Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Friday, my boy, Cody(8) went for knee surgery.
He damaged the ligaments in the knee, so there really wasn't any question whether to do it.
Anyway, the reason I'm posting is to get any advice for the next few weeks.

You probably have received advice from your vet on the aftercare but you will want to keep him as quiet as possible. What I mean is the running and jumping and maybe even including stair climbing. If he is limping on the leg he'll let you know when it's feeling better by walking on it more and more. You didn't say which knee it was but after it's healed it'll be stronger than the other knees so there may be a chance of him straining one of those.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Thanks for the quick response.
It's his right back leg.
We have restricted his use of the stairs.
Fortunately the only stairs we really have are the back steps to get into the yard and we do have a side door with 2 small steps.
He has started lying on the side that was operated on again, which probably means its started to feel better.
My main concern is that he'll start to get bored...he's really not the type to sit still for long.
But so far so good.

Yes when he's feeling better that will be the hard part to keeping him quiet. Might be useful to keep the leash attached to his collar for the next 6 weeks or so to help keep him from running and jumping. Several small walks a day may help to expel some of his pent up energy and that should help to keep him quiet.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Well it seems like he's starting to feel better now.
It's about a week after surgery now and he's trying to walk on the leg a bit.
Fortunately not too much, so we'll see how it goes.
He's due for a checkup with the vet on Monday, and hopefully all is well

Quick update:
Cody is doing well, he's putting weight on the leg.
Went for a check-up yesterday and the vet is happy with his progress.
Bandage comes off on Monday coming.
He's just starting to get bored as he is still restricted from walking.

Update: After the bandage came off we were told not to take him on walks if he pulls.
Seemed like he wasn't pulling, so he's been going for very short walks (not even 5 minutes) every alternate day.
Cody has been getting bold now. He's jumping on the beds and using the back steps out of the house, when we're not looking.
Problem? Yesterday my brother took him on one of these really short walks and says he heard sounds coming from his knee.
Are we being hypersensitive and expecting the worse.
I find myself doubting how he's been using his leg, then doubting myself.
Sorry, just needed to get this out. He is due for a checkup again this month.
My mother, who is a nurse said that the joint should be knit enough to bare the weight, and I see that the vet wouldn't have said he can run if it wasn't okay...but you always doubt.

No running, no jumping, and keep him on that leash! No climbing steps and no jumping on and off beds! This is really vital! Keep doing it very, very strictly until the veterinarian examines him again and releases him for further activity. At that point, ask the vet EXACTLY what the dog is and is not to be allowed to do. This care may very well determine whether that surgery will be successful or not. It is a long healing process, but is SO important.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

I do understand that this is very important, but it can be difficult with Cody sometimes.
We can go somewhere briefly and come back to find him on the bed or at the top of the stairs.
The only thing I can think of doing is not leaving him unattended in the bedrooms and watching him when he's near the stairs.
He is putting weight on the leg again.

Cody saw his regular vet today.
She seems happy with how he's doing, says the sound we're hearing is his knee cap.
She's going to chat with the surgeon and let us know if he wants to see him before he's due back.

It's been about a 11/2 months since his surgery and Cody is doing well.
Saw the vet today and new ligaments are strong.
The popping sound we've been hearing is the cartilage in the knee.
He's walking using the leg, running outside and chasing his tail.
And his behaviour issues seem to be settling