Lex is having X-rays done

[lexterwayne]

[MENTION=1041]lexterwayne[/MENTION] this sounds exactly like what my puppy Katara is experiencing, they told me it was luxating patella, but it might be a torn acl since the way she walks sounds exactly like you described in your first post. I need to find a orthopedic specialist in this area to rule out torn ligaments. I will be following this thread closely, I hope Lex has many more good days than bad..

I posted a video a few months ago when it was so bad he couldn't even walk straight or 3 feet before sitting. I can't Remeber the subject of post. I'm on tapatalk now and will try and get on this weekend and find it for u. But if u go to post I've posted u might find it pretty easy. It's a very sad video :'(

 

[LynnA]

Wishing the best for you and Lex.

 

[AdventuresWithOliver]

@lexterwayne - Hi, I'm Sherri and I'm fairly new around here. I'm so sorry for what you're going through. Our Oliver just had surgery this past Monday for a torn ACL and it's been a challenge. I can only imagine how hard it is with having two torn ACLs. Poor Lex! Are you completely ruling out surgery? I am sure the doctor told you that without it, scar tissue will develop and will most likely lead to severe arthritis. Hugs to you and Lex!

And I TOTALLY don't mean to high-jack this thread but have no clue how to send a private message yet...ha!
@sheshistory - Hi! I saw all of the great info you gave @lexterwayne on this thread and I was wondering if I could ask you for your opinion on physical therapy after surgery? Oliver had TTA (I believe you said your dog had the TPLO) - we have a fantastic friend that owns a canine rehab center. The hospital where Oliver had his surgery doesn't feel therapy is a necessity and doesn't endorse anything. The only opinion they gave me was to wait until after his 6 week check-up. Our personal vet (who normally gives her opinion to us on everything, is hesitant to say much except for us to do what the surgeon recommends.) Here is my dilemma: Our friend with the doggie rehab says that she begins GENTLE therapy at 2 weeks after surgery. She does cold laser, massage and GENTLE ROM. Never having been through this with our previous bulldog, we are so unsure as to when to start therapy. From my research, I know that the cold laser and normal massage can't really hurt him. My opinion (as well as our physical therapist) is that some gentle rehab early-on will help him feel confident in learning to bear weight again as well as help prevent any bad limping habits. Still, when the surgeon says to wait, I second-guess the therapist. Any advice from personal experience? A million thanks in advance for ANY input!

 

[gunnyboy]

I hope everything goes well for Lex.

 

[sheshistory]

Hi [MENTION=2415]AdventuresWithOliver[/MENTION] - in my experience with Bentley, we did not do physical therapy for the simple reason that much of the "therapy" is stuff we could do on our own or the animal will do itself. We definitely used light massage and heating pads on Bentley's incision after surgery to help reduce swelling and bruising as well as help keep the muscles loose but since dogs are not like human, it seemed to me (and our orthopedic surgeon) that they tend not to need PT. They are not afraid to get moving on their legs as soon as they feel better so they don't really need to be pressed or have their limbs manipulated the way humans do since we tend to fear pain. Remember, it takes most humans 8-12 months to recover fully from a torn ACL. Our canine friends take around 8 weeks!

That said, it doesn't sound to me like there is a reason to not help your bully along with some therapy as long as you're confident the therapist fully understands the nature of the surgery and the anatomy of the bulldog.

 

[AdventuresWithOliver]

That said, it doesn't sound to me like there is a reason to not help your bully along with some therapy as long as you're confident the therapist fully understands the nature of the surgery and the anatomy of the bulldog.

Thank you so much for the reply. We just want to do whatever we can to help Oliver in his recovery. Whew, this first week has been a bit stressful but with each day that passes, we're one day closer to the end. Ha!

 

[lexterwayne]

Yes we are aware of everything but we think that it best and so does our vet and the specialist and 2 close friends and a very knowledgeable bully owner that thinks the same way. It's just gonna be to hard on him to walk on a bad hip and bad knee for 3 plus months then after one is healed gonna have to put weight on the new knee and bad hip for another 3 plus months. He is our baby and it hurts that we can't just fix this for him. Every time I look at him I just wanna bust out crying that he's having to go through this. He had learned he can play laying down and the rest we just cuddle on the couch w him and love on him as much as possible.

 

[izstigspunks]

[MENTION=1041]lexterwayne[/MENTION] - Have the vets ever mentioned Conservative Management on treating Lex's knees? Are his ACL's completely torn or just slightly? Punkin's right hind knee has a small tear (going to verify the severity with an ortho vet next week), and my regular holistic vet mentioned treating it conservatively if the ortho vet gives the thumbs up on it. I did a little research online, and found a lot of info. Some dogs had completely torn ACLs (some with hip displasia) and others not so disabled. Basically, this is where owners opt not to do surgery and instead give supplements/meds along with physical therapy. It's best if you have a pool so Lex can move his legs around with minimal impact on his joints. This way, he'll strengthen his muscles and movement. It takes a lot of dedication on the owner's part, but after at least 3 months or so, a lot of dogs are completely healed. I'm thinking you can try this on Lex, and then when his knees are strengthened, then he can get hip surgery. (Unsure if conservative therapy will heal his hips.) And there's also a homeopathy route. I'm a complete rookie at these so I'm collaborating with my natural rearing group if it's the same as the conservative management way or not. I'm going to do a lot of research and talk to the group, the ortho vet and my holistic vet about everything, including the supplement. I'll let you know what they say. Anything to help our pups.

 

[lexterwayne]

[MENTION=1041]lexterwayne[/MENTION] - Have the vets ever mentioned Conservative Management on treating Lex's knees? Are his ACL's completely torn or just slightly? Punkin's right hind knee has a small tear (going to verify the severity with an ortho vet next week), and my regular holistic vet mentioned treating it conservatively if the ortho vet gives the thumbs up on it. I did a little research online, and found a lot of info. Some dogs had completely torn ACLs (some with hip displasia) and others not so disabled. Basically, this is where owners opt not to do surgery and instead give supplements/meds along with physical therapy. It's best if you have a pool so Lex can move his legs around with minimal impact on his joints. This way, he'll strengthen his muscles and movement. It takes a lot of dedication on the owner's part, but after at least 3 months or so, a lot of dogs are completely healed. I'm thinking you can try this on Lex, and then when his knees are strengthened, then he can get hip surgery. (Unsure if conservative therapy will heal his hips.) And there's also a homeopathy route. I'm a complete rookie at these so I'm collaborating with my natural rearing group if it's the same as the conservative management way or not. I'm going to do a lot of research and talk to the group, the ortho vet and my holistic vet about everything, including the supplement. I'll let you know what they say. Anything to help our pups.

I read that too. Right now we are doing the 6 weeks of minimum play. They say it works w dogs 30 lbs or less but hey they don't carry all their weight on the back.. We have thought about the pool things just haven't decided yet

 

[izstigspunks]

I read that too. Right now we are doing the 6 weeks of minimum play. They say it works w dogs 30 lbs or less but hey they don't carry all their weight on the back.. We have thought about the pool things just haven't decided yet

I told one of my friends in the natural rearing group about Lex's situation, and this is what she said:

You know, there is a wonderful animal rehab place that has all kinds of soft contraptions that can put used on dogs with torn cartilages, HD, broken legs etc etc. They are really nice people to talk to and they could likely really help this dog get more mobile while protecting his joints and allowing the ACLs to heal.

animalrehab.on.ca


Give them a try. Homeopathy would probably be a real help as well in conjunction.

I didn't really mention that you're in texas, so she assumed that you're in my province and gave me the canadian website. I'll ask if there's a Texan or American equivalent to their facility.

 

[lexterwayne]

I told one of my friends in the natural rearing group about Lex's situation, and this is what she said:



I didn't really mention that you're in texas, so she assumed that you're in my province and gave me the canadian website. I'll ask if there's a Texan or American equivalent to their facility.

Awesome girl let me know!! Ya I'm afraid that they have them in bigger cities like metroplex or Houston area. I'm sure theres stuff we can do at home as well

 

[cali~jenn]

Have they said anything about stem cell therapy? Cutty's Dr mentioned they do it to help strengthen the joints and stuff. Doesn't cute the year but helps make it easier on the pup. Wonder if this would help lex? Poor baby.

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[lexterwayne]

Have they said anything about stem cell therapy? Cutty's Dr mentioned they do it to help strengthen the joints and stuff. Doesn't cute the year but helps make it easier on the pup. Wonder if this would help lex? Poor baby.

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There is a dr here that does stem cell stuff on dogs but haven't really looked into it. I might have to

 

[cali~jenn]

I really would. Not sure all the details but the Dr made it sound like a great option for bullies he normally doesn't think can handle the acl surgeries. I was thinking at Cutty's age it might be best for him but Dr says no, surgery will work best.

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[izstigspunks]

Awesome girl let me know!! Ya I'm afraid that they have them in bigger cities like metroplex or Houston area. I'm sure theres stuff we can do at home as well

Here's what she said:

Thank you for your inquiry. I am set up if the need arises to conduct a "long distance" order. I would need her vets contact info for me to forward on the necessary paperwork for them to measure the dog for our brace.
For this size of dog, she would be looking at a cost between $400 - $420 + $30s&h, all dependant on amount of material used. Once I have the info it will take apprx a week to ten days to manufacture and 2-3d for ship time.
Please do let me know if you have any other questions on our product, keep in touch.

Molly Barber AHT RMLAT
20095 McCowan Road
Mt. Albert, On L0G 1M0
1-800-678-9291
animalrehab.on.ca

And after I asked her if she has experience with dogs who have both hip dysplasia and bad knees:

I think it would be beneficial if your friend can call me so that I may chat a bit about her dogs condition/situation and from there determine what is the best route to take with her dog.
The brace helps to support both the dogs legs, thus making them more comfortable and in time reducing stresses on other joints due to compensating. She can also try using a sling (towel etc) to help support the back in a wee bit to help take some of the weight load off the back legs.
Hope this helps some and please I would welcome a phone cal to further chat.

Since Canada's prices are usually more expensive that what you pay in the U.S., it may be cheaper if you order the apparatus somewhere closer to home. But giving Molly a call may be a good idea, seeing she has extensive experience on joint issues.

How Lex doing today? Hope he's getting better.