Archie has a degenerative disease in his ligaments around his knees in his back legs. His back left knee is getting so weak that he's torn his cruciate ligament — twice. He needs surgery. TPLO is what the surgeon recommended.
Here's the story, from the beginning…
* 4 months ago, I was teaching him the "begging" trick. When he finally got up on his hind legs, he yelped and then couldn't walk on that leg for about an hour. I took him to the vet. She said that the x-rays didn't show anything. He went home with pain medication and recommended rest and no strenuous play (only walks) or stairs for 30 days. I followed their advice, and it worked… at first.
* Over the next 4 months, Archie occasionally showed signs of a relapse. He would avoid stairs, or limp a little bit after running around, but after a few more days of rest he would be good as new again.
* Last month I drove up for a 2-week business trip. I found a hotel that allows pets and I took Archie with me. My plan was to go running with him in the mornings and take him to the dog parks on the weekends. But on the first night, Archie went to lay down to sleep and he yelped louder than I ever heard before. He couldn't walk, sit, or lie down on the rear left leg for about an hour. I called a vet an made an appointment for first thing next morning.This time the vet said that the x-rays and examination showed that Archie had some serious problems on his back legs:
*
o He tore his rear left cruciate ligament. Probably only a partial tear, because he recovered so quickly. He probably dislocated his knee and tore it, and that's why he yelped. It's also probably what happened 4 months ago.
o He's got a degenerative disease that eats away at that ligament until it's too weak to support the knee. As time goes on, it will only get weaker and become too unstable and painful to walk on.
o The problem is also on his back right leg. It's not as advanced yet, but eventually it will become too weak and the same thing will happen.
o Arthritis is setting in on both back knees, and it can advance quickly because of the other problems.
* We met the surgeon last Monday. She recommended TPLO surgery to correct the knee. It's an interesting procedure. They cut the bone and change its shape, and implant a metal plate to keep it healed together. The new shape will eliminate the need for the diseased ligament so that the knee is stable without it. It will also slow the progress of the arthritis. The success rate is high, and he may regain 90% to 95% of his strength in that knee — it depends on how damaged it is, which she won't know until she operates.
o Surgery Cost: about $2,400 to $2,600 plus some extras
o Post-Op rehabilitation time: 10 to 12 weeks
o Post-Op boarding and rehab cost for 8 weeks: about $2,000
* Recovery is a big problem. I have a lot of travel scheduled for work over the next 2 to 3 months, so I cannot give him the post-op care that he needs. But next door to the surgeon's office is a kennel and rehab clinic. My plan is to leave Archie there for about 6 weeks while I travel, then drive him home when I'm back and have more time.
* The rehab is slow, but from what I've been reading it's actually faster than other knee surgeries.
o The first 3 or 4 weeks is mostly bed rest and a little bit of stretching, so it's probably best that he's at a kennel where he can be confined to a small crate most of the day and only taken out for bathroom breaks.
o The next few weeks is limited exercise - slow 10-minute walks on a very short leash. The rehab clinic has an underwater treadmill which is very low-impact and should help strengthen both of his back legs.
o From 8 to 12 weeks, the walks can get a little longer, 20-minutes or so, and a little faster, and on a longer leash so that he can start using a larger range of motion.
o After that he can start going back to normal. I don't think I'll ever take him running again, or take him to the dog park to run around with other dogs. He'll have to get used to longer, faster walks. And I think that he'll still be able to play fetch, as long as I don't make him run too hard or jump up to get the ball.
o If the surgery goes well, I'm planning to get the same surgery on the other leg next year in London. By then I should be able to handle the post-op care on my own.
So that's the whole story up to now. Archie gets surgery in a few weeks. I'm only taking him for 15 to 20-minute walks, 3 or 4 times a day. He's got a lot of pent-up energy, but he's handling it very well. I thought he would have torn up the hotel room by now. It's a good sign that he's maturing. And that he'll be okay with the transition to a small apartment when we move to London.
Archie is asleep on his new orthopedic bed now. He's so cute. Worth every penny to get him back up and running again.
Link to this post. It will look like this: Archie needs TPLO surgery
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