Zeus' TPLO Recovery Blog

Update

2008-06-21T07:21:00.004-07:00

It took a while for the bump on Zeus' leg to go away. The surgeon believes it was fluid build up and was making it uncomfortable for him to move it which is why he had troubles with it. Thankfully it went away and he started to toe touch more and slowly put more weight on it.

It has been 8 months since Zeus' last TPLO and he is doing well. He is stiff getting up some days but overall he is much better than he was BEFORE the TPLO's. He can run in the yard and now with his new brother Cash. Before he had the TPLO's he wouldn't run or even try too. I still feel I made the best decision possible and haven't had any complications with his operations since. I did follow the very long restrictions of exercise to a T which I believe helped.

Today Zeus is very happy boy and I am giving him the following supplements:

Glucosamine - 2000mg a day
Chondroitin - 1600mg a day
MSM - 2000mg a day
Salmon Oil - 8 pumps a day
Chicken feet - I still give him these about once a week

Week Two - Day 4

2007-11-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well we've come to a bump in the road. Sunday Zeus started to limp really badly and it didn't improve by yesterday (monday) so I took him into the clinic. They did x-rays and everything looks great! Plate is still in place, it looks fabulous...but he is still limping. So I am to keep him on Metacam until he improves. Well this morning he was worse then yesterday, he tried to walk on three legs which wasn't working very well and once we got outside he was walking better but still holding it up any chance he got. I'm really not sure what to think or do! I feel helpless!

He wasn't all that interested in his food Monday unless I held the bowl for him while he laid in his bed, last night he wouldn't eat, and this morning he ate half his food.

The surgeon said if he doesn't improve at home to have him re-checked again.

I really am not sure what to do

Day 6

2007-11-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I would write what supplements I've been giving Zeus this time around. We've changed it a bit from the last time.

Every day Zeus gets:

- 6 pumps of fish oils
- 2,000mg of MSM
- a raw chicken foot (most natural form of Glucosamine & Chondroitin)
- 500mg vitamin C.

Almost one week is passed!! Time is flying by a lot quicker this time and I'm very happy about that!

Zeus' 2nd Birthday!!!!! (day 5 recovery)

2007-11-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ZEUS!!!!

Today was Zeus' 2nd Birthday and here are some pictures of him that I took today! It snowed for him last night, snow is his most favorite thing in the world (besides food)!

He's been doing really well with his recovery, here is a picture of his knee today.

I'm really happy with how his recovery is going so far. He's walking 100x better then he was the first day he came home. He seems to have understood now that his left knee is okay and there is no need to worry about it, he's not favoring it much, still a little, but he's walking a lot more comfortably now.

2nd TPLO (right knee) Day ONE

2007-11-17T16:54:00.001-07:00

Just picked Zeus up this evening and got him home!!!!!
He is such a positive boy! The staff there fell in love with him and said he was so quiet and very good with them even when they were poking him with IV etc. and never put up a fight which probably made it a lot easier on the staff and him!

This time it is a bit different from the first TPLO. He doesn't seem to be 100% sure about his left knee yet which surprised me a lot. So he wants to move quickly and seems to be depending on his front legs more where with the first one he was very slow moving. I'm hoping this doesn't continue on and going to call the surgeon tomorrow to see what he thinks.

Here is a video of him walking to eat his dinner. You can see how his left knee isn't really 100%. I hope this improves over the next week.

Zeus' 2nd TPLO

2007-11-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

I just dropped Zeus off at the Western Veterinary Specialist clinic for his 2nd TPLO. It was really the saddest time that I've taken him to have an operation. Usually it takes him a while to try and bolt from the clinic, but this time it was hard to get him in the front doors. My heart just broke when I handed him off to the Vet Tech, Zeus tried harder to get away and he looked back at me and I just burst into tears.

Jason and I both REALLY REALLY didn't want him to go in this time, he has been so happy lately, it's been about 24 weeks since his first TPLO and he's been enjoying the 3.5 acers that is his new yard. We are hoping to add another Mastiff to our family in the spring and it will be perfect timing for Zeus because he should be back to his normal self by about March.

He should be going in for his operation within the next few hours and I'll be getting a call from the Vet Tech and I'll know how he did and how the operation went.

I am very thankful for the staff at Western Vet Hospital. They are amazing and I feel so lucky to have this amazing facility in our city for Zeus. Knowing he's in their care really makes this less stressful.

****11:20am

Just got the call from the Vet Tech and Zeus is doing great, he is just waking up now. The operation went smoothly and there was no meniscus damage, the cruciate was only partially torn, and there was no arthritic change at all. PHEW!! I am calling them around 3pm to find out what time I get to pick him up tomorrow morning!! Then I'll bring him home and pamper him like crazy!

Week 14! :)

2007-09-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

I just booked Zeus in to see the surgeon on the 13th, one week from today! I'm very anxious to see how his x-rays turn out and what info I get from the Surgeon. Hopefully the bone is healed beautifully and the plate and screws are in place still! :)

Then we'll talk about when to book him in for his right knee :( He's just starting to seem normal again to me, other then he can't go offleash or play with other dogs...but he is his normal happy silly self and I'm really loving having him back. But I am noticing that on walks his left knee which was just operated on, looks waaaaaaay better then his right knee, which needs the operation.

We are moving October 15th, so the plan is to do the right knee after we move and probably a week after so he can get settled into his new home. Then do the TPLO on his right knee, and he should be his normal self by April 2008!! Ready for summer so we can go to the offleash parks again and play in the river!!! YAY :)

13 1/2 Weeks!!

2007-09-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

Zeus is doing really well! I'm VERY happy that since his operation he hasn't once limped or favored his leg, things only seem to get better and not worse! The last couple of days I've started to take Zeus to this park which is offleash, but I take him on his retractable so he's got about 25 feet to go back and forth and sniff around. He's really loving it! We go where there isn't a ton of dogs and so far so good! Yesterday, the first day we went, he tried to play with one dog but I just got him to lay down and the rest of the walk he was very good, only sniffed dogs and no play! Today was the same thing.

We are due for his re-re-check this week, just have to book him in for his appointment. They'll do another x-ray, and then we'll decide when to do his right knee.

So right now in his Physical Therapy, this is the plan:

Weeks 12-16

1. Faster walks, as tolerated. You may start walking your dog on a longer lead to allow some back and forth activity. Distance is more difficult to judge, so it is important to determine your dog's comfort during and after activity. Again, don't overdo activity. If your dog experiences discomfort go back to the previous level of activity and gradually increase as tolerated.

2. Gradually increase the speed of activity to include short runs on a long lead.

3. Discontinue any activity that causes pain or lameness.

Here is some video I took of Zeus today on our walk. His left knee seems to me like it's turning out a bit, not sure what that's all about. It doesn't seem to be causing him any pain, he doesn't hold it up when he stands or anything, but I just noticed it turning out today when I was taping him in the middle of our walk.

Week 11 1/2!!! :)

2007-08-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Zeus enjoying spending time with me in my office!

Everything is going really well! We're doing the sit stand exercises and increasing his walks. He's doing really awesome! We've pretty much doubled his walks, now he's going for close to 30 minute walks twice a day and we haven't experienced any set backs. The main thing I'm worried about right now is his right knee. It does kind of rotate outwards, but the surgeon has told me that walking will not damage it anymore and that he believes there is a VERY small chance that he'll completely tear it from walking.

We've also starting allowing him upstairs! He is really loving this because he can sleep under my desk while I'm working during the day now. He does great on the stairs, it's kind of awkward for him (it is even when he's all well), but I help him down and keep him going slow. So we allow him now to have free roam of the house, I put the cats away so that he doesn't chase after them and also put Cheech in his crate. He's really enjoying being able to walk around and do his thing instead of being locked up in his crate unless he's on walks.

The figure eights are really helping, I can see how it's making him use his knee in a different way then just walking straight all the time.

So we'll keep increasing the walks and I'm going to be looking into hydro therapy.

While Zeus was recovering with his elbow after his ED operation we'd taken him to the Canine Fitness Centre and he used the under water treadmill. But I'm worried that it is too short for his gait and will do more harm then good to his knees. So my next option is a pool you can rent, I'm going to go check it out today and see if they have a ramp to get in and out and how much they charge etc.

My main focus is just getting his left knee ready so we can go ahead and get his right knee operated on. I'm really anxious to do that because I just want to get it all over and done with and if we're able to go ahead and do his operation the first week of September then his right knee should be fully recovered around December 26th. That would be the BEST Christmas present EVER!!!

Week 10!!!! :)

2007-08-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

Physical Therapy for 10 - 12 weeks:

1. Initiate progressively longer walks on a short lead. Start by gradually increasing the length of the walks to 1 or 2 blocks. If your dog is comfortable at this distance for a few days then you can double the length of walk. If your dog appears uncomfortable during or after walks you should cut the length of the walk back to the last distance at which your dog was comfortable. Your dog will benefit more from several short walks during the day as opposed to a single long walk.

2. Perform 'sit to stands' 10 repetitions 3 times daily.

3. Figure of eight walks. 3 to surgical side , 1 to non-surgical side; 3 repetitions 2 times daily.

4. Start slow stair climbing; 5 flights 2 times daily.

5. Light swimming is permitted.

So today I've increased the walk by 2 blocks. Zeus has been doing awesome, and so we'll see how he feels and adjust accordingly. We also started the sit to stands and I'll do the figure eights on the next walk in the evening.

I'm excited to be able to increase his walks, in a couple of weeks we'll be able to increase the speed of his walks and allow for back and forth activity on the leash.

Week 9!!!

2007-08-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

We are on week 9! Wow how time flies by so quickly....yet slowly! LOL

So Zeus had his check up two weeks ago and the bone wasn't completely healed. Dr. Fowler said to bring him back in 6 weeks for a re-re-check and then we'll talk about doing his right knee. Zeus is using his leg well and Dr. Fowler is happy with how things are going, but he'd like to see Zeus put some more weight on his leg.

I had a private trainer come in and do some training with Zeus and I. She fit him with a harness and leash which has helped with his healing. I've been working on that a lot more and he does awesome again :) He was a bit rusty. We also worked on his barking at strangers. I click and treat like crazy as soon as he sees someone and he doesn't bark while I'm doing that. So I'm keeping that up and always on the look out. Definitely the bit of training we needed. The trainer is also a physiotherapist and is going to be coming over next week sometime to show me some things I can be doing with Zeus to get his knee improving a lot quicker.

His knee still is pretty thick compared to the right knee. The surgeon said that this is normal and he wasn't concerned at all.

While we were at the clinic getting Zeus' x-rays I asked if the Opthamolgoist was in and if she could have a look at Zeus because I was a bit worried about his vision. Thankfully they had a cancelation and so we got to see her right away.

The found out that Zeus has an immature cataract in his left eye right in the center of his pupil. When the light constricts this will blur his vision and so would explain why he's getting a bit spooked at odd things, like a big rock, sign etc. They also told me about his right eye, which I knew had no vision at all really. There is a mature cataract in that eye and they think that it has shrunk because of the inflamation etc. So they prescribed steroid eye drops for his right eye to decrease any pain that it may cause him.

So we got some good news and some bad news. I have to take him back in less then 3 months for a re-check on his eyes to make sure it's not getting worse.

I'm a little bit disappointed that we can't go ahead and do the TPLO on his right knee. This will restrict his activity for 6 more weeks then we had expected. So he won't be back to his normal self until the new year :(

Week 6!!!

2007-07-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

YAY!! Time is going by kind of quickly...yet still pretty slow! Almost half way there though!!

Zeus' knee seems to be doing great as far as his walking goes. He doesn't limp or show any signs of discomfort. Today he did fall over while he was peeing and I'm guessing it was just his footing or something. First time that has happened. His knee also seems to be pretty big compared to his right knee and also a few bumps that move when I push on them, feels a bit like liquid. So I'll be calling the surgeon tomorrow I think to see if I should bring him in earlier then 8 weeks just to check this out.

Also I've been noticing some behavioral changes in Zeus. He's really on edge at the beginning of our walks and is barking at some strangers. But he also sees some people and doesn't react at all or greets them like he always has. He's fine with dogs, and I've had no issues with him and guests in our house. So thanks to the members on Yahoo who told me they had a similar thing happen with their dogs after the operation, and that it's probably because he feels weak and vulnerable. Which is understandable.

Here is some video I took today of him walking. I got one from behind and the other from the side. I think he looks really good. His right knee is looking about the same, it's not getting any worse, so I think that is a great sign.

Week Five!!!

2007-07-04T18:51:00.001-07:00

YAY!!! 5 weeks has come and gone! Zeus is doing excellent and we are up to two 15 minute walks a day and he has not limped once of favored his leg at all. YAY!! He did excellent with the pet sitter and she said that he did really well, no limping at all and his incision looks excellent! His knee is still swollen and about double the width of his other knee, but other then that it is looking super! There were a few stitches that the vet tech missed but I just took them out myself no problem.

He is getting a bit restless and I can tell sometimes that he wants to play, he'll do his silly butt turn and wag his tail like crazy. But he hasn't tried to jump, run, or do anything silly like that so I'm very thankful!

It was really hard the other day because we went out to Canmore to the dog park with Zeus' big brother Cheech and had to leave Zeus at home :( It just wasn't the same without him and he was so sad looking when we left :(

Only 3 more weeks until his first x-rays and I am hoping that the bone is healed! :) Right now we are putting our house up for sale and I'm hoping we'll sell it quickly so that we don't have to post pone Zeus' right knee TPLO. It's such bad timing to sell our house...but we really don't have a choice and we can't show the house with Zeus in it, I'll be taking him with me in the truck during showings. Wish us luck with selling the house quickly!! :)

I miss him sooo much!

2007-06-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

We have been on vacation since June 14th and I miss my boys so much! Zeus is doing really well and I have been getting updates from the pet sitter who is taking excellent care of him! She says he is really trying to play and just wants to go. She feels really bad for him, but because she is a vet tech understands that its oh so very important! We are now in Jesolo Italy and have been to Munich, Florence, Rome, and are missing our boys VERY much!! The 2nd best thing about having a pet sitter is that they will be home when we get home and we dont have to wait till the July 1st to pick them up. I will update again once I get home!

Week Two - Day 3

2007-06-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

Nothing really to report about Zeus, he's still doing excellent and we've increased his walks little by little every day! :)

Also, we just bought a acerage outside of Calgary!! It is 3.4 acers and has a heated garage and TONS Of room for the boys to run around in the yard (once Zeus is able too!).

We're hoping we'll be moving August sometime!

WEEK TWO!!!! - Day 1

2007-06-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it's been a week today since Zeus got his TPLO done. I hope the next 8 weeks go by quickly, and we'll see if he's able to get his 2nd TPLO done at that time.

I don't know how I forgot this piece of info either!!! When Zeus had his knee x-rayed before surgery I had them x-ray his hips.....and GREAT NEWS!!! THEY ARE NORMAL :) The surgeon said he's happy to say we have those two good joints to work with :) YAY!!!!

Now onto Week 2 - week 8's Physical Therapy Plan!

Week 2 - Week 8

Slow, very controlled leash walks for 10 minutes 3 times daily.
Continue massage of upper leg muscles after exercise
You may wish to continue ice packs following exercise
Radiographs should be obtained to confirm healing of the bone at 8 weeks

I'm not going to just start doing 10 minute walks a day, I'll just slowly increase the time over the next few weeks to get to that point.

**** 12:00pm

Zeus is getting REALLY antsy and wanting to get out of that crate! It's raining right now and that always makes him very giddy, and so today when I took him out for his potty break and short sloooow walk he was acting silly and I could tell trying to get me to play by wiggling his bum and trying to bite his tail. He cracks me up!! I feel so bad for him :(

I also was reading over the papers that the surgeon gave me...here are some comments he made:

Playing with other animals is not allowed during rehabilitation. Remember that Zeus will want to 'overuse' the leg once the discomfort of surgery subsides. You will need to actively confine your pet to prevent overuse of the limb. If at any time you notice increased pain or lameness, please give us a call or inform your veterinarian.

I am concerned about the severity of articular cartilage changes in Zeus' knee relative to the extent of cruciate ligament damage. Hopefully, removal of stress from the cruciat ligament will control the inflammation and ongoing deterioration of the joint. Assuming Zeus' progresses well on the left stifle, we should consider surgery on the right side in approximately 8 weeks.

Post Op - Day 6

2007-06-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Zeus has been doing awesome! He's really great about being in his crate so much, I'm very surprised. His incision is looking great, the bruising is pretty much all gone! He finished the last of his meds last night and so now I'll just be giving him Metacam.

No more leaking!! I was very thankful for that. Also the seroma that was around his ankle is going away, it keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I'm still giving him massages every day on that leg and we do 3 short slow walks 3 times a day for about 5 minutes.

I take him out on our deck once a day and sit with him while he chews on a marrow bone & I give him lots of pets and kisses! He loves having his belly rubbed!

We had some guests stay at our house on Sunday night and he did very well! He was anxious to get out and see them so once the guests were in the house I took him out of his crate on leash and let him say hi. He doesn't jump up at anyone so after about 2 minutes of him saying hi I put him back in his crate and he was content to just lay there and watch us.

Post Op - Day 3 & 4

2007-06-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Zeus' incision was leaking watery blood and so I phoned the vet and they said to bring him in so they could have a look. So I loaded him up and off to the vet. The vet there said that with the seroma on his ankle it might be coming through his incision because he's so muscular. So she wrapped his leg up and asked me to come in the next day.

So today I took Zeus in and they removed the wrap, she said that he doesn't need it and suggested that I do warm and cold compresses 2-3 times a day for 5 minutes.

Day 4

Zeus is putting a little more weight on that leg and I've been doing the 5 minutes very slow walks. Most of which is in our yard when he's out going potty, and then I walks him very slowly about 2 house lengths.

He's still doing really well, he howls a few times a day because he wants out of his crate, but other then that he's content with being in there and chewing his marrow bones or rope toys.

Also, I a friend of mine warned me about giving Zeus the amount of supplements I was planning on giving him. Especially the Vitamin C amounts. So I'm going to be keeping the dosage at the amount I have been giving him for months which is:

MSM - 2000mg
Glucosamine - 3000mg
Digestive Enzymes - 4000mg
L-Lycine - 120mg
DL-Methionine - 120mg
Glycine - 2000mg
Vitamin C - 400mg
Vitamin A - 800IU x 2

Here's some video of Zeus today. I just watched the one from day 2 and it looks like he's improving nicely!

Post Op - Day 2

2007-06-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Zeus did really well over night! He howled to get us up this morning at 7:00am and then I went and checked on him and he was back to sleep. Silly boy! So took him outside around 7:30ish and then gave him his breakfast with his medications & supplements at 8:00am. When we went out today he had some soft poops....so I'm a little bit concerned about that, but I'll keep my eye on his poop...LOL...and hope that it improves. He had good solid poops yesterday so not too sure what may be causing this?? The medication maybe?

The incision looks good (I think) and his leg has bruised a little bit more today. The vet tech told me that it is normal, dogs bruise more easily then humans and that I'd probably see some bruising over the next few days.

Day 2

I had to change Zeus' bedding so after we came inside I had him lay on the carpet while I changed his blankets. He seems to be getting around a little bit easier today, but still doing a lot of toe touching.

I'm still continuing with the cold compresses with the gel packs. He does seem to really enjoy those!! I lay next to him in his crate and give him lots of kisses and cuddles! I love how I can fit in that crate with him! Fits the two of us perfectly! I also am doing some massaging of the muscles on the upper leg. Zeus is in his little heaven! He's loving all this extra TLC he's getting, but it is well deserved that's for sure!!

We're in this together buddy!!!

*** 4:00pm
I just took Zeus out for a potty break and got some video of him walking a bit outside. He's putting weight on that leg, I don't think he really has a choice though. I haven't been using a sling at all. The vet tech told me when I picked Zeus up that they didn't see any point in it. I guess it's not for support but rather to aviod a fall if he stumbles or falls. I don't think I could stop him from stumbling or falling when he out weighs me by 40lbs.

Poop Report: He still had soft poop, so still keeping an eye on that. Might give him a bit of pumpkin if it continues tomorrow.

With some help from a member on Orthodogs I've got a better idea of the amount of supplements I should be giving him and also what stuff I could add to help him.

So here's what I'm going to be giving him daily for supplements:

glucosamine - 4250 mg/day
chondroitin - 3400 mg/day
MSM - 7650 mg/day
Vit C - I'd start with 2500 mg/day and try to work up.

I have a supplement called CT Support which I get from the vet. It doesn't have enough Vitamin C in it and it also doesn't have any Chondroitin. So I'll be getting those to add. I was giving Zeus about half of that dosage so I have to pretty much double it! I think pretty soon he's going to have more vitamins and supplements then actual food!! Hahaha.

I really started to sit down and think about when Zeus will be able to go off leash. So if we're lucky, it will be about 8 weeks when Zeus gets his 2nd TPLO done on his right leg. It's roughly 16 weeks or more until Zeus will be able to play offleash...so 8+16=24...24 weeks brings us to November 21st, Zeus' 2nd birthday. And that is only for offleash walks without distractions or other dogs, no chasing balls, no playing with dogs, just walks. So I'm hoping that by Christmas this year Zeus will be able to go back and attend a Mastiff Meetup and play with his buddies!! I am so looking forward to that day!!! I've made a little countdown for the day (if everything goes well) when Zeus can go off leash!

**** 7:30pm

Zeus is starting to feel a lot better. Jason came home and he's been wanting out of his crate ever since!!! I took him outside again and he was wanting to go for a walk and looking down the side walk probably thinking "What are you waiting for!?" Now he's just whining in his crate unhappy. He seems to be kind of hot and panting but I've got the air full blast and I'm freezing!! He kept standing up in his crate and barking and whining, so I took him out on leash and laid on the living room floor with him. He seemed to be a little bit playful, he was stretching out and kind of doing a half turn on his back. I'm wondering what he's going to be like tomorrow!

He went poop again and part of it was more solid looking but some was a still pretty soft.

First day home (1 day post op)

2007-05-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

YAY!! Zeus is home and seems to be doing just fine! A lot better then I was anticipating. I had to wait around for about an hour before they brought him out, went over all the recovery schedule and medication. Of course I get home and there are workers all over the outside of the house FINALLY working on finishing the stone work on the exterior.....couldn't have picked a better day!! But thankfully Zeus doesn't seem to be too interested and just wants to lay in his bed. Hopefully it stays that way cause there is a lot of banging and stuff going on...argh!

I took him out once so far for a bathroom break. He does seem to be really out of it and after going pee I waited a bit to see if he had any more buisness to do and he started to sit down and so I just took him in the house. As soon as we get in he leads me straight to his bed and just wants to lay down.

He's just really laid back and calm, not interested in much other then giving me kisses and sleeping!

The workers haven't finished the stone today so will be back tomorrow and should be done by the end of the day. Hopefully Zeus will still be in this same sort of mood and not care at all. A few times the workers have knocked on the door and he would just lift his head and look.

I guess he wouldn't eat for them this morning when he was at the clinic, but I just fed him his dinner and he gobbled it up nicely!

Here are is what his Chart says that I got from the vet:

Clinical and Laboratory Findings:
Findings are consistent with bilateral partial deterioration of the cranial cruciate ligaments.

Surgery:
Arthoscopy of the left. Stifle was performed. Findings included:
Cranial cruciate ligament: mild partial tear; debrided using arhrex wand.
Osteophytes: minimal
Meniscal injury: intact; no release performed.
Cartilage injury: grade 1 to 2 cartilage wear of troclear groove and weight bearing surfaces.
TPLO was performed using a 24mm radial osteotomy, 13mmmm rotation, and stabilized using a 3.5mm New Generation Devices TPLO plate.
Preoperative tibial plateau angle: 31 degrees.
Postoperative tibial plateau angle: 9 degrees.

Medications that he is on:

Tramadol - Pain Medication
Metacam - Anti- infalmatory
Novolexin - Antibiotic

Charles & Scruffy taking advantage of the fact that Zeus isn't home...not for long boys!

My big goober is home!!! YAY He doesn't look too happy :(

Physical Therapy Week One:

Very slow, controlled leash walks for 5 minutes 2-3 times daily. Encourage very controlled use of the leg.
Ice pack the knee and inside of the leg for 5-10 minutes 2-3 times daily. This will help to reduce inflammation and pain.
Massage the muscles of the upper leg for 5 minutes 3 times daily.
Avoid activity that causes any discomfort or increasing amounts of lameness.

****** 7:00pm

Ya...I'm thinking the 5 minute walks 2-3 times a day aren't going to be happening for a long while. He's just barely toe touching and I can't see me taking him for a 5 minute walk! I think maybe that recovery plan is made more for the lighter dogs?

I just took him outside for a pee break and he peed for about...hmm....3 minutes I swear! It was the longest pee ever. He also went poop, which I am so glad! I wasn't sure how he was going to fair when having to poop but he did wonderfully! He's laying in his crate right now chewing on a RMB. Once he's done I'm going to put the ice pack on his knee again for a while and snuggle for a bit before bed :)

Cold compresses, massages and cuddles with Mum!

Just after I left him in his crate I heard him snoring and couldn't resist taking video....he only snores when he's REALLY tired. I hope he sleeps through the night! (fingers crossed)

Recovery Check List...

2007-05-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

I had a heck of a time trying to remember or think of anything and everything I might need tomorrow when I bring home Zeus. Thanks so much to two great groups on yahoo. The Ortho Dogs yahoo group and the Mastiff Health Yahoo Group! They have been a great source of information and also support and understanding!

Zeus checking out his new crate

So here is what I have gotten so far in preparation for this recovery:

- 54" wire crate
- 4" Memory foam crate liner to ensure he's as comfy as possible
- 6 white over sized towels
- plastic to cover his crate liner in case of accidents
- Bags full of frozen RMB to keep him busy
- His A-maze-a-ball to keep his mind working
- Gel hot and cold packs for compresses
- Anti Septic wash
- EVO canned dog food just in case his raw food doesn't interest him (Although I can't see him refusing his raw food!)
- Ramp for the front stairs outside
- Sling
- Ecollar for just incase
- Halti head collar so he doesn't pull

Thank you to many of the members on both those Yahoo Groups I mentioned above for helping me make my checklist!

TPLO Surgery Day

2007-05-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

Today our 18 month old Mastiff boy Zeus went in for his first TPLO surgery. He partially torn his cruciate ligaments in both his knees. I took him in to the clinic today at 7:00am and came home anxious, nervous, and sad. Thankfully at 11:30am I got a call from the vet tech assisting the surgeon during the surgery and she said that Zeus was doing really good. He had some damage done to his cartilage which they cleaned up with the Arthoscope as much as they could.

I was told that Zeus will have his right knee done 6-8 weeks after this operation, so roughly mid or end of July.

The saddest part about all of this is that Jason and I are going away for two weeks, June 14th - 30th and I will not be here for that part of his recovery, which really scares me. I was thinking of waiting until after we got back from our trip but I saw him get worse every day, even with kennel resting and so I decided to go with the operation before. The pet sitter who we use works in a vet clinic and so I feel comfortable (as much as I can possibly) about leaving him in someone else's care. I don't know what I'm going to do. I almost want to cancel our trip, but our friends in Germany have planned this trip for months and I don't think I could do that :( My fear is that it's holding back his recovery. But I know that our pet sitter is great and she is a vet tech who works with dogs who are post op all the time.

Just got off the phone with the vet tech, it's been roughly 8 hours since he got out of surgery and she said that he's waking up now, he's a bit groggy and they did try to get him to stand up but he couldn't, so they are going to try and get him to go outside in a while again. He did eat the food they gave him. My poor boy!

I can't wait to get him tomorrow morning :)

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.....

2007-05-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

After finding out that it was Zeus' ACL and that he'd need an operation called a TPLO on both knees, I went home right after the visit and did some research online. I was completely surprised to find sites telling me NOT to do the TPLO. But was confused once searching on other sites with Mastiff owners who had great experience with the TPLO and would have done it again. Basically it was half and half. I had a bunch of information telling me this could go wrong and to do the traditional or just rest him and let it heal itself. I also had a lot of information telling me to go ahead and do the TPLO, Zeus will be his normal self after he's recovered.

I had made up a list of questions for my surgeon and phoned him up the next day and got all the answers I needed. I also was lucky enough to know of a family in my area that has a Neopolitan Mastiff who just had this operation in January at the same clinic, only a different surgeon. They were very kind and talked to me on the phone for an hour or so and answered all my questions.

So after sifting through all of this information I decided that the best thing for Zeus and I would be to get the TPLO's done.

When we first got Zeus I read a bunch of information on Mastiffs and the best way to raise them to ensure they are healthy adults with out any issues with joints. I didn't over exercise, he didn't use stairs for the first 6 months, and even after that he rarely did, he ate excellent dog food to ensure slow growth, we didn't over feed him.....I know once I found out about Zeus' Elbow Dysplasia I was wondering what I did wrong. Unfortunately our breeders were not supportive at all and had told me that this was OUR FAULT.

I think my biggest pet peeve about Veterinarians is that they never give you any information on what your dealing with! You would think they would have some reading material for you to take home and read what your options are. But no, the just tell you what your dog has, and that he needs this operation. Both times, with Zeus' Elbow Dysplasia and now with the torn cruciates, I had to go home and look up what my dog actually had. The Vets did try to explain it, and they did a good job to help me understand the jist of it, but I really learned the most on my own. I just think that is wrong!

Zeus

2007-05-30T20:04:00.001-07:00

Some background on Zeus.....he was diagnosed with Elbow Dysplasia at 11 months of age. He went in for his operation on his first birthday, November 21st. We had gotten insurance for him a week before he started to limp. Two days after he started to limp I took him into the vet, thinking it was an injury, a few weeks of giving him anti inflamatories and lots of rest, it wasn't working. So we took some x-rays and found he had a type of Elbow Dysplasia called Fragmented Coronoid Process (FCP), on his left elbow, and thankfully his right was looking great. Insurance didn't cover it because it was not 30 days or more after we got his insurance. The recovery for Zeus' ED was very easy I think compared to the road we've got a head of us with his TPLO operations. It was 6 weeks of kennel rest and short leash walks. We also took Zeus to the underwater treadmill for some sessions of hydro for about 6 weeks, twice a week, and it greatly improved his limp and now it is almost not noticeable. That operation cost us $2500 not including the cost before the diagnosis.

Then 5 months later I started to notice Zeus' back legs looked awful. Thinking it was his hips, I took him in to see our regular vet who then told me he thought it was just the way he walked. I wasn't satisfied with that answer so I went to the surgeon who operated on Zeus and he took a look at him walk and told me he thought it was his knees and he had felt something with his left knee. He did x-rays and sure enough saw signs that he had partially torn ligaments.

Thankfully both these operations are being covered by his vet insurance. Each TPLO operation is going to cost $4000 and we are only required to pay 10% of that. So roughly $800 for both surgeries. You've got to love pet insurance! Especially with these big guys, it's pretty much a must have.

Here is some video of Zeus before his TPLO surgery.

Zeus & his big brother Cheech
(8 months old)

Young Zeus
(6 months old)

Zeus
(8 weeks old)