Is your dog recovering slowly from dog cruciate (dog acl) surgery? Seeing your dog in pain
can be very distressing, but understanding what surgical complications may be causing this pain goes a long way to helping you take the most appropriate action. One of the most common complications and reasons for a slow recovery is dog arthritis.
can be very distressing, but understanding what surgical complications may be causing this pain goes a long way to helping you take the most appropriate action. One of the most common complications and reasons for a slow recovery is dog arthritis.When Is Dog Knee Surgery Needed?
- Your dog may need surgery on its knee after injury, as a result of a degenerative disease, or as a result of other health issues (notably being overweight). The conditions of the knee best treated with surgery include:
- Torn or injured ligaments (Dog Cruciate Ligament Rupture)
- Torn or injured cartilage pads (Torn Meniscus)
- Knee cap out of position (Patellar Luxation)
- Knee fractures (Stifle Joint Fractures)
- Surgery is best performed before arthritis sets into the joint.
Complications of Surgery
The decision by your veterinarian to operate on your dog is not taken lightly, and the quality of life of your pet is always their prime objective. But, just as with humans, dog knee surgery may have complications such as:
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Pain
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Infection in the joint or around the implants
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Implant failure. The plates or nylon bands can break with too much activity.
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Meniscal tears. Meniscii are cartilage pads that cushion the knee. They can tear soon after surgery or may not have been treated properly at surgery. They will be just as lame with a meniscal tear as they are with a cruciate ligament problem.
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Sore backs. All things are connected. It is common for people to throw their back out after knee surgery, same for dogs
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Trigger points. These are painful muscle knots and can exist before surgery. They may not go away just because the knee is now fixed and can cause persistent lameness.
If left untreated, complications can result in poor recovery, arthritis, further knee joint damage – and an unhappy dog in constant discomfort.
Combatting These Complications
Your veterinarian is the best person to advise you on the ideal way to treat these complications, and to avoid the onset of dog arthritis. Recommendations may include further surgery, pain relief medication, antibiotics for infection or physical therapy.
Physical Therapy – A Growing Trend
Physical therapy now goes hand in hand with canine surgery, especially following dog acl repair. You can look at my article on physical therapy after knee surgery for more information.
While complications following dog acl surgery may be painful and frustrating, by following the advice of your canine health professional your dog will almost certainly recover well. This will help prevent the onset of dog arthritis or slow its advance.
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Tags: Causes of Dog Arthritis, Cruciate Ligament Rupture, dog acl, dog arthritis, dog arthritis medication, dog arthritis treatment, dog cruciate, dog cruciate ligament complications, dog joint health, dog knee surgery, dog physical therapy, joint fracture
My husband and I have a wellness office in Edmonds, WA, and we recently worked with 2 dogs, post surgery, with the technology we use in our office (for people mostly!) Both vets couldn’t believe how fast the dogs healed and for the 12 1/2 yr. old lab who had her spleen removed, the vet was amazed, 1 week post surgery how much energy she had.
We are also in the beginning stages of working with an older Border Collie who has arthritis.
I am dedicating myself to spreading the word about the effective, safe, and drug-free treatments that there are for pets (as well as people.)
Good health!
Sounds good Stephanie. What technology did you use?
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[...] Posted on September 14, 2010 by dogarthritisdoc Is your dog recovering slowly from dog cruciate (dog acl) surgery? Seeing your dog in pain can be very distressing, but understanding what surgical complications may [...]
[...] Posted on September 13, 2010 by dogarthritisdoc Is your dog recovering slowly from dog cruciate (dog acl) surgery? Seeing your dog in pain can be very distressing, but understanding what surgical complications may [...]
[...] Posted on September 6, 2010 by dogarthritisdoc Is your dog recovering slowly from dog cruciate (dog acl) surgery? Seeing your dog in pain can be very distressing, but understanding what surgical complications may [...]
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