Bodi - Out For The Summer

Hi everyone - some sad news. Bodi tore both his cruciate ligaments in his left knee playing with his Lab/Pitbull mix girlfriend. She jumped off the deck and Bodi thought he could do the same - not quite.

Bodi is sheduled for surgery this Tuesday and I understand the recovery process is long and tedious. I have opted for the tibial bone grafting surgery as opposed to the typical suture type surgery - it supposedly is a much better repair for large breed dogs.

Has anyone with a large breed have experience with this injury and this particular type of surgery? What should I expect during the first few days, weeks, and even months to follow?

I have no experience here--but wanted to wish you and Bodhi well!

Such a shame ..... hope that he deals well .

Yes, I just went through the grafting surgery 10 months ago. I had a dog that went through the other surgery where a suture is used but was a smaller breed.

To be honest with you, I think the surgery your having is so much easier than the other for recovery for you and your dog.

When you pick up your dog, the vet will want the dog to put pressure on the leg. We kept our dog in our living room since it's carpeted and put gates to keep the area contained. We had a futon in the room so we ut the mattress on the floor since the dog should NOT jump onto anything. See if there's a room where you can keep Bodi without anything to jump on, even if it means moving the furniture out. My husband or I slept on the futon to keep the dog company. If you have to use your bedroom, remove the bed frame, box spring, and put the mattress on the floor so you can sleep on.

For eating, we put the dog bowl on top of a plastic container to raise it off the ground since the dog will be wearing a collar for awhile not to touch the bandages. At one point, we took the collar off to eat and put it back on again.

We had a friend build a ramp down our steps to make it easier going in and out of the house.

You will have to keep Bodi on a leash so he doesn't run. The vet will give you instructions as time goes on about how much walking to do each day (this starts right after the surgery but for only certain amounts of time each day) and also about getting Bodi to sit normally.

Follow everything your vet tells you. My dog's surgery site has cleared up and you can't even tell which leg is was done on. We are very pleased with the results of this surgery.

Let me know if you need any more info.

I forgot to say that it's good you're having the surgery done now since by the time winter comes to your area, Bodi should be doing well. They say the total recovery time is 5 to 6 months for the dog to be doing his normal routine and complete recovery.

My thoughts and prayers are with both of you that surgery goes well. Please keep me updated on how Bodi is doing.

Thanks everyone for your warm wishes. Barb, did your dog who had the TPLO surgery injure the other knee during recovery? My vet says this is very common in larger breeds and to expect it. The thought of going through this twice really scares and worries me.

Also, how did your dog do with depression? Bodi hasn't even had the surgery yet and is so down and sad. We normally take him everywhere - hiking, dog parks, long walks, stores not to mention he is a therapy dog at the local nursing home. He's already feeling the lack of activity and moping around - not even eating too much.

No experience to offer, but warm thoughts for Bodi's quick recovery

My dog didn't injure the other leg (knock on wood). Our vet who did the surgery said it does happen sometimes becaus they favor the other leg. The vet said his own dog injured the other leg 8 months after the first one. He said there's nothing you can do to prevent it. My other dog had the suture surgery and never injured the other leg. I think it's something that may or may not happen. I personally feel with the type of surgery you're going to have, since Bodi can step on the leg, it will help with putting too much pressure on the good leg.

My dog is like Bodi in wanting to be with someone all the time. This is one reason my husband or I slept in the same room with him. We also had a tv in there to watch at night.

Bodi is probably feeling sad since he knows something is going on and he's not himself. Give him lots of love, special treats, and spend more time with him. We didn't go out as much in order to give more attention. Luckily, I don't work so one of us was always at home during the recovery process. I'm not sure what kind of car you have. We have two SUV's so we had to lift our dog up and out of the car which took both of us.

I hope I've been able to answer some of your questions. Please feel free to keep asking before, during and after the surgery.

Luce waited until after her recovery to booger her second knee. There are a lot of factors, I think- not just offloading weight onto the good leg. I think structure has a lot to do with it, and there is question about whether there may be an auto-immune factor as well.

Wow - I truly appreciate the support and info. I'm sure I will keep asking questions as time goes on.

I have been sleeping in my family room on an air mattress since the injury occurred two weeks ago, and I will continue to do so until Bodi can walk upstairs to our bedroom, where he usually sleeps (in about three months I guess).

We are putting up ramps today to get him used to stepping on them prior to surgery - Bodi is a very cautious learner. I also have baby gates in place to prevent him from going upstairs and on our wood floor in the foyer.

I'll keep everyone posted - thanks again for all your help.

No advice, but sending good thoughts you way for Tuesday, and that Bodi, can make a quick full recovery

Sorry, no advice here either. But more good vibes and well wishes.
Hope he's all better soon