FEBRUARY – JESSIE
Ever had a dog that was fine but when they returned from a run they were lame? That’s how it all started with Jessie. She has always had a funny walk due to a prior accident so the owners were not surprised she returned with an even more ‘funny’ walk but they quickly realised she had done something to hurt herself as she had a limp now too. When she came in for an exam, we diagnosed Jessie with a torn cruciate ligament, something footballers and netballers do quite a lot.
Because Jessie is a large breed, there was really only two options to help repair the damage. Either a TTA (tibial tuberosity advancement) procedure done here, as she was a candidate for this particular procedure, or referral to a surgeon. The only other alternatives were to do another procedure D’Angelis suture, which is not indicated for a dog her size, or nothing – which would leave her painful and limping and dependant on pain relief for more comfort (not ideal) and she would get knee arthritis very quickly.
Soon afterwards, Jessie came in for the TTA procedure. The procedure takes quite a while as there is cutting of bone, implants to place and screws to hold it all together. Jessie had to stay for the night but as she really prefers to be at home, we felt it was better to send her home the following afternoon.
Since then, Jessie has improved to much better than she had been prior to the surgery. She has had her 8 week post op radiographs and we are happy with how it has healed. Jessie can now get on with rehabilitation for her knee and start to get back to her normal activity levels, as she was restricted for 8 long weeks.