Alvin's Case
Pretty boy Alvin, the Bichon Cockapoo, was still limping and hopping a month after ACL tear surgery DESPITE the fact that we had followed the vet's instructions to the letter. That included exercise and restricted activity.
Major concern
We were concerned that six year old Alvin would not walk normally again. The dog was way too young to risk limited mobility, so off to the vet we went.
We visited a vet who had not done the surgery. Granted, this was due to scheduling, but it was the right thing to do. She recommended two actions - get the dog on Dasuquin with MSM and get Alvin into physical therapy. Apparently, Alvin had developed a hopping, limping habit to relieve his knee pain.
So, if you have a dog who is still having an issue several weeks post surgery:
- Please see your vet first.
- Ask about PT inn your local vet hospital. See my prior posts for what's involved with doggie PT.
- Ask about supplementation like Nutramax Dasuquin with MSM Soft Chews, Small/Medium Dog, 84 Count
.
What if you are cash poor?
The vet visit is mandatory. Don't mess with your dog's long term health and activity levels. The last thing an owner wants is to sentence a dog to lifetime disability when it's possible to avoid it.
See what your vet says about supplementation. Dasuquin is about $50 a package and lasts about 3 months. That's $50/84 = $0.60/day. Amazon sells it much cheaper than the vets office (see link above).
See what the vet recommends in place of PT. If you can do water therapy yourself, try it. Be careful not too push too hard or he will re-injure the limb. Also, be aware that some dogs do not like water. Alvin hated the water tank (his video is in prior posts) and whined the entire time he was in it (up to 20 plus minutes in the last session).
