Once the x-rays confirmed the presence of adequate bone healing, the rehabilitation regime began. During this time, her activities gradually increased in order to stretch the surgery scar tissue and strengthen the knee muscles.

Her degree of activity gradually increased as long as she remained comfortable at all times. Again, no explosive activities such as running, jumping, or playing were allowed.

During weeks 9-10, activity is comprised of progressively longer walks on a short lead.

We increased her walks to 1/2 mile to see how she would respond. She seemed fine so we gradually increased the distance every few days as her comfort level permitted.

Remember, if your pet appears to be uncomfortable with the increased distance, cut the length back to the last distance they were comfortable with.

By weeks 11-12, I knew we were going to make it.

We put her on a long lead allowing her the freedom to trot back and forth, increasing the use in of her legs. We found the distance was harder to judge, so it was important to monitor her comfort level.

Like her, we were getting very excited about her progress.

She could be off lead with a little activity. She needed to be under our voice command, with no other dogs around, no ball playing, Frisbee catching, or other distractions.

It’s crucial to avoid any activities where your pet’s full concentration is thrown into the activity without any regards to their body.

After week 12 unrestricted activity is allowed, and life returns to normal.

Additional time is required to help rehabilitate atrophied muscles and range of motion in the knee(s).

Our girl had her surgery in April, so it was a long hot summer for her being a Husky/Chow mix.

Because both back legs, her back (where they did the epidural), and her front leg (where they inserted the IV) were shaved, she looked like a bad poodle cut gone wrong.

As extra preventative care the long-term use of a cartilage-protecting drug like glucosamine and chondroitin 1,000-1,500 mg, is highly recommended, along with fish oil too.

What a bunch of wonderful doctors, assistants, and PT workers. We couldn’t have asked for better treatment for her. It’s been eight months now and you’d never know she had both knees replaced. All activities are back to normal and she is loving life.

In late July, she was given permission by her Physical Therapist to do what she loves best – go on the jet ski and camping. We had our girl back.

In the last segment on healing from TTA Surgery, we covered icing down your dogs knee(s) after surgery. This will cover exercise, constipation and pain relief.
For pain relief she had a Fentanyl pain patch located on her foot, which was removed after five days. Then she started taking anti-pain medication.

Constipation with the Fentanyl pain patch is a potential side effect, so we gave her canned pumpkin and this brought much relief.

• Discourage your pet from licking at their incision(s). Licking may lead to chewing and your pet may remove sutures by doing so.

• Knee movement will benefit the rehabilitation process and should be encouraged. We began range of motion exercises of her knee joints as soon as she allowed manual manipulation — directly after ice packing.

• You should schedule an appointment with your surgeon about 10-14 days after surgery. This is to confirm tissue healing and for suture removal. X-ray’s are scheduled at eight weeks, to confirm bone healing.

• Short walks of less than 1/4 mile, at a slow pace, are acceptable for the first four weeks. Always use a leash and belly sling. Do not let your pet take any stairs or steps without the support of the sling.

• Starting with weeks 5-8, she could walk 1/4 to 1/2 mile. And as long as she wasn’t sore after these walks, we performed them multiple times throughout the day.

The doctor imposes these instructions during the bone healing process to secure the surgical results. Still, no free activities are allowed until after healing has occurred – which is confirmed by x-rays.

Now the fun really begins and the rehabilitation process starts in earnest.

The first eight weeks were a long road, but our girl was such a great patient – we were very proud of her.

She tolerated the icing of her legs, never licked her incisions, and she understood she wasn’t allowed to run and play.

To judge her comfort level, we watched to see if she got excited about more activity. Did she seem stiff? Did she complain? If so, we had to reduce the amount of her activity.

But by this time, I have to tell you, she was ready to go!

At this point, we hooked her to a recliner near her bed in the living room, and this is where she hung out while we were home.

Let’s go step by step through the first three months following your pet’s surgery.

But first, it’s important to remember that our girl had bilateral TTA surgery – meaning she had both knees operated on at the same time – and this isn’t very common.

So let’s get started…

• The first and most critical step in your pet’s recovery is keeping them confined during the first eight weeks after surgery. Although there is less than a 4% likelihood the tibial tubercle may fracture during the early postoperative period, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

There are basically three options that are allowed:

1. You can typically have your pet in the house under your (or someone you trust) immediate control, on a carpeted area, with no play.
2. Keep your pet in a dog crate, especially if they’ll be left unattended.
3. And the option we used, was using two dog gates in our entry way, creating a fully carpeted pen. This gave her the ability to interact with the family and gave us the ability to watch her closely.

Plus, it helped with taking her outside to relieve herself, preventing her sister from interacting with her.

I can’t stress enough the importance of following the surgeon’s instructions to a tee.

We used a harness when we took our girl outside. This especially helped because for the first four weeks following surgery she required support with a belly sling to minimize stress on the surgery sites.

• It’s also recommended, for the first eight weeks after surgery, to reduce your pet’s food intake by 10-15% to prevent excess weight gain.

• The use of ice packs — 15 minutes, three times a day for the first three days — is highly recommended.

Inflammation and swelling are usually worse the first 2-3 days following surgery.

We iced our girl down with a frozen bag of peas wrapped in a towel, every two hours almost 24-7. She rarely had swelling and when she did, it was minimal.

Cold therapy helps reduce tissue swelling and decreases the sensation of pain.

Next post we will cover the first four weeks after surgery.

TTA Surgery X-Ray

TTA Surgery X-Ray

The benefits of the newest TTA (Tibial Tuberosity Advancement) repair surgeries, is the length of time required before your dog can return to a normal life with exercise without restrictions. Because the Ostoeotomy (cutting of the bone) in the Tibial Tuberosity advancement procedure is done in a non weight bearing area of the knee(s), dogs are able to return to normal activities more quickly than they would be able to after undergoing a TPLO or the traditional (extracapsular imbrication) surgery. Most TTA patients begin weight bearing during walking within the first 24 to 48 hours after completion of the surgical procedure. The healing process will take 8 to 12 weeks. I will go over what to expect and how to prepare for your dog’s return home. We had the TTA surgery performed on our girl, but what made her surgery different is she had to have a bilateral. That’s right both knees went. A week before surgery we had a sling so we could get her outside to relieve herself.


COST:

The cost for TTA surgery will vary, but it will range anywhere between $2,400- $5,500.00. Depending on if your dog is having a single or a bilateral. With bilateral surgery the hospital stay is usually two days. This cost does not include the Physical therapy after surgery which I highly recommend. Physical Therapy can range anywhere between $300.00-$500.00 dollars depending on the individual dog. I will tell you doing the Physical Therapy exercise’s at home can be time consuming but also entertaining. It’s very important to follow through on all exercises, plus it helps with your pet’s boredom which can occur while being confined. Seeing your dog’s progress is well worth it.

FOOD INTAKE:

One really important step of TTA surgery recovery is the food intake of your pet after surgery. It is recommended to cut their meals by 1/3. It is especially important to keep your pet’s weight down during this time of healing. It’s not only optimal for recovery but for overall health. Plus the fact they’re not able to do their normal activities, being confined will promote weight gain.

When you’re going on vacation and leaving your four legged pet behind, it’s extremely important that you prepare ahead of time and make sure that your pet sitter has everything they need. This includes your cell phone number, your veterinary phone number and a list of all medications a number of your pets are on. In an emergency situation this can be the difference between life and death. Review the list that you need to check off before you take off.

• Get your pet a checkup before you leave. If something seems wrong with your pet, don’t ignore it. It may turn into an emergency in your absence. Do your best to confirm that your pet is in good health before you leave town.

• ID Make sure all your pets have identification tags on their collars. Even if your pet is micro chipped having a tag can get your pet home especially if it is after hours at the vet’s office.

• Provide contact information to your pet sitter. For your sitter of a neighbor in case you have a situation while you’re out local to make decisions in your absence, and put it in writing. Provide your sitter with the names and phone numbers of at least one local contact who can help in an emergency. This can be a local relative, a trusted neighbor, or a close friend.

• Make your wishes known. Pick a pet sitter you trust. Talk to your pet sitter about how you want veterinary emergencies handled. You can always leave your credit card number on file at your veterinary office along with a signed note allowing them to be authorized in case of a medical emergency.

• Payment: Make sure that you and your pet sitter have discussed payment arrangements and have agreed to all terms, preferably in writing. Be sure to settle on the per-day or per-visit fee, amount to be paid in advance (if any), terms for final payment, etc.

• House Rules: Whether or not your sitter will be living at your home while you are away, let him or her know what your expectations are regarding use of your home and your appliances, food, and so on. Also set terms for visitation by the sitter’s friends.

• Feeding: Provide feeding instructions for each pet, including who, when, where, what, and how; for example: What are your preferred feeding times? Where the food should be placed? Very important with our dogs. They will not eat if their bowls are not in the right place. You want to keep their routines as normal as possible. What food should be given to each pet? What should the sitter do if multiple pets compete for food? Should the sitter wait around until the food is gone and then clean up the dishes immediately, or should the food be left out unattended for the evening or overnight?

• Medication. If a pet is on medication, leave complete instructions for administering the medication; for example: Where is the medication stored? At what time(s) each day is the medication given? What is the dosage? How is the medication administered? If possible, demonstrate the process to your new sitter during your initial visit, and, if possible, have the sitter administer the medication in your presence at least once before you leave.

• Exercise: Provide detailed instructions for exercising your pets. How often should your dog(s) be walked? How should the sitter clean up after the dogs?

• Snack Time. Be sure to let your Pet sitter know the amount of snacks your pet is allowed. When the family is away pets can take advantage of the sitters to get what they want. Extra snacks can lead to upset stomachs and other medical problems. Stick to your dog’s routine. If you’re not staying at the home stick around until pet finish their snacks. This is especially true if you give them rawhides. Rawhides can get lodged in throat or get stuck in the pet’s teeth and cause major problems. Better to be safe than sorry.

One thing that makes pets so great is that they have unconditional love for the family they live with. However, when their family is away their absence can cause stress. That stress can dramatically exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions–conditions that may have been present, undetected, for months before the family vacation. Therefore, seemingly healthy pets may become sick when their loved ones are away. Pet sitting is a labor of love. Take the steps listed above and be kind to your pet sitter after all their doing the best they can.

The most common knee injury in the dog is rupture of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL), also frequently called the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). This injury can occur at any age and in any breed, but most frequently occurs in middle aged, overweight, medium to large breed dogs. Our BJ is a Husky X but was never really overweight but loved to do circles. The rupture of this ligament leads to instability of the knee which leads to the development of painful arthritis. These ruptures can happen immediately or can start with a partial tear. BJ had bilateral surgery which make this even more interesting.
An injured Cruciate Ligament can only be corrected by surgery. There are several surgical options available. The one we choose was the TTA ( Tibial Tuberosity Advancement). The TTA may be the best repair currently available.
The forces within the knee are very complicated and change as the knee is rotated through its range of motion. In a normal standing position there is a tendency for the lower end of the Femur to slide backwards on the tilted Tibial Plateau, or by advancing the Tibial Tuberosity (TTA) therefore changing the angle of pull of the Patellar Tendon.
The TTA procedure is considered to be less invasive because its cut is on a non-weight bearing area of the Tibia. That cut is then stabilized by the use of the more biologically friendly Titanium implants. The TTA procedure may not be right for every dog, but it does seem to make the leg more stabile, particularly with respect to rotation of the joint, known as Pivot Shift.
If you notice that your dog is limping, a trip to your veterinarian and a full workup on the leg is warranted. BJ started with a limp, found out she had a partial tear. About a month later she started using both back legs to hop. Unless you go to a specialist most vets will interpret this as a back problem, since they don’t see bilateral too often. It has been shown that even a partial tear of the Cruciate Ligament can lead to instability and then to a complete rupture. The choice of surgical procedures can then be discussed with your veterinarian, once a diagnosis is made.
Next I’ll do a series of recovery and therapy of the TTA surgery.

I just have to comment on the Michael Vick reinstatement. I think it is so wrong that the NFL would let Michael Vick play after being arrested and convicted of having a dog fighting ring. The NFL will allow Vick get to participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games. That is if he can find a team that will sign him. Why would a NFL team sign a man like that? Thank goodness owners of the New York Giants, Jets and Dallas Cowboys have said they had no interest in the 29-year-old quarterback. But I do have to say the Cowboys are very very low on my list (I’m sorry Cowboy fans), but I have to give them a big kudos on that.

Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted bankrolling the “Bad Newz Kennels” dog fighting operation. Goodell said then that Vick must show remorse and signs that he has changed before he would consider reinstating him. Either you have remorse or you don’t have remorse. What – you have to train him to have remorse?

I’m curious, how Michael will conduct himself on the field? What kind of statement is this for all the young folks of this country? It’s Ok to break the law, serve time and then resume your football career? The professional athletes should be setting an example for these kids and NOT EVER be able to resume their professional careers. Goodell needs to but the hammer down on these criminals. This would also include Drugs, DWI arrest, and beating up their spouses. I say no more – keep them out.

Michael met with the president of the Humane Society of the United States while serving the first 18 months of his federal sentence in the prison at Leavenworth, Kan. He plans to work with HSUS in a program designed to keep inner city youth away from dog fighting. He was not permitted to work with the program while in custody.
You read articles in the paper of how thrill he is to get another opportunity to play. He’s just thrilled to get away with it. What could he have been thinking? He obviously has no heart putting those poor dogs through that.

It makes me so angry that anyone could put ANY animal through abuse. When will people wake up and not think of the money but think of the animal. Just look in their eyes. They have great spirits.