks: Trying Chiropractic Approach 
Cookie's Minor Eye Irritation
Regular Wellness Exam: Cookie's ALT Was Elevated 
Cookie's Plantar Paw Pad Injury 
How Far To Take It When The Dog Isn't Sick?
Cookie Has Tapeworm Infection 
Cookie's Elevated ALT: The Ultrasound and Cytology  
Cookie's ALT Update
The Importance of Observation: Cookie's Chiropractic Adjustment
Sometimes You Don't Even Know What You're Looking at: Cookie's Scary "We Have No Idea What that Was" 
Living with an Incontinent Dog 
Summer Dangers: Cookie Gets Stung by a Bald-faced Hornet 
To Breathe or Not To Breathe: Cookie's Hind Legs Transiently Fail to Work (Again)
Figuring out What Might Be Going on with Cookie's Legs: The Process 
Figuring out What Might Be Going on with Cookie's Legs: The Diagnosis 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury Treatment: Trazodone  
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury Treatment: Other Medications 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury Treatment: Laser, Hydrotherapy and Chiropractic 
Cookie's Recovery from Iliopsoas Injury: ToeGrips 
It Never Rains ... Cookie's New Injury 
Mixed Emotions: When What You Should Do Might Not Be What You Should Do for Your Dog 
Cookie's New Injury Update 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury: The Symptoms 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury: Battling the Zoomies 
Cookie's Muscle Injuries: What Else Is Going On?
Theory and Actual Decisions for an Actual Dog Aren't the Same Thing: Cookie's Knee Injury
Does Your Vet Listen to You? Cookie's Post-Sedation Complications
Would I Ever Treat a Symptom Directly? 
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Treatment for Cookie's Bad Knee(s)

Further reading:
Regenerative Veterinary Medicine: Platelet Therapy 

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Your story can help others, maybe even save a life!

What were the first signs you noticed? How did you dog get diagnosed? What treatment did/didn't work for you? What was your experience with your vet(s)? How did you cope with the challenges?

Email me, I'll be happy to hear from you!