Went for check up on Monday vet was amazed that Izzy was walking on her leg already!
Incision is healing nicely,no swelling/oozing so vet sent us home with a warning to ensure rest! (easier said then done)
So hard to keep her still but its so important to. Izzy wants to run around like a maniac and jump up at you and i feel awful for not playing with her but it has to be done-so i lie down with her and give her tons of belly rubs

Think we have another problem-she keeps scooting her bum along on the carpet so itlooks like she may have anal gland problems so will mention this to vet when we go back(can anything else go wrong???)

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izzys leg.jpg
IMG00029-20100815-1239.jpg dont know if you can see these too well but thought i'd try and show you her wound-very clean incision

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Bit of an update an reflection on the last few weeks for anyone going through this

Angry, guilty and upset

31/2 miles

The old cripple

HELP!!!! Suewhite I need your friend

Alfie's joint has swelled intermittently throughout his recovery, mainly due we think to osteoarthritis though there's been no swelling for the last two weeks. He has also struggled a great deal with going up hills and still does to a certain extent. We are now, somewhere near what I would call a normal walk regime.
Yes, he still has obvious discomfort occasionally but I am trying to balance a good full life for him with care to not overdo things so that he suffers the next day.
All in all I am happy with the outcome. Alfie not quite so much because he'd like to go chasing bunnies more often

Pleased to hear that all others on this thread seem to be doing well

It's been 5 weeks since Ripley's OP. She's doing really well. She was a bit stiff yesterday but that has been the only sign of anything other than positive. We're due at the vets for a check up sometime this week.

Aw bless poor Alfie-no doubt he's totally oblivious to all your worries! Izzy seems to think she is just fine!

Glad Ripley is doing well and all goes well at the vets been 4 weeks since Izzys op-seems to have gone fast andslow at the same time! Not noticed stiffness with her but can see her resting the joint at times. keeping her calm and restful has been the hardest thing i've ever done with her!

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Hi everyone,been a while since an update but glad to say amber is doing great.
she went for her 8 week xray yesterday and glad to say he gave her the all clear!! he said the xray revealed better results than he expected and i can now increase exercise gradually each day on lead only for 6 wks after this she can then have gradual unrestricted exercise
He said he does not need to see her again as everything is fine with no sign of osteoarthritus.
she is doing 15min walks 4 times a day at the mo and he said gradually increase this.
it has been a long 6mths for amber with both her cruciates going but her face when i grabbed her lead for the first time told me its all been worth it.
also thanks to everyone on here who helped prepare me for what to expect.
i see the other dogs on this thread all seem to be doing well which is great i hope this continues,anyone reading this thread that is about to have a TPLO on there dog need any help/advice feel free to pm.

Ripley has had her 8 week check up and xray today - the vet is very pleased with her and says she can begin to go out for short lead walks, gradually building her up to a mile.

I bet she will be so chuffed tomorrow to see a different scene. She's a bit groggy tonight but happy to be home.

The vet wasn't enthusiastic about hydrotherapy - reconned walking was better, so we'll see.

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for putting these diaries up. I'm on day 11 with my dog at the moment. The worst bit so far was last night, he's been licking at the wound so I had to put a Buster collar on him. He hates them, I put it on last night and he stood there and let me, but his tail went between his legs and he looked at me so confused and panicked! I just burst into tears!! It was awful, really heart-breaking.

It's good to read that other people are struggling to keep their dogs still and calm...and are feeling bad about it too (if you know what I mean?)!

We're at the vets on Wednesday, I think it will be good news. I'm just worried becasue we live in a flat and can't get out for a walk (when the time comes that we can) without going down steps. I'll sort out a way to carry him if I have to, but he weighs 9.5 stone so I'm going to have to start weight training I think!

Anyway, again, thank you. It's really good to read (and see) how other dogs have done and to recognise some of the things I'm going through - and him too of course!

Glad the thread has been of help
Have pm'd you

This is such a helpful thread: wish it had been around when we went through it with our lad.

The boy in my sig had two TPL operations: I've never heard of the extra-capsular op: would love someone to explain it.

We just went for what we thought was the best option for him to recuperate fully and be able to run round again. Having his second one go devastated us: it's rare for my OH to cry but we both did when we heard. We knew but it was heart breaking to have it confirmed.

I'm glad we did the TPLs as he was fully recovered and running round the woods again within 18 months of the last op. We were super careful with him and took our time with recovery and monitored his diet so that he was always slightly lean and there was never extra weight for his legs to carry.

It was nothing to do with his legs that he was PTS, sadly he had spinal tumours.

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Transplanted Geordie
RIP Jake, my best dog. 10.8.10
RIP Boomerang, beautiful horse. 27.5.08