Canine Cruciate Ligament Repair
4 Surprising Outcomes From My Dog’s Surgery
Trust me, I was just as upset as you were when our vet muttered “partially torn CCL.” My heart sank to my feet. Just envisioning weeks of crate rest made my brain throb, not to mention tear-inducing major surgery.
Sobek is eight weeks post-op TTA surgery and, as we rounded the yard yesterday during a potty break in pounding rain, I discovered the wonderful things about his surgery–the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, I guess. And this light shined bright on this rainy day!
Deepened Our Bond
By far, this was the most rewarding of all outcomes. Sobek and I built an unbreakable bond. Don’t get me wrong, we had a strong relationship before surgery, but now we’re even stronger. He learned to trust me unconditionally.
I remember the exact moment this happened. There was a mutual understanding right there in the living room. Sobek was home maybe 24 hours after surgery and I was following vet instructions on icing his incision. Well he was clearly uncomfortable with ice touching his sensitive suture line. I listened and backed off. At that moment, he learned I would never intentionally hurt him. If he was in pain, I acknowledged and never pushed further. From then on, he happily allowed icing the next day plus incision desensitization, knee flexes and much more. I watched his body language carefully and moved as far as he was willing to go.
Immensely Improved Leash Walking Skills
Well we had plenty of time to practice–that is for sure! With 10 weeks of strict crate rest, meaning all walks (including potty ones) are on leash, he now walks beautifully on a loose leash. Now, he still gets excited and yanks when he glimpses his canine rehab expert from far away, but he’s pretty darn good 80 percent of the time. I’ll take it!
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Built More Confidence
This one shocked me. Sobek is a tender boy and not too keen on trying new things–you should’ve seen him in agility, oh my word. 🙂 Well now, this boy will climb on the tallest and highest physical therapy peanut (imagine a four-foot long yoga ball) with all four legs! He resembles a circus bear balancing on a ball, dangling three feet from the ground. Shoot, we have to lure him off the peanut with food. He loves it!
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Hydrotherapy. Shoot, he makes a beeline for the tank door the moment we walk in rehab and with a huge smile. I never thought this would happen, and I’m so proud of my big baby boy. 🙂
Mastered Self Settling
Oi, I never thought this would happen either. Sobek is a young dog. He’s only two years old and a bouncy thing. Would I describe him as hyperactive? Probably so. I’ve spent countless hours teaching him to self settle, meaning learning how to calm himself. Well, during crate rest, he not only mastered self settling, he can do so quickly now too. And having a dog learn how to calm himself down is worth its weight in gold!
Hindsight is 20/20 so take a moment to recognize and enjoy all types of improvements!
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