You know who would have thought something so simply like The Thundershirt for dogs could have such amazing results.  I have a 14 year of English Pointer whose is absolutely terrified of thunder and fireworks. She is 50lbs of nothing can stop me has no fear. Her terror of thunder and fireworks just breaks my heart. During thunderstorms I will get on the floor with her, we play camping with a blanket over us, we go sit in a closet together and nothing works. But… along comes the Thunder shirt.

Where have you been all my life?  Thundershirts are amazing. Having used the Thundershirt, I would never be without one again. My storm-phobic dog – while still clearly not happy about the thunder and fireworks now stops bouncing on and off the couch, her panting and pacing is far less and she stopped trembling and clinging to me and just laid down nearby to wait it out.  Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a terrific calming effect. Amazing!  Bailey being the top dog and one who does not really get along with others, just like us  she still work in progress I did an experiment with her with a group of dogs and her anxiety was far less with her Thundershirt.

The only drawback I could possibly see related to these is that you obviously wouldn’t want to put one on your dog if he/she were going to be exposed to high temperatures-for example, not outdoors in the midday sun in the summer. But for my dogs, who enjoy air conditioned comfort in the summer; Thundershirts are wonderful whenever needed year-round. She actually likes the shirt and shows some sign of excitement when it’s offered.

This is an actual TTA Surgery. It is just amazing to me what they do to get our pets up and going again. Also the importance of following everything the surgeon instructs you to do after surgery.

TTA Surgery X-Ray

TTA Surgery X-Ray

The benefits of TTA Repair Surgery

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 for TTA Surgery

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.