and I was wondering what people who have gone through it with thier FT dog's have done for thier re-hab? I was told by my vet that 8-10 weeks of create confinement was all the excersise that she was supposed to get besides eating and relieving herself, then an x-ray, and excersise? I'm not looking to overule my vet as I value his opinion, but know that he is very cautous and I would like all the info that I can get right now.
Sorry to hear about all the TPLO's. My male had one done in 2004 and this is my experience. For at least 2 weeks you do need to be very careful with walking your dog. That is the most critical period when if they take a tumble they can break off the tibal crest. You need to get some healing done on it before you attemp more exercise. I kept Norman in a crate and walked him with a sling for the first 2 weeks and cold packed his knee twice a day for that time also to keep the swelling down. I also massaged and slowly streatched his knee back and forth a coulple times a day also. I would let him walk around more than he should off for the next 8 weeks but in the end it turned out better for him, when he went in for his 8 week x-ray he was completly healed. The board certified sergeon I used could tell he was getting more exercise then he was suppost to by the way the x-ray looked. He did then admit that the exercise was why he healed up as fast as he did. They are now thinking that exercise is speeding up the healing process. (I am a tech and the dogs we do at the clinic and see for rechecks seem to be healing up faster also when the owner tells us the dog has been doing more than it should). I did alot of physical therapy by just moving his leg around and stretching it. After 8 weeks I took him for hydo therapy where he walked on a tread mill in water. That really helped him out also. The therapist couldn't believe how much muscle mass he had after surgery with what I was doing and the water work. He was out for 4 months (since this was during the winter) then went back to the trainer the following spring and was better than ever and has not had a problem with it since. I never herd about the possibility of tendanitis with too much work to soon. All I herd was that they heal up faster with exercise. I would take it easy and not over do it but I feel there is nothing wrong with short walks. You should follow there guildlines with inclines and rough terrane. Swimming is by far the best and will keep his muscles in shape.
Good luck with the recovery.
Good luck with the recovery.
