Re: cruciate ligament Julie, we had solid wood floors in France in our farmhouse, they did look lovely but as you say , they do tend to make a house nippy , we covered ours in carpet when we had the pups , the temperature difference was amazing It sounds like you are doing great now, planning ahead is not only a wise move but a good one emmotionally too as its a positive step
Re: cruciate ligament Bless that Charlie... Clearly he's 'intact', as they say!! ;D ;D ;D Give him a big hug from me. X
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=Karen link=topic=3657.msg41283#msg41283 date=1387041767] Bless that Charlie... Clearly he's 'intact', as they say!! ;D ;D ;D Give him a big hug from me. X [/quote] I will, I'll do a long session tomorrow giving him all the tummy rubs and hugs you have all sent! Thank god he really is intact though, which means his growth plates are closing sooner than for a castrated dog, so the operation can be sooner rather than later.
Re: cruciate ligament Sounds like all your planning has all bases covered. Very impressive too. Charlie won't want for anything. Don't worry about any impact on training and socialisation. e.g. Our dog club is closed for the next 3 months and, being the slothful thing I am, I plan to do next to no training in this time. Maybe the odd 5 min session in the lounge room. Certainly no Flyball though. We'll easily pick up where we left off, and you'll do the same
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=Oberon link=topic=3657.msg41300#msg41300 date=1387049108] Don't worry about any impact on training and socialisation. [/quote] I hope so. I think I went a bit OTT on the whole socialisation thing anyway, I was still standing outside London train stations when he was 7 months, and my vet says Wimbledon Common - with it's incredibly high density of dogs - must be one of the best places in the world to walk and socialise a puppy to other dogs. So all I can hope is that I have some "spare" that will see us through the peak teenage years without much doggy-doggy interaction at all. Although, my dog walker says that she can bring a few older, quieter dogs round, but that will be towards the end of his recovery period. I did some "free shaping" tonight - paw on my knee gently. I haven't really done this before - well, just a bit. It took up half an hour, and was useful to me to just observe Charlie. I tried the 101 things to do with a box first - but Charlie thinks there is only one thing to do with a box. Rip it into 1000 little bits that are just big enough to jam the hoover.
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=JulieT link=topic=3657.msg41308#msg41308 date=1387051623] little bits that are just big enough to jam the hoover. [/quote] Yes, isn't that annoying! Carpet is cosy, but make sure you choose the right colour
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=JulieT link=topic=3657.msg41236#msg41236 date=1387022878] We’ve also found some non-slip flooring that’s designed for martial arts sports – you can throw people onto it safely from quite a height – and it comes in 0.5m tiles that fit together like a jigsaw. [/quote] Hmm, just wondering who you threw onto the matting to test it... Have just got back from a couple of days away and been catching up with this. Can only echo what others have said already, that if there is anyone up to the job of all the research to make sure that Charlie gets the very best in terms of surgery and post-operative care, it's definitely you. It's amazing how accurately growth can be predicted from x-rays - my eldest daughter had an osteochondroma (benign bone tumour) removed from above her knee earlier this year, and the surgeon predicted - accurately - the number of months growth she had left and her final height! Sure they'll be spot on about Charlie's growth plates too!! Hope Charlie continues to relax in his doped-up state... and make sure you get some relaxation in there too! All the best for the decision-making ahead, Clare
Re: cruciate ligament We're charging our clicker at the moment. I'm getting excited for some hippy chick free shaping too. Boxes are for being ripped up here too
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=bbrown link=topic=3657.msg41321#msg41321 date=1387058350] We're charging our clicker at the moment. I'm getting excited for some hippy chick free shaping too. Boxes are for being ripped up here too [/quote] Oooo! Exciting. Let us know how you get on...
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=bbrown link=topic=3657.msg41321#msg41321 date=1387058350] We're charging our clicker at the moment. I'm getting excited for some hippy chick free shaping too. Boxes are for being ripped up here too [/quote] What??? Hippy chick free shaping?
Re: cruciate ligament Julie, I'm so sorry to hear about Charlie. You must be so fed up. I too know a dog (Viszla) that has had both cruciates done and is super-fit now. Whilst it is the last thing you need with a lively young dog, he should be as good as new afterwards. All the dogs I have known that have had to have extended 'rest', even crate rest, have adapted to the lack of exercise remarkably well after the first few days. Wishing you and Charlie all the best for a speedy recovery
Re: cruciate ligament Thanks Pippa. I was really, really fed up. But now I've come to terms with it I'm just going to get through it and not allow it to be an excuse not to make progress. For example, actually, it is not that bad for an excitable dog like Charlie to not be allowed to jump in the house at all. To sit when ever anyone arrives - and no arguing. To walk nicely on a lead because that's all we're going to do. And endless impulse control training is boring but probably useful. I'm even planning to work through his recall training again on a long training lead when he is first allowed exercise but not be a hooligan. So, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but determined to come out of it in the best shape possible.
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=Karen link=topic=3657.msg41427#msg41427 date=1387129093] [quote author=bbrown link=topic=3657.msg41321#msg41321 date=1387058350] We're charging our clicker at the moment. I'm getting excited for some hippy chick free shaping too. Boxes are for being ripped up here too [/quote] What??? Hippy chick free shaping? [/quote] Yup it's all about the free shaping Either that or it's hopefully a great way to improve the accuracy and responsiveness to our commands without loads of corrections I'm also hoping it builds Riley's confidence in general due to it's positive nature. Clicker is charged, first session complete and he's already faster going into his bed
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=JulieT link=topic=3657.msg41436#msg41436 date=1387131162] Thanks Pippa. I was really, really fed up. But now I've come to terms with it I'm just going to get through it and not allow it to be an excuse not to make progress. For example, actually, it is not that bad for an excitable dog like Charlie to not be allowed to jump in the house at all. To sit when ever anyone arrives - and no arguing. To walk nicely on a lead because that's all we're going to do. And endless impulse control training is boring but probably useful. I'm even planning to work through his recall training again on a long training lead when he is first allowed exercise but not be a hooligan. So, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but determined to come out of it in the best shape possible. [/quote] Wow Good for you. would be so easy to feel morose and hard done to. you're my positive thinking hero(ine)
Re: cruciate ligament Julie, I really admire your attitude. There will be loads of things to train that will not involve any running around and that sort of training will pay off in the long run. Wishing you and Charlie all the best. xxx
Re: cruciate ligament Charlie is going to be a rock star by the time this is all done...well mannered, obedient, and a fabulous retriever to boot!! We might have to think of an auxiliary camp to Heidrun's....
Re: cruciate ligament [quote author=Lisa link=topic=3657.msg41446#msg41446 date=1387137664] Charlie is going to be a rock star by the time this is all done...well mannered, obedient, and a fabulous retriever to boot!! We might have to think of an auxiliary camp to Heidrun's.... [/quote] Finishing School Clare
Re: cruciate ligament Yesssss!!! ;D. I mean, Julie's getting the place all decked out and everything....
Re: cruciate ligament All the best to you and charlie! I'm positive he'll recover completely from his injury and i'm very impressed by your way of handling things. Charlie couldn't have asked for a better "mum". Licks from Odin to Charlie!
Re: cruciate ligament So today we saw the first specialist – PGCertMedEd MA VetMB CertVR CertSAS DSAS(Orth) FHEA MRCVS RCVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Surgery (Orthopaedics) – bit of a mouthful of acronyms there… I felt I got all the information I need from him, and don’t think I need to go see the other specialist tomorrow. So, first, he agrees we’ve got a snapped cruciate ligament. Second, he agrees that all other joints are problem free. But, he thinks there is a slight anomaly in Charlie’s knee joints. The conformation of knee is just slightly off. He said that he couldn’t say it’s “X or Y condition” because it’s not like that, it’s just Charlie’s knee bones are just a tiny bit flatter than normal. This could be have contributed to the damage to the ligament, if the forces of the knee have been slightly thrown out. Charlie’s left knee (the one without damage) shows some movement in the ligament joint, but this could be considered to be within a normal range for a puppy. But we should know that he is statistically more likely now to damage it, particularly since the conformation of the knee may have contributed to the injury on the right knee. Think and deal about that later, not ready to think about it now… In terms of the operation on the right knee, he said that there is only one operation that would be suitable for such a young dog, and it’s got a reputation as the “poor relation” of the TPLO. It is not as effective long term as the others. All other available options increase the risk of bone fractures if they are done before the joint plates are closed. There are pros and cons of TTA, TTA rapid, and TPLO. These pros and cons seem more or less equal, but perhaps the advantage of the TTA is that the devices are titanium and it’s a less invasive procedure than the TPLO. The TTA rapid is new, and no studies are available to show whether there are any long term problems, but there is no reason to think there will be. He has done hundreds of TTA and TPLO operations, but hasn’t used TTA rapid. He says it is just an evolution of the TTA and is happy to do it if I want. He doesn’t have a strong preference between the TTA rapid and the TTA. He says the TTA rapid involves an additional hole in the weight bearing bone, which might be a small disadvantage, but dogs do seem to recover very slightly quicker as it is less invasive. The decisions So after this consultation, I have decided to wait until February when the growth plates will be closed. I’ve also decided on a TTA, although will make the decision about the TTA or TTA rapid later. I was still in two minds about the benefit of the local vet doing the operation – with immediate access to the surgeon in case of complications - or the specialist, a 2 hour drive away. But then, the local vet called me at 8pm to talk through the report that had been sent through from the specialist (how about that for service ). And I explained that in an ideal world, I would want both him and the specialist to be involved in Charlie’s care. No problem, he said, have the specialist do the operation but he would undertake to be on hand to deal with any complication requiring urgent intervention. Perfect. So decisions are made. Will book everything tomorrow. And a bit of good news –the specialist said there is no reason why Charlie shouldn’t swim. So I can call Greyfriers tomorrow and the physio can call the specialist about a programme of exercise. That will help with the management of nutty puppy on limited exercise. New flooring arrives tomorrow, and crate next day. So with decisions made about the op, feeling positive I’m moving forward, and have plenty of time to prepare and train all the behaviours I need to get us through post op.
