# Bedrest (haha) for ACL tear



## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Lots of chewies?


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

I had to do it for my little one, except it was 6 weeks and for her elbows. Basically she just spent a lot of time in her crate. If I was doing something where I would be in one place for a while (say the kitchen cooking supper or the living room watching TV), she could come out and be on a down-stay while I work. I did keep a leash attached so that if she got a wild hair, she couldn't run/walk off.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I tried rest with Daisy with one of her ACL tears once (she's had two) and it didn't work at all. Really all it did was delay the inevitable. With two ACL injuries under our belt, I really do believe that once injured (partially torn), the ligament is compromised and never as strong again.

Am I being a party pooper here?  Sorry, don't mean to be.

Edited to add....

I just re-read your post, I shouldn't try to think too much before I've had my first cup of coffee LOL I'm glad your vet is giving this a very limited time, 1-2 weeks. I think that's smart, in case it's maybe a sprain or something simple like that. You don't want to rush into this kind of surgery, but you don't want to delay it unnecessarily either. Good luck, and I agree, LOTS of chewies -- bully sticks, antlers, marrow bones. Might want to cut back on the regular food a bit.


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## TigasMom (Sep 4, 2009)

Well the thing is that he has only been really limping following sitting after exercise. He favors the leg a little bit normally but it's not immediately obvious. After exercise then sitting he favors it quite a bit.

On the xray of the knee the only thing she saw was that th little triangular area between the ligament and kneecap and leg bone which should have been clear with fluid, was cloudy. Like with some inflammation. That and her manipulating the knee ( though it took a lot of manipulating) made him snap a bit. Does this sound like ACL? Perhaps it's just the beginning of a tear.

The hard thing is when we are home he wAnts to follow us around. Is even the act of bringing him from room to room or outside while I garden....then tying him up, is even THAT too much walking?


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

That all sounds very familiar, yes. Especially the being stiff after resting following exercise. With both of Daisy's back legs, I could tell something was amiss long before the real event, the rupture (complete tear). The rupture is unmistakeable. If this happens in your case, you won't be questioning what's going on.

The knee joint in a dog is really quite complicated, there's a lot of supporting tissues and ligaments and some complex geography going on in there. The inflammation could be one of several things (like inside the joint vs outside).

I'm going to go way out on a limb here and I might get blasted, but this is based on several years living through the experience of torn and ruptured ACL's, one first and then the other 1-1/2 years later. I'm so glad my dog only has 2 knees! So here I go...

Do your best to rest your dog but don't get crazy about it, and by that I mean don't be afraid of every little movement. If this is an ACL injury, my belief is it's going to blow eventually. And with Daisy's two ruptures, they occurred during the most innocuous of activities ... once walking up the steps to our front door (only 3 steps), and the other time simply walking through the yard. I'm going to stick with my personal belief that injured ACL's will everntually rupture no matter how careful you are. Let your dog get up and follow you around, that's normal golden/dog behavior. I would do your best to prevent him from jumping and running for now ... but you can't do that forever. Really, what kind of life would that be  Definitely, let your dog come outside to garden with you. If normal walking is going to tear the ligament even more or cause it to tear completely, it's going to happen eventually anyway no matter what you do. Be careful with high impact activities but otherwise, carry on 

How old is your dog? How much does he weigh?


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## TigasMom (Sep 4, 2009)

Oh my gosh! Is there surgery they can do now while it's not serious instead of waiting for it to rupture?

How is the vet going to know if it's healed enough to allow normal exercising? Just the little bit of favoring and the cloudy xray? I mean if at the end of this month long rest period if the xray is clear and he doesn't favor it at all, does that mean the ACL is all healed? How does it tear in the first place?

He is 105 lbs but admittedly a tall golden. She says he needs to lose 20 lbs too.

Steph


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm scaring you, I'm sorry. It's too soon for surgery, you don't even know for sure yet if this is an ACL injury. Maybe it's something as simple as too much weight or maybe a bit of arthritis? You didn't say how old he is.

If it is an ACL injury, this will reveal itself very well over time. Just wait, and carry on as normally as possible. I'm not sure vets are in a rush to do surgery until there is a rupture, maybe because it really is so hard to know exactly what is going on in there, even with x-rays. That's MY experience. Maybe others have a different experience, or maybe some vets here will chime in that have more experiences to draw from.

You really do want to start a weight management program though. If it is an ACL tear and your dog does eventually need surgery, the last thing you want is extra weight during recovery. I know exactly where you're at, I was there once myself. What I did when time was critical, was put Daisy on a weight management kibble, 2 cups a day, 750-800 calories total, with plenty of free calories just for the sake of eating (our dogs love to do that LOL) -- like green beans and other green vegetables, or carrots. This isn't a good time for exercise so it's going to be a challenge, but it can be done. I did it with mine  Don't look at this as a diet, look at it as weight management for the life of your dog. 

Stay positive, do what you can and trust that you will know if/when it's time to do more.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

TigasMom said:


> On the xray of the knee the only thing she saw was that th little triangular area between the ligament and kneecap and leg bone which should have been clear with fluid, was cloudy. Like with some inflammation. That and her manipulating the knee ( though it took a lot of manipulating) made him snap a bit. Does this sound like ACL?


Yes, I'm afraid that sounds *exactly* like an ACL. I would strongly consider visiting with an orthopedic specialist to discuss all your options and what might be best in his case.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Gotta use the crate. If he's loose, there's too much risk of worsening the injury.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I forgot to answer your question about how ACL's tear. Many reasons but common ones are slipping, falling or landing wrong; normal wear and tear; maybe there's a physiological component like the joint isn't quite structurally sound to begin with; I also wonder if hip dysplasia might be conducive to knee injuries; and too much weight -- I've read that anything over 75 lbs is vulnerable.


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## PB&J (Jun 19, 2009)

Hi!
Our Lily had double ACL surgery about 2 months ago (partially tore one of her knees and completely tore the other!) so she's been on bed rest since then(will be until the end of June!). She's doing really well and is walking so much better than she was before the surgery, before we knew she'd even partially torn even one! So needless to say, we've been in your shoes with needing to keep her quiet. Rawhides and bullysticks have helped. Also the Kong Wobbler...she spends quite a bit of time playing with that thing and we just fill it with kibble to keep her occupied. When we were away at work we kept her confined to the front hall with a baby gate so she couldn't wander too far. We've also been spending quite a bit of time brushing her and talking to her while we do...keeps her busy and quiet and helps right now with shedding season. 
Anyway, hope this helps and feel free to ask if you have any questions!


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## TigasMom (Sep 4, 2009)

What can you guys recommend as a low calorie food he might like that's not too costly? We had been on the Kirkland adult low calorie food bur the last time we were at Costco they were demo-ing a new natural food with these small bags samples maybe one or two lb of food. So we are in the middle of a 40 lb bag of that. He needs to take off 20 lb.


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## TigasMom (Sep 4, 2009)

TigasMom said:


> What can you guys recommend as a low calorie food he might like that's not too costly? We had been on the Kirkland adult low calorie food bur the last time we were at Costco they were demo-ing a new natural food with these small bags samples maybe one or two lb of food. So we are in the middle of a 40 lb bag of that. He needs to take off 20 lb.


ok i went to costco and this new brand is called Vitality. A cup of food is 350 calories. that seems ok, right?

jeez a big dog eating 2 cups of dry dog food a day. life sucks. :yuck:


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

TigasMom said:


> ok i went to costco and this new brand is called Vitality. A cup of food is 350 calories. that seems ok, right?
> 
> jeez a big dog eating 2 cups of dry dog food a day. life sucks. :yuck:


LOL, it is a shocker at first, isn't it. I've been doing this for many years and it does feel normal now. Fillers are valuable!  Green beans (unsalted), snow peas, carrots (raw or cooked, depending on how he likes them), broccoli. Occasionally I throw in a few sardines for thrills, a raw egg a couple times a week. I mix it up, because you're right ... 2 cups of dry kibble is sad! A lot of weight management kibbles are low in omega oils so you might want to consider supplementing with some type of salmon oil. Dogs love this too, so it's another way to perk up the meals.

It shouldn't take long to drop the 20 pounds. Stick with it. Losing that extra weight is more important now than even the bed rest.

How is he doing? Any improvement?


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## TigasMom (Sep 4, 2009)

Thanks Jo Ellen...so is 350 calories twice a day, is that low calorie? It sure sounds like it! So how do I add those extra foods if they are going to add calories? I mean the veg obviously doesnt, but the other stuff...

Well since this issue was only noticeable when he would be exercising it's hard to notice any difference. I watched him walk down the hall after getting up this morning and it looked fine. He is a "swayer" when he walks but his hips crated fine. I'm not sure if he has a tear Or if the ACL is just sore?

Steph


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Yeah, the ACL could be a mystery for awhile, hard to know for sure. The only time I knew for sure the ACL was involved was when they ruptured, that part is unmistakeable. It's such a gray area when they're only limping or favoring, could be a number of things.

I don't think a few sardines here and there or an occasional egg is going to throw you off too much. 350 + 350 is 700 carlories so you have a little bit of wiggle room there. Vegetables are what I call free calories, I don't even think about those. Or an occasional bit of orange or apple, or bully stick or some other type of chew treat. I would avoid marrow bones entirely for now, they are very high in calories and I can sure tell they add to Daisy's weight quickly.

Just get into the habit of thinking carlories, healthy calories. Sometimes I throw in 1/4 cup of Activia yogurt, canned mackeral is a big hit, and also good for the Omega's. I do all kinds of things ... and sometimes I even splurge now that her weight is good (non-fat yogurt at the ice cream shop down the road, a bit of pizza crust when I have pizza, and even the marrow bone luxury from time to time). Once you get the hang of the weight management program, you really do discover how easy it is to be creative without being obsessive. And then everyone is happy, even the vet! 

Oh, if it's his ACL and it's sore, that means there's an injury. Let's hope it has nothing to do with that.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Oh, I should tell you ...

If you start this weight management program, be prepared for counter surfing. Daisy never was a counter surfer before we started her weight management but she sure never misses an opportunity now. 

I wouldn't go below 700-800 calories. Yes, that's definitely considered low. Your dog may give you the impression that he's starving, but he's not. He just wants to eat. That's where the free calories become very beneficial. Free calories don't have to be served with the regular meal -- for a dog that loves to eat, they do really well for snacks between meals or before bedtime.


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