chi chi pup

Hi Sue, I have to say this is great info. My lab mix had the tradtional surgery last July and we did alot of the same things you are doing, except we did swimming instead of the underwater treadmill. I had a physical therapist come to the house to show me the exercises and for deep tissue massage which he still gets. She also got him swimming as he never had swam before. He is now in better shape than he was before. The info about the feet and toenails is great, most people wouldn't even think of that, and I always wondered why the two middle toenails grew the fastest. I also belong to ortho-dogs, you should post this recovery on there, it would really help alot of people. Some say all you need to do for recovery is walk, I don't believe that at all, I think physical therapy makes a world of difference. Keep up the good work, I'm enjoying following this. Cindi

Hi Sue, I have a 10yr. old 40lb lab mix that had the tradtional surgery done last July. He is extremely high energy, he does nothing slow. The ortho-vet that I used does all 3 of the surgeries but feels TPLO is over-kill for alot of dogs. All of the procedures rely on scar tissue forming to stabalize the knee, the tradtional is more fragile during recovery but the lines they use now are much much stronger. My dog was walking 3 times a day for 10 minutes at a time the day after his surgery, when he had his stitches out he was cleared for swimming and re-hab. At 9 weeks she lifted all restrictions, however I didn't let him fully off-leash till about 4 monthes out. The reason I did not like the TPLO was if something does go wrong you have no other options, with the other 2 you can always do a TPLO if something happens. My dog is now back to normal, he runs like crazy, all I hope for is that the other one doesn't tear. He also has some arthritis in that knee so I would get Celt on some good supplements if you don't already. Also, I would join Yahoo ortho-dogs, they have a ton of info and there are always people going through surgery at the same time, they are great about answering any questions or concerns you may have. Good luck with Celt. Cindi

I did not base my statements that dogs do better on raw based on scientific evidence, I based it on what it did for my dogs and their teeth did get cleaner, their weight is better, their energy is through the roof and I don't know many people that have had dogs live to be almost 20, doxie or not. My doxie had horrible skin, she was on a top quality kibble, I tried everything to get her skin under control but it wasn't until I switched her to totally raw that she had NO more skin issues. My almost 19yr old had routine bloodwork done last month, vet said it was like a young dogs bloodwork. To me that makes feeding raw good enough! My 12yr old border collie has NEVER had her teeth cleaned, the vet cannot belive how white they are, sure saved me from having to put her under to have her teeth cleaned like so many have to do. The same for my lab-mix and he is 10. People ask me all the time what I feed my dogs because of their muscle tone and coats and sure some of them look at me like I'm nuts when I tell them raw but it's worth it to me, it has saved me a ton of money on vet bills. It may not be for everyone, but I have heard nothing but good things from people who have switched to raw. Cindi

Lew Olsons book is excellent,she is also moderator for Yahoo groups K-9 Nutrition. I have been feeding raw for 10yrs now and I wouldn't feed anything else. I did the veggie and fruit with the raw for awhile but have stopped that and switched to no carbs. My 12yr old border collie was having problems getting up, she has arthritis in her hips. After joining K-9 Nutrition I learned that dogs have no nutritional need for fruits and veggies and they can actually cause inflammation in the joints. Once I stopped the difference in her was amazing, she was getting up with no issues and was running around like she used to. I always thought that the fruits and veggies were good for them but she was proof that they really are not. Dogs live longer on raw, their teeth are better their weight is good, energy levels are better. I had a doxie that passed away 4 monthes short of being 20, her body was still going but her mind was gone. Right now I have a border collie mix that will be 19 in December and she still gets around pretty good for her age. I would make the switch!! Cindi

Hi, my dog had the lateral suture repair last July. He is a very active 40lb lab mix, the orthapedic surgeon said that TPLO is overkill for alot of dogs. All the surgeries rely on scar tissue to build up, re-hab and confinement are the key to success. The lateral suture is a little more delicate in the recovery stage, you have to be very careful, no running, no jumping, just walking very slowly for the first several weeks. After the stitches came out he was cleared for swimming,re-hab work and longer walks. He was allowd to be out of the crate right after surgery as long as he was calm, that did not work so he stayed in the crate for 2 weeks. At 4 monthes I started letting him have some off-leash time, supervised, at 9 monthes I let him go. He is not an agility dog but he is very energetic he can run and do spins with the best of them. I would suggest you see an orthapedic surgeon, some regular vets don't seem to be able to diagnose ACL injuries, at least mine didn't, he actually told me that my dog was limping because of his back. I rested him a couple for monthes with no results and then took him to an orthapedic. In the 2 monthes that his knee was unstable he had already started to get arthritis. She diagnosed his knee in 2 seconds. The surgery cost us 1,300, that did not include the re-hab. You can also join Yahoo Ortho-dogs, great info! Good luck! Cindi

Hi Gloria, is there any way you can get the x-rays and post them? I have a 10yr old lab mix that was diagnosed with spondylosis last March. He had been limping on his right back leg and I took him for x-rays, it almost looked like the limping was coming from his hips. Well, his hips were fine, his back was not, he has spondylosis from about the middle of his back to the base of his tail. He had been walking a little stiff and was also reluctant to jump. He is a complete nut, this dog is like a bull in a china shop. He and my border collie think its fun to bang each other into walls and to see who can topple over the flower pots as they race out the door. The vet said he probably started getting this when he was 3 or 4, it takes awhile for it to develope to the extent that he has it. Some say it is basically arthritis of the spine but the spine bridges to compensate for instability.I was totally devastated when I saw his x-rays, he also has some disc narrowing. Well, we found the limping came from a torn acl so I cannot say for sure if his back played a part in that or not. I now try to be more careful with him also since his knee surgery in July he is just now starting to run again, but I now let him run when he wants, I don't continually throw a ball for him since he would chase it forever and the constant pounding is not good. We also do acupuncture and chiropractic on him along with massage. I starting swimming him since his knee surgery and he has become much stronger through his hips and back. We had gold bead implants put in his spine to help stop the progression of it. If this is what your dog has I wouldn't be too worried about it, there are alot of dogs that have it and never show any signs whatsoever. And if it is just by the one vertebrae you can do alot to stop it from going any farther, you have to make sure the back stays limber by stretching and swimming is great. One thing I do for Cody alot is throw a treat under a chair so he really stretches out his back to get it. I hope this helps if you do get a diagnosis of spondylosis. Cindi