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Conditioning after tplo

5K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  Mark Littlejohn 
#1 ·
On the long road to recovery with my 2 yr old CBR after ACL surgery. What kind of conditioning did you do after being on leash for 3 months. I have a big fast girl and don't want to rush getting back in the field. I have nightmares of her going for a mark and coming back lame.

I was thinking of doing a lot of swimming but no long marks until the 6 month mark.

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated. I am aware that the other one could go at any time.
 
#2 ·
Been there done that....will be again soon. Our lab is one week post op knee #2.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend going to a physical therapist. They kept tabs on Quinn's muscle progress post op and made work recommendations and what we should still limit. We went weekly, and plan to go again once off crate rest.

Big thing start back slowly, and avoid quick turns until the muscle gets strong. Swimming is excellent. With my first knee dog it was summer, so I took her into the lake where she couldn't touch bottom, let her swim out and back 15-20 not too long retrieves an hour to hour and a half. You do not want them leaping in the water. We also walked slowly increasing on a weekly basis until handling miles at a time. And I forget what eek we were at when they suggested biking. Strong trots on fairly straight lines.

Doing "maneuvers" is good that's obedience for "heel" and "here" getting them to move their back end in and out. Walking backwards too.

At PT we did walking forward and backwards through raised PVC, underwater treadmills, wobble boards lots off things of this nature.

Quinn had her first surgery early Oct (2 years ago) and was back competing in agility in April. Also started her field training again. We waited on that a bit longer for field work as she is a hard charger and we wanted STRONG before she'd run, brake fast, and turn.
 
#5 ·
Just take it slow. If you can get to an under water treadmill I think it is beneficial just for the sake of professional eyes on your dog. I've been through it with mine, his was from an injury before aging out of the derby. He was running the Q less than a year later but physically he was good to go by 6 months. Surgery was November 2012 and he is going strong, knock on wood.
 
#6 · (Edited)
My AFC Dude was on lead about 30 days. We did one rehab session, learned the stretches needed & decided swims would be most beneficial, as opposed to treadmill work - along with the stretches. We began multiple long swims (300-400 yds) with NO land in and outs. Dude was always a good water dog & proficient with blinds so we did 4-5 long blinds, twice per day. I would walk Dude into the water and send him from neck deep & stop him at the same point each time. After 60 days of progressing in the water & long on-lead land walks (some on side hills with the injured leg downhill), I began jogging with Dude on lead, up & down my road (dirt). Then we started land work in addition to the swims, progressing to normal training. We entered our 1st trial approx. 5-6 months after the surgery, finishing with a JAM, 2 wks later a 2nd & the following week a win. No issues since & some 5 yrs later Dude is semi-retired & still doing well.

Note: We did examines with Dr. Melton in Birmingham 2 wks post-surgery, 60 days & 90 days & were released for unrestricted activity thereafter. Doc seemed most interested in flexibility in the joint which was always excellent.
 
#7 ·
Glad you had a good outcome with your dog.

This is what I was looking for. We are on the lake and I wanted to use swimming as part of her recovery. My surgeon released her for walks in the water starting on Tues. and we will wait a couple weeks before we swim her. So far, everything is going well. Just hoping we won't have the other knee blow out.

Thanks Dave for this info.
 
#8 ·
We had BLM that ACL blow out & we had TPLO. He was running FT when this happened. Basically we rehab him for 12 months by following Orthopedic Dr's recommendation + we took longer doing rehab as we wanted to be sure that his muscles had a chance to strengthen. Lots of swimming. Bottom line he went on to get his FTCH title & HRCH title post surgery. His other knee blew out after 2 yrs. 80% of the time if you keep campaigning dog after ACL tear the other leg will go out.We had 2nd TPLO done & ran hunt test & let him enjoy his Sr yrs. He lived to be 13 + yrs. Good luck
 
#9 ·
Stay in the water as much as possible. Swimming is one of the best rehab a dog can do post-op with something like a TPLA or TTA for that torn CCL. It will allow strengthening of the limb, and keeps it very low stress for the most part. Just make sure to ease into it and don't just jump right back to where y'all were at.
 
#10 ·
There is a lot of information on this site cumulative over several years for post op TPLO care including one on my own dog. While swimming is non weight bearing it is hardly passive, just watch the limb movement in clear water and if the joint is painful it is likely and possible that the dog will guard the affected limb while swimming. Not so with leash walking which necessitates the use of all four limbs and do not forget warmup before and icing after post surgical exercise.
 
#11 ·
I did go back and read quite a bit (more than I wanted). I plan to take a lot of time walking and making sure my dog regains as much strength and muscle before going back to field training. It is helpful to know that the other knee can possibly tear and I won't wait for repair. So far, my dog has been an excellent patient. Since she is only two years old, I'm not in a hurry to push her before she is ready. She is such a good girl and wonderful field dog who deserves the best. thanks everyone for all the great info.
 
#12 ·
Do exactly what your surgeon told you to do. It might seem slow and boring, but honestly you don't want to rush it. Take advantage of the warm weather and swim the dog a LOT.
 
#13 ·
Dr. Comrie had Karma walk in the water....not swim for 5 weeks. Spent 3 weeks on a beach in Carabelle Florida...perfect water nice sand. Made it almost pleasant doing 2.5 miles a day of leash walking in water. That is after she spent 4 weeks in rehab in Michigan.
 
#15 ·
My dog blew an acl........we had "swivel-lock" surgery.

I will be posting our experience.

It will be 6 weeks this Tuesday.
He has been swimming and walking and brief short straight runs started last week.

I don't want to jump the gun, but Dr.s' Jeff & Nick Schuett may be on to something new.......that works.
 
#16 ·
Have a friend with a fairly young Lab who is recovering from the second ACL surgery. My friend did a huge amount of walking with the dog on the first recovery and is doing the same on the second. There is also massage, exercise at rehab, some swimming, etc. The dog has done really well. I saw something a while back that there was a possibility of a genetic test for Labs for this. Best wishes for a complete recovery for your dog.
 
#17 ·
After my dogs TPLO surgery I inquired with Dr Canapp with VOSM about swimming during rehab. He told me absolutley not. He explained to me that the way dogs kick when swimming is violent and hard on the knee. She did not have meniscus damage either btw. Just an FYI. I guess surgeons view swimming differently.
 
#18 ·
My surgeons ok'd it after at least 4 weeks. Yes they too said the way a dog kicks when they swim is an issue but the healing point after 4 weeks.

We were going to take Quinn up north this week and discussed swimming and surgeon said no, she too soon after post op. But she did say she could wade in the water at below hock height. We opted to not go, or at least I am staying home with 3 dogs. Hubby is going with 1. Two of our girls are patients right now. We would have had to take 2 cars to get there. Quinn starts her PT on Thursday I am hoping. I will get confirmation today on her appointment.

Three weeks today, she is barely limping. Ok dogs are stoic, but she is raring to go. It's hard to keep reminding yourself slow down when the dog isn't acting like there is an issue. Had 2 minor "oops" situations where we weren't paying close enough attention. One she hopped on our porch in one fell swoop, the other she popped onto the couch. She's quick. We have to be quicker and more diligent.
 
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