# Cooper is home from his suergur



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am glad to see Cooper is home, but sorry that it was more than expected in terms of what had to be done. Did they give you some good pain meds for him? Tramadol is very good for relieving pain and also makes them majorly relaxed. Metacam is basically like doggie advil. We have a large bottle of it at our house with use as needed on the prescription label.


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

well...messed up when trying fix a few things in my post...that was supposed to be SURGERY and not sure how to fix it....will post photo in a few mins...need to make it smaller


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks, ..he's taking deramaxx but that doesn't seem to be helping much.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

KellyL said:


> Thanks, ..he's taking deramaxx but that doesn't seem to be helping much.



That's too bad. I hope he feels better asap.

Try clicking on go advanced in the edit box and you should be able to fix your title.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Glad he's out of surgery, but sad he's in pain  I was very pleased with how well Tramadol kept Maizie as comfortable as possible after her spay/gastopexy/gastrotomy. Maybe you could ask about it? Hope your baby feels better very soon! :love2:


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Glad Cooper's surgery went ok but sure feel bad for him being in pain!! Get better soon Cooper!


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

here's my poor baby


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Oh poor darling! I hope he feels better soon.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Glad Cooper is home and the surgery was successful. If you don't think that pain medicine is doing enough, call and ask for Tramadol. It's a long weekend... Poor guy!


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Poor boy! Glad he has you looking after him!


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Oh, your poor boy, but I'm happy he is repaired now. I hope you can call the vet and have them give you stronger pain meds so he can be comfortable. Pain control is a big part of healing. If your vet won't help, the ER is a good option, and one I had to use under similar pain circumstances.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think there may be a balance to be found between pain control and making him so comfortable he wants to move around too soon - perhaps that is why your vet has not prescribed anything stronger. It is miserable for both of you, though, so I would talk to your vet ASAP.

Hoping for a smooth, troublefree recovery.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

fjm you raise a good point. When Lily was spayed I almost didn't give her 2nd day pain meds because it was clear that if she felt much better than she did she was not going to be quiet.


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks, everyone..I appreciate all of the comments and well wishes for Cooper. He seems to be a bit better today pain wise, so I'm happy about that. He finally had a bite to eat late yesterday, so I'm sure that made him feel stronger. He's not putting his foot to the ground just yet, but I think it's because he is so used to hobbling around on 3 legs and of course I'm sure he' still quite sore. 

We all slept in the living room last night. With cushions and dog beds all around so everyone was fairly comfortable. Here's a photo of Cooper and Lucy from last night. Lucy is normally a very rambunctious dog and always trying to get Cooper to play with her. But since bringing Cooper home, Lucy has been different. She's been very careful around him and always snuggling up to him. Like she knows he's not himself and not feeling well.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Aww, poor guy! Hope you can get him some better pain control, although do be careful that he's not feeling so good that he is too active and re-injures his knee. Will he have more activity restrictions beyond 10 days? That seems awfully short for a CLL repair, especially with a torn meniscus too. Ligaments and tendons are avascular and heal very slowly.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

How's Mr. Cooper doing today?


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Coopers doing well, thanks. He's no longer crying/whining. Yesterday I noticed that he puts his foot on the floor occasionally. Not putting much weight on it,..more just to balance. But that's still better than keeping it up all the time. Tomorrow I will take him back to the vet for his second laser therapy. 

He'll still have restrictions for quite some time. After 10 days he will be able to go on a short (10 min) walk on a short leash. Then gradually increasing to 15-20 mins. I'm hoping by then he'll be able to put more weight on his foot. Even by 5-8 weeks he'll still be on controlled leash walks. What he's missing right now is being able to go in the back yard on his own. Cooper is a very calm dog and if it wasn't for the squirrels that he may see in the back yard, I'd trust him not to run around...but we can't take that risk obviously. We do have an area in the back that is blocked off from the yard that I can eventually take the leash off so he can have a bit of freedom once I get the ok from the vet. He's just a bit bored right now I think...but this will all be worth it once he's healed and walking without all the problems he's had over the last few months.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am glad to hear that Cooper is starting to feel better even if just by "baby steps."


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Glad he is doing better! Time for lots of training and brain games to help keep him from going stir crazy!


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Glad to hear he's on the mend. Sounds like every day he's feeling a bit better, a bit more confident on his leg. In a few weeks, you may have trouble slowing him down.


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks, everyone! Quick update on Cooper. Each day I see improvement. He's using his leg more often now and the incision looks great. Never had any redness or swelling. I have to say I wasn't certain about the laser therapy, but I I'm glad we decided to pay for that extra for him. He had the first one done the day after surgery, so I didn't notice much. I took him in for a session on Monday and I could see a big difference in how it looked after and how he was using his leg. It could be my imagination, I suppose, but I really don't think so. We'll go again tomorrow for another session.

He gets his stitches out next week and then we can start 5 min walks a couple times a day. I'm sure he'll love that since he seems a bit bored with his new routine.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Great news! Love to hear his progress. Are you going to keep updating both threads?


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

I feel so sad for Cooper!
I would be a wreck watching how sad he seems to be. It's difficult not knowing how much pain they are in. It's so difficult to tell. I hope for a speedy recovery and of course that the surgery takes care of the problem. That sadly doesn't always seem a sure thing. My best to you and Cooper.
Jcris
Sorry I'm so late to this thread but I didn't see what the issue was?


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks, Liz and jcris....Cooper is doing really well. He's using his leg a lot more now. Still the odd time will hold it up, but nothing like he had been doing before. This week he'll get his stitches out and then we can start some short walks. We're still doing the laser therapy and after each session his incision seems to improve.

jcris...I was told months ago that Cooper had hip dysplasia and for months now he had been limping and seemed to be in a lot of pain. We were given pain meds and were told to give to him only on his really bad days. But then last month after playing around in the backyard, we heard a yelp and he then didn't put his foot down at all. We figured that the playing had hurt the hip more. He had his yearly app't with the vet a couple days later and a different vet saw him and asked what was wrong with his leg. I told him he had hip dysplasia. He went on with the examination and gave him his shots. We were about to leave the office and he said he wanted to look at his leg one more time. After closer examination, he told me Cooper had ruptured a ligament and would need surgery. Although they have never admitted to this, I think the first vet was wrong about the hip dysplasia and it was the knee all along. It'll be interesting to see how Cooper is after he's healed completely.


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Kelly,
Interesting post. My sister had a similar situation occur with her english mastiff. Eventually he needed surgery to correct a torn ACL. He is a great, very mild mannered giant. Such a sweet dog. Unfortunately after $3000 worth of TPLO surgery and a year later he is limping again. At first we noticed that the surgical knee was not healing straight. That is to say it didn't look like his other knee. A trip to the specialist yielded a "lets wait and see" comment. The specialist refuses to do the surgery over saying there is nothing wrong with what he did and is unwilling to compromise to any degree. My sister can't afford to do this again so poor Jax has to suffer through for now. I sincerely hope Cooper recovers and if you see anything, in the way he is recovering, that appears suspect please don't hesitate to have him checked. Vets like doctors aren't perfect but, IMHO, the good ones should be willing to compromise and fess up if they suspect their work is not ideal. Of course that would be a perfect world .
Jcris
Also, be aware that with Jax he is now experiencing problems with his other knee.


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Yes, I would imagine with the weight being on the one leg, there is possibility of the same thing happening to that leg. That's been on my mind throughout this whole ordeal. Plus we need Cooper to lose some weight. For almost a year he hasn't been very active due to the leg pain. So once we get the ok, I'm hoping the activity levels will increase. In the meantime, we have been very strict with his diet. 

Sorry to hear your sister's dog is limping again after having the surgery. It's so sad to see them in any pain...but especially after having the surgery and expecting good results. Thanks for telling me about Jax.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

The same thing happens in humans - an injury in one leg often results in an overuse injury in the other leg or even to other muscles in the same leg. What's the rehab plan? Lots of swimming?


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Hi Liz,
Unfortunately, Cooper doesn't enjoy the water. Out of the 3, I only have one who loves the pool. I see the vet this week and will talk more about the rehab plan. So far from the papers he's given me to read, it looks like for days 10-28, it's just short, slow, controlled walks 2-3 times a day..eventually getting up to 15-20 min walks by day 28. By week 5-8 it'll be 20-30 min walks 3 times a day. There are other strengthing exercises to start during this time as well.


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Hello Kelly,
When my sisters mastiff was convalescing he was allowed in the backyard on leash only. And a short leash at that. During one of his brief visits to the yard he saw another dog along the fence line and bolted away from my sister dragging her toward the other dog. Afterwards his repaired knee swelled up and it was a couple days before the swelling began to recede. My sister was horrified. I only mention this as a caution to you to be extra vigilant during Cooper's recovery. It's difficult to keep your pup on leash at all times and not allow them their freedom. Especially as Cooper's mobility begins to improve it is so tempting to give him just a bit more leeway. 
It is likely that this episode during Jax's recovery contributed to his not recovering properly. It caught both me and my sister off guard and Jax does weigh almost 130 pounds. That's no excuse, just sayin please be careful.
Jcris


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Awwww...poor Cooper. He's been through it. I'm glad he seems to be feeling much better and that good, effective healing will continue. I think the laser treatments help a lot. My Matisse had them after his knee surgery and it seemed to be soothing. I hope there won't be any long term problems associated with this. That is always a little scary, isn't it. Well, we do the best we can for our little ones. Sending my best to you and Cooper.


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## KellyL (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks, PB...and I agree, I would recommend the laser therapy to anyone wondering if it really works.

Jcris.. You're right, it's very tempting to give Cooper some freedom from the leash as he's feeling better and I'm glad you said what you said. Sorry your sister/her dog went through this but it's a good reminder to keep him on his leash until the vet says otherwise. Thanks


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