Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture and Medial Meniscus - Need LOTS of Prayers

[Debbie and Toby]

A couple days ago Toby was running across our yard, and when he tried to turn around to run back his rear left leg went out. Immediately took him to our vet. We have our yard fenced in and he is never out alone, we are ALWAYS with him.  Diagnosed as above and referred to a specialist. We were then referred to a surgeon. All have reached the same conclusion that he needs surgery.We just had our first consultation with the surgeon and got all the bloodwork done. His surgery is scheduled for Monday morning. I am terrified. He is a seizure dog, and is a huge momma's boy. He is VERY active and energetic for being almost 8 years old. He requires a lot of daily exercise. I am wondering how I will ever do this, keeping him "quiet and settled" for several weeks. he does not like to be crated during the day. He gets frantic when he is crated,  also very high anxiety which triggers seizures in him.  He also is capable of taking off a cone, which he has done in the past. The surgeon said he will need to be crated and wear a cone for awhile. We are putting a handicap ramp up off the back deck so he will not need to go down the steps to go out for potty when we take him out after we bring him home. We have laminate floors in the dining room and kitchen which has been extremely difficult for him to walk on the past couple days. He is sliding all over. So we just bought carpet runners to get him from the living room to the dining room patio doors and through kitchen, which gives him greater stability when walking. Any suggestions to help us, and him get through this? I know many of you have been through this or know someone who has. What has worked for you to help keep your furbaby comfortable and quiet after a surgery like this? Last, but not least, I am asking for prayers. I am worried sick about putting him through this. He is my baby!!

UPDATE 1:  Surgery has been postponed for today. Toby has been vomiting since yesterday and will not eat or drink. I called the Dr. yesterday and they said to discontinue the Carprofen as that can cause stomach upset and vomiting. They admitted him this morning as they want to run more blood labs again, do a stomach xray and ultrasound. They want to be sure there is absolutely nothing else going on before they proceed with surgery. They will call this afternoon with an update. If everything is good, then I will pick him back up, rather than leave him all night, and take him back tomorrow morning for the surgery. They also said they discussed the Lidocaine and have decided NOT to use it in with the anesthesia and will not put a Lidocaine patch on him. They want to avoid anything that may trigger seizures. I am very thankful for that. Will keep you all updated.

Update  # 2:  Just spoke with Dr., they are keeping him today, do not want him to come home today. They want to put IV on him to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated, they want to monitor him throughout the day, then Dr. will let me know by 10:00 AM tomorrow morning if they will proceed with surgery. His tail is wagging, just doesn't want to eat. He will not get anymore Carprofen, as we aren't for sure if this is what caused the upset stomach now. My poor baby! He is definitely a special needs boy! Have I mentioned lately how much I love my doodle baby?? Will keep everyone updated.

UPDATE 3: Went to check in on my baby this afternoon.. he was resting comfortably so I did not wake him. They do have IV's on him now. Called when I got home to see how he was doing, and if he was awake, they said he was up and hungry and ate his whole dish of food...so, I really wonder now if it was the Carprofen causing the upset stomach and making him sick....He is so sensitive, I just hope we can manage pain without having anymore drug reactions. As of this afternoon, if he continues to eat and doesn't get sick anymore, they are planning to do the surgery tomorrow morning. Will keep you all updated. 

UPDATE 4: No surgery again today. Called several times last night to check on him, they said he was very calm and relaxed, no barking or anxious behavior. They agreed this is not normal for him. Spoke with Dr. twice this morning, he said he is not comfortable with the surgery at this time, they have taken him off the Carprofen, now they just want to see if once that clears out of his system he will improve. They said we could take him home and tentatively scheduled surgery for next Wednesday morning now. The Dr. said he can't do the surgery until he improves and we find a pain med that doesn't cause  a reaction with him. He can not have "steroid" drugs and now had severe stomach upset with the Carprofen. He is now on the following meds: Gabapentin,Pro-Pectalin, Metronidazole, Famotidine, and Sucralfate, in addition to his seizure meds. I actually have made an excel  spreadsheet to keep track of all his daily meds and doses now.  Question...since Toby was vomiting and wouldn't eat on the Carprofen, is it also possible that the Carprofen caused irritation to cause the bloody stools? I am worried sick. Since we are going into holiday, the Dr gave us his cell phone number and wants me to check in with him every day, and of course if things get worse to take him into emergency. He feels he will improve being at home and on the new meds. He was very excited to be home, in fact he didn't even want to lay down this afternoon. He heard the UPS truck drive by our house and wanted to chase him off...he is resting tonight, is eating, but only a little bit at a time, he is drinking water, also not a lot, but drinking regularly.  I am going to sleep on the floor again tonight with him. Any thoughts on all of this? Dr said he is really baffled, he is consulting with other Dr's now because Toby has so many special needs, restrictions and sensitivities that he wants to be 100% sure they don't miss anything and want to be sure that they find the right pain meds that work for him without any complications.

UPDATE 5: Toby is doing well. Is eating fairly well, eating small amounts at a time, but eating often, which is good because of tall the meds he is on right now. and is drinking plenty of water, Stools are almost normal again. He definitely has some energy back, although he tires easily. He takes several naps a day now, compared to none before. When he wakes up he is full of it! He will sleep on his bed, but when he wakes up he tries to tear it up. So we have to put it away when he is awake. That's our Toby! Our biggest issue right now is when he is awake he has no concept of being injured. He does not tolerate being crated, tries to dig his way out. We have the furniture covered so he can't jump up on it, we have to keep the living room drapes shut as he wants to chase off all the delivery trucks he sees going by this time of year,  disabled the doorbell...still wants to run through the house. He seems to be handling the meds well. We are using the Gingerlead sling to help him out as his right rear legs seems to be a little weak at times. Praying that doesn't go out anytime soon, or at all.  Just trying to make life as good as possible for him right now, as much as I don't want to put him through surgery, I just want him to get better. Praying he continues to improve.  Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! Will update again in a couple days.

Update 6:  Asking for prayers for Toby! He is being admitted tomorrow morning for surgery.  They are going to monitor him for a few hours before surgery just to make sure all is well. He is doing better, still sleeping a lot, though. He does get small bursts of energy, which is good. He has been eating fairly well, drinking water and has had normal stools so per my conversation with the Dr yesterday he thinks the surgery is a go for tomorrow.  I  hope we are making the right decision. I want him to get better, he struggles with the leg. But I don't want to put him through the surgery.  Will update again later tomorrow or Thursday.

Update 7: We are home! Picked Toby up late this afternoon. Dr said he has done fairly well with pain just on the Gabapentin. Tomorrow morning we will start his home therapy, muscle massage, PROM and icing the knee.  In 3 weeks he will start hydrotherapy, as well as other excercises in addition to the home therapy. He did have a seizure about 2AM in the morning, so we are on seizure watch now as he almost always clusters, or has 2 - 3 seizures with a week of the first seizure.  So happy to have him home, but so nervous about caring for him. We bought the Tractor Supply 5' x 5' gazebo pen for him. We set this up in the living room so we can watch him at all times. Of course, this also means my new bed for the next several weeks is the couch. But I am OK with that. Whatever I need to do to keep him safe. Just like the Ex Pens, but a lot sturdier. He is not liking it too well, as he doesn't like to be confined at all, but the Dr  said it is important to keep him leashed or confined the first 2 -3 weeks to help him heal properly. So, thank you so much for all the prayers.  This is our first night home. Praying he sleeps well.  WiIl update again in a day or two.  Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Update 8:  Had 10 day follow up appointment this morning, staples are out! The Dr. is a little concerned that he is not even trying to use his leg yet. He said most dogs do start to use the leg a little by the 10th day. The plan was to start hydrotherapy in 2 weeks, but he wants to go ahead and start Tuesday morning. We will be doing the laser treatment and hydrotherapy 2 - 3 times per week for 6 weeks. Then we will re-evaluate. Toby was such a good boy this morning. Dr is pleased that Toby did so well considering he was on minimal pain meds. Dr also said he is very pleased with the healing of the incision. Some of the staples were starting to sink down in, that is why they wanted us to come in this morning rather than Monday.  I was a nervous wreck this morning, wondering how they would get some of the staples out without hurting him. My husband even asked if I should leave the room. I stayed and talked to Toby the whole time, telling him what a good boy he was! And before we knew it, we were proudly walking out to the car. So thankful we are making progress. Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Here is the set-up of the x-pen and my mattress:

Monty after his first surgery:

I took the cone off only when I was able to watch him since he is an obsessive licker and could not be left alone without the cone.

Monty after the second surgery, with the wrap that made him miserable:

Also, here are some videos from his PT.

His first hydrotherapy session (he was freaked out, but it took two sessions and he loved it afterwards):

He was having fun later on:

And here are PT exercises that the vet did with him after each of the hydrotherapy. Don't remember which week this one is, but it is pretty much towards the end of the 16 weeks of rehab.

[Debbie and Toby]

Oh my! Poor baby! How long did it take to start feeling better and be able to use the leg? Toby will not leave a cone on so I don't know yet how we will handle that...Toby and I slept on mattree on the living room floor last night...just wanted to cuddle him as much as possible. We plan to sleep in the living room for awhile now, my husband gets the couch and I will get the mattress on the floor so I can be close to Toby, I put his bed right next to the mattress, last night he slept on the mattress for awhile with me, then moved to his bed. I don't want him to sleep in his crate now with the risk of seizures. The Dr has mentioned he will wrap the leg, no pain patch, and we will do massage therapy and simple therapy at home right away, then we will go for hydrotherapy and rehab. I will look at the excercises you provided. I bet we will have a lot of the same. We are planning to get the ex pen, I propably need the largest one? How sturdy are they? Toby is 45  lbs. and does not like to be restrained. As soon as he feels a bit better he will start jumping and climbing to get out...this makes me so nervous! He is such an energetic guy and I wonder how I will ever keep him calm for the recommended time. And after a seizure he is very nervous and paces and paces for hours. Will not lay down after a seizure. So this really scares me, too. After a seizure, he may not be fully aware that he can't walk on the leg....Looks like Monty was such a good boy in PT. Any ideas how we will get him in the car after surgery to go to appointments? We have a Town and Country van, and right now it is a real struggle to get him in there because I can not lift him. Thank you so much for all the suggestions.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

The x-pen is not very sturdy. It's just like a wire fence. Monty started off with 85lbs and he was fine inside the x-pen as long as I was nearby. We normally don't use crates and the dogs have a full run of the house. The key here is to limit their walking the first two weeks. If Toby can just chill and not overdo it, you could possibly just block him off into one room and make sure he does not try to jump on the couch or go up the stairs. Monty was putting some weight on the surgical leg right away after the first surgery. So it wasn't like he was walking on three legs only. After the second surgery, he would not put weight on the leg, but I think it was because he was so miserable with the wrap. I really feel the wrap is pretty much useless, making it so hard for a drugged up dog to walk or even pee AND impossible to poop. As for the car, I got a ramp before his surgery and taught him to go up and down on it. He normally sits in the back seat of my Chewy Equinox, but after the surgery I folded the back seats so he would go up the ramp to the back of the car and had enough room to lay down with his cone on. We really didn't go anywhere the first two weeks, our first car ride was at a two week checkup. I was always very scared loading and unloading him, as he is a big boy. It helped to have two people standing by the ramp from each side to make sure he didn't slip off the sides. We were also still using the sling to help support him.

I really do hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow and he has no reactions to any of the drugs. I can only imagine how scared you must feel. The surgery is bad enough, but when you have to worry about seizures, I cannot even imagine. Try to get some sleep tonight, he will need you after the surgery.

[Debbie and Toby]

UPDATE 3: Went to check in on my baby this afternoon.. he was resting comfortably so I did not wake him. They do have IV's on him now. Called when I got home to see how he was doing, and if he was awake, they said he was up and hungry and ate his whole dish of food...so, I really wonder now if it was the Carprofen causing the upset stomach and making him sick....He is so sensitive, I just hope we can manage pain without having anymore drug reactions. As of this afternoon, if he continues to eat and doesn't get sick anymore, they are planning to do the surgery tomorrow morning. Will keep you all updated. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sending pawsitive wishes for an easy surgery and uneventful recovery.

[charlotte bednarsh]

Thinking of you and Toby,  Please let us know how you are doing.  You are in my prayers.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

You and Toby are in our prayers today...

[Debbie and Toby]

UPDATE 4: No surgery again today. Called several times last night to check on him, they said he was very calm and relaxed, no barking or anxious behavior. They agreed this is not normal for him. Spoke with Dr. twice this morning, he said he is not comfortable with the surgery at this time, they have taken him off the Carprofen, now they just want to see if once that clears out of his system he will improve. They said we could take him home and tentatively scheduled surgery for next Wednesday morning now. The Dr. said he can't do the surgery until he improves and we find a pain med that doesn't cause  a reaction with him. He can not have "steroid" drugs and now had severe stomach upset with the Carprofen. He is now on the following meds: Gabapentin,Pro-Pectalin, Metronidazole, Famotidine, and Sucralfate, in addition to his seizure meds. I actually have made an excel  spreadsheet to keep track of all his daily meds and doses now.  Question...since Toby was vomiting and wouldn't eat on the Carprofen, is it also possible that the Carprofen caused irritation to cause the bloody stools? I am worried sick. Since we are going into holiday, the Dr gave us his cell phone number and wants me to check in with him every day, and of course if things get worse to take him into emergency. He feels he will improve being at home and on the new meds. He was very excited to be home, in fact he didn't even want to lay down this afternoon. He heard the UPS truck drive by our house and wanted to chase him off...he is resting tonight, is eating, but only a little bit at a time, he is drinking water, also not a lot, but drinking regularly.  I am going to sleep on the floor again tonight with him. Any thoughts on all of this? Dr said he is really baffled, he is consulting with other Dr's now because Toby has so many special needs, restrictions and sensitivities that he wants to be 100% sure they don't miss anything and want to be sure that they find the right pain meds that work for him without any complications.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm so sorry the surgery didn't go off as planned but glad that all precautions are being taken for Toby.  I believe that Carprofen is generic Rimadyl and bloody stool is a side effect of Rimadyl.  But I don't know much about drugs or mixing drugs-way out of my league. Is there absolutely no alternative to surgery? 

[Debbie and Toby]

We did ask about alternative treatment, Dr said if it was just a small tear we could try physical therapy and a brace, then hope it would heal. but his tear is much more severe and the bone is clicking together, he said we could still try the brace but arthritis would set in very quick and he would always have some discomfort and pain in that leg, that it would never heal properly. He is experiencing pain, and these meds are just causing complications. I was terrified when I saw the bloody stool today. I hope now that he is off the Carprofen he will get better quickly, though now they are trying 5 new meds. Hopefully they will work well for him.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, that is what I was hoping for, a brace and therapy, something on that order. Darn!  Can they still do the surgery if the brace didn't work? I understand about the blood, Tara vomited a pool of it once and I came completely undone. I  do hope things settle down now that his meds have been changed and you guys have a better day tomorrow. 

[BG and Gavin]

So sorry Debbie. It is a comfort however that the vet is being super careful with him. Sending good thoughts your way.