RUPTURED CRUCIAL LIGAMENT - SO WHAT? Yes, there is TPLO!

Pennie, my little swine, is probably thinking something like that by now. In hindsight mind you!

In today's blog post, we'll tell you how things went for us from the diagnosis to today and give you a lot of information and tips. Um yes, and for a better understanding also some really disgusting photos ;)

Pennie turned 7 in April 2017 and has always been pretty quick and a master at hooking. I can't always look... Since Pennie is my second dog and I have my third furry friend, Mabel, I'm no longer as panicky and go straight to the vet for every little thing as I was with Benson, my first dog. That's why I was quite relaxed when she started limping a little. We then treated it with Traumeel and everything was actually great again. Until one morning... It wasn't even a wild run on the soft meadow, it just happened. Suddenly she pulled up her right hind leg and when I looked into her eyes I knew it was different. Worse. Really bad! So shit! After tests and X-rays, the concrete and reliable diagnosis was: cruciate ligament rupture! Heaven no! I had heard so many bad things about it, I was just crying and my favorite veterinarian, Dr. Navarra, had to pull out the TaTüs and hug me. Poor thing...

Okay... take a deep breath... unwrap fortune cookies... chakka... pray... offerings... the full program!

There were three possibilities:

1. Don't do anything
   Yes, sure... So no, out of the question!
2. Replacement of ligaments
   This method is only suitable for small dogs that weigh less than 10 kg, since the ligaments are not put under the same weight as with heavier dogs. Pennie with her around 30kg, just above ;)
3. Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO)
   Here the tibia is sawn through and screwed back together in a different position. Unfortunately, I can't tell you more about it, because I didn't listen after the words 'saw through' and 'screw it back together'. I got really sick! dr Navarra went out of their way to explain it to me well and accurately, but I didn't want to hear it. I knew this was going to be and had to be our surgical method, what would it matter that I knew all the nasty details except it would have scared me even more.

I actually managed to not surf the web, read more horror stories or even look at pictures. And that was the best thing I could do! Don't inform any further, don't ask for countless unprofessional Dr. Google opinions, don't go crazy! I would just be like a crazy chicken without a head through the day and Pennie, who always recognizes my state of mind immediately and takes it over, would have had even less of it. Now it couldn't be changed, there was only this one method and we are convinced that we have a top veterinarian and surgeon! Point. So exclamation mark!

Up until the surgery date 5 days later, there were lots of extra treats and a few phone calls for me to my animal naturopath Astrid. I know my vet, great as he is, doesn't think much of it, but I do! I have already treated all my dogs with globules for various things, whether exclusively or supportively, it has helped! One of mine would certainly be a candidate in terms of the placebo effect, but one certainly cannot speak of that in dogs.

I then phoned Astrid Koppenhagen a few times, told her about Pennie, gave her information about weight and age, sent a picture of my mouse and told her what was to come for Pennie.After that I had a mega sophisticated medication plan! For a short time I thought I would have to study again quickly, but I managed to do it :D There were globules for better and faster drainage of the anesthesia, which for good wound healing, which so that the bones grow together again quickly and great, which with the other Leg is supported because it would be more loaded, etc.

At the same time, I remodeled the apartment to create more space for my mouse, since that would be a bit stupid with the frill around your head, ordered cooling pads in the perfect size, bought leg covers for protection, looked for one Carrying aid googled sore... I can tell you, it did me good. I could 'do something about it too'.

Then it was time. On 09/12 I gave Pennie (sober, of course) to the vet at 10 a.m. If I hadn't had to drive there, I would have poured myself a few schnapps first thing in the morning! The next few hours were horrible. Nothing could distract me or calm me down and minutes turned into hours. Finally the redeeming call came: everything went well, I can pick up the mouse at 4 p.m.!

Still pretty crippled, but overjoyed that we were together again, we drove home. She had a fat band-aid over the scar, was shaved halfway down her ass… buttocks, but walked well on three little legs. I gave her the first globules straight away (especially those used to drain the anaesthetic). Anyone who has ever had their dog under anesthesia knows what's coming! The post-sleep phase in which your beloved four-legged friend howls blood-curdling for hours and doesn't know where to go; Let's be honest, at some point you get really annoyed! It was me! But my darling couldn't help it - that's completely normal and has nothing to do with pain. You just have to get through it. She and I. At 7.30 p.m. it was much better and I am absolutely sure that it was the globules. I know that differently. I've been whining and 'still having trouble' with Benson for 6 hours straight!

To my great astonishment, Pippi and the big business went without any problems. I thought I couldn't see right! wow! Uh, wow!

Pennie's biggest problem now was that she still wasn't allowed to get anything to eat. And that with a really extremely gluttonous, greedy Labbi! maximum penalty! And there was only drinking in small portions and at intervals. At 10.30 p.m. she slept very peacefully - even on the couch, which she had climbed all by herself with three legs.

Now there were 10 days of antibiotics, of course the full dose of globules, umpteen times a day the annoying mistress with the cooling pad and: the personal little nurse Mabel!

I am incredibly happy to have found such a wonderful and competent alternative animal practitioner in Astrid, who also knows how to explain everything warmly and lovingly over the phone and does not scold conventional medicine, but also shares the same opinion that it often does not work without conventional medicine! In my opinion, good interaction between both sides is the best solution!

Even if our first night was a bit short, we got through it just fine. Pennie slept through the night (I didn't) and she was in a really good mood again. Maybe also because there was finally something between the teeth again J

One day later she raised her operated leg slightly while standing and just 2 days after the operation she was walking on all four legs! cool right? If it should go half a km/h faster, it was switched to three legs, but by and large she walked on four legs from then on.And it's getting better every day! VIDEO

Only the thing with the ruff... No matter how much space I made for her, she was always dozing on something, almost fell on her face a couple of times because she got stuck in the frame of the patio door when jumping in, or the funnel got stuck somewhere I love this one Dog really from the heart - but now I know: she just acted really stupid! Mabel also had a ruff now and she got along with it quite casually.

I never felt like she was in pain. I was even able to stroke the little leg the day after the operation, no reaction that she would think that was stupid – on the contrary.

The clamps came out just 9 days post-op. Pennie found the procedure extremely stupid, but what mutt dat mutt ne? J

Unfortunately, 2 days later, the scar opened up a little in two places and Astrid was there again to give us advice via WhatsApp. We dabbed diligently with calendula! And hey, after a few days that was over, the scar was dry and looked great!

Immediately after 'Got nothing to eat for 24 hours', Pennie comes up with: having to stay on a leash. And believe it or not, 4 months! The first few days we were outside 3 x 5 minutes a day, after two weeks it was 3 x 15 minutes and after a month 3 x 20 minutes. We were very strict about the times and being leashed at all times, even though it was a really shitty time for Pennie. She was really annoyed and even if you should laugh now, I think that she had some kind of depression. I saw her when the leash came off and she was allowed to walk free again. The look, the sparkling eyes, the lively gait: priceless!
We had also considered physiotherapy and an underwater treadmill, but we skipped that during the healing process because I knew that Pennie didn't really do well with a box of water and a treadmill would find and would rather have stress.

From 23.12. – 30.12. we then drove to Texel and please see for yourself how Pennie was on it! VIDEO – I always believed that everything would be fine, but I didn't expect it to go so quickly and wonderfully. I'm sure that on the one hand we owe this to the surgical skills of our veterinarian, but on the other hand such a great healing would not have been possible without the support of our animal naturopath. And I said yes, our vet doesn't think much of homeopathy etc.; but he also had to admit that he had never had a dog where everything happened so quickly.

By the beginning of April 2017 we only had our little beauty problem - yes, we are girls - because it took so long for the fur to grow back completely. Didn't stop the dog buddies from making advances. Well, thank God - the inner values...

The last step was that the record was removed on June 8th, 2017. We did it!

We'll wait again until the hair has grown back ;)

PS: Here is the contact to my wonderful animal healer: http://www.mobile-tierheilpraxis-astrid-koppenhagen.de/