HOW IT STARTED:

Around Christmas 2003, Worf started limping on his back left leg.  He seemed to get better but then started again on New Years Day.  We brought him in to our vet, who diagnosed a "Cranial Cruciate Ligament" (CCL) tear.  It means that Worf tore a ligament in his knee.  Our vet referred us to the University Veterinary Hospital in St. Paul.  We had to wait three weeks to get in.

AT THE HOSPITAL:

On January 29th, a -30 degree (BEFORE windchill) day , I drove Worf down to St. Paul.  The specialist we saw felt Worf's right leg first (not the one he had been limping on) and Worf let out a howl.  So the doctor did xrays on his right and left legs and his hips.  His hips were fine.  But he had CCL tears in both his right and left back legs.  The specialist recommended that Worf have surgery on his left leg right away and then come back in 6 weeks to have surgery on his right leg.

He said these types of injuries can occur when a dog is running or jumping or even if they just step off the couch wrong.  It may be genetic.  So we really don't know how or when it happened for sure.  It's more common than I thought and happens in all types of dogs.  The doctor recommended a surgery called "Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy" (TPLO).  They actual cut and reshape the bones so that they fit together better and don't need a ligament.  [See link to other site about the surgery.]

Worf had surgery on January 30th and I picked him up the next day.  They shaved his leg down to pink skin.  Looks pretty funny on such a fluffy dog.  He was putting weight on his leg already, which they said is good, but he shouldn't do too much too soon.

AT HOME:

Worf is restricted to a small area in the house.  For the first four weeks, he is only allowed outside to go potty and has to be on a leash at all times.  Then, for six more weeks, he is only allowed two 20-minute walks a day.  All on leash.  No running, jumping, or playing for 10 weeks!  Pretty tough on a young dog who is used to playing all the time.  We stayed with him 24/7 for the first week or so because he had staples in and we had to make sure he wouldn't chew them out.  He wore his lovely conehead quite a bit.  He got his stitches out on Feb. 11th.  Our regular vet said it looked like it was healing well.

The hardest thing is trying to keep him from running and jumping.  Especially when it is nice out - he just wants to play!

His next appointment is scheduled for March 18th.  Possible second surgery then...

UPDATE 2/28/04:  Well, we are 4 weeks post-surgery.  Today he can finally start going for short walks.  Still no off-leash stuff but at least he can see more than our back yard.  He was good today but kept looking up at me like "Are you sure we can go this far?  Shouldn't we turn back?"  He really wants to run and play because it is so nice out and because there is a lot of mud to play in!

UPDATE 3/14/04:  Well, we are 6 weeks post-surgery.  His fur is growing back slowly.  It's like a wool sock right now.  Worf has been off his pain meds for over a week and seems to be doing fine.  We slowly weaned him down to 1/2 pill every other day and then to nothing.  He has been going for longer and longer walks and seems to be tolerating it well.  He still wants to jump and run and play hard.  He is quite the momma's boy now because he can't go out with Zena so he follows me around everywhere in the house.  He limps a little but not much.  I'd say he's back to 80% of where he was before surgery.  His follow-up appointment is next Thursday.  Unless the doctor says it is absolutely necessary for the second surgery right now, we might hold off for awhile.  It doesn't seem fair to Worf to put him back down to 0% when he has come so far.  And also, we are tired of 24/7 doggie care....  We just have to wait and see what the doctor says.

UPDATE 3/18/04:  Went to the doctor today.  Got in right away and went right to xray.  We reviewed the xrays with the doctor and he said everything looks good.  The bone is healing like it should and Worf is walking like he should be.  The doctor felt Worf's legs and said that his right leg is still loose and needs to be operated on but he said we can wait awhile if we want to.  (We want to!)  We decide to wait at least a month so that it's not so icy outside.  Worf is still on restrictions for his left leg for  4 more weeks.  The doctor said to just call and make an appointment for surgery when we are ready.

3/22/04:  While out for a short morning walk (on glare ice), Worf pulled the leash out of my hands and took off chasing some deer!  I had a hard time chasing after him because it was so slippery out.  I don't think he fell at all.  When I finally caught up to him, he was smiling (his first run in three months).  But he got yelled at for running away.  I gave him 1/2 a pain pill at night just in case.  I was really worried that he might have hurt either of his legs but he has been walking fine ever since.  What a little butthead!

4/04/04:  Went up to the cabin for the weekend.  Walked across the ice (about a mile) to get there and back.  We went for a short walk in the woods on the trail, which is pretty uneven.  Worf was fine but a little sore Sunday night.  He's been doing really well.

4/11/04:  We've been letting him have some "off leash" time in the back yard.  Usually by himself and all he does is lay on the deck and look in the window.  We have let him and Zena have some time to play but Worf always wants to run and jump so we have to break them up.  Yesterday he was REALLY limping on his right leg. :(  I guess the second surgery is inevitable.  We were hoping maybe to avoid it.  I'm going to call and schedule it ASAP.

4/12/04:  Called to schedule surgery today.  They can get him in on Friday, April 16th, so it's back down to the hospital for me and Worf later this week.  His leg is clicking and popping when he walks.  Our local vet said he has probably torn his meniscus too.

4/18/04:  Had the second surgery Friday.  The doctor said his meniscus was wrecked so the surgery was a little more involved, but everything went well.  I picked up Worf Saturday morning and came home.  He slept most of the way and most of the afternoon.  Pretty groggy from drugs.  He was walking on his surgery leg already.  Just in and out to potty and that's it.  Today, his leg is pretty swollen and very bruised.  He's not walking on it as much but he still gets around.  Lots of laying around resting.  He's had to wear his cone all night and much of the day so he won't try to lick his stitches (staples).  It's going to be a LONG ten weeks...   Zena was really lonely when we were gone (2 nights).  She is happy to have us back but sad she can't play with Worfy.

4/22/04:  Well, it's not going so well.  His leg REALLY swelled up and is leaking fluid.  I had him in to our regular vet yesterday.  He got a diuretic shot and antibiotics.  His leg is leaking all over so his fur and the blanket he lays on are stained.  He is depressed because he doesn't feel good and can't lick his leg.  Not fun...

4/28/04:  The swelling finally went down and he got his stitches out today.  He was a good boy at the vet.  He seems to be limping more now and not putting as much weight on it as he did before.  I called the surgeon and he said to keep an eye on him through the weekend and if it doesn't improve, to take more x-rays and send them down.  There is a chance he could have a fracture or an infection.  Hope not!

5/05/04:  Got an email from the surgeon.  He is on vacation this week but will meet us at the hospital Thursday or Friday if we bring Worf down and do xrays there.  I sent him a video of Worf walking last week and this week.  He is noticeably worse.  But he has got a little better the last few days.  So we will wait and see.

5/10/04:  3-1/2 weeks.  Worf is walking better but still limping. (More than I think he should be.) The surgeon should be back at his office today and am waiting to see what he says when he sees the video.  But, today, BOTH DOGS RAN AWAY chasing deer!!!!  The porch door wasn't closed all the way and they took off.  I was eventually able to find them (down the road), but Worf did WAY too much.  Just waiting to see how much damage he did.  Gave him half a Rimadyl to try to prevent some pain.  I'm sure it's got to hurt.  He's walking now but we'll see how he is doing tomorrow.

5/24/04:  Well, he survived his runaway episode a couple weeks ago.  He is on the second level of restrictions now (up to two 20-minute walks per day but still always on leash) until at least the end of June.  He is limping quite a bit and doesn't want to put a lot of weight on his right leg.  I did talk to the surgeon and he said to wait until his 6-8 week checkup unless he gets significantly worse.  Originally we planned to do xrays here and send them down for review, but I made an appt in St. Paul on June 10th so the surgeon can see him "in-person."  This second leg just isn't healing as fast as the first one did...  I just want this to be OVER!  Worf really wants to run and play but he can't.  It's depressing. :(

6/01/04: Went to the cabin for Memorial Day weekend.  Got a ride over in Uncle Todd's pontoon.  Went back in the boat.  It wasn't too bad.  Hard to walk much in the woods - too uneven.  Still limping.  Leg is clicking when he walks. He has been walking slightly better but not as good as with the first leg.

6/10/04: Had follow-up appointment today with surgeon.  Worf was a VERY good boy.  However, the news was not so good.  The doctor said his leg isn't as stable as it should be.  There is an angle that the bones should be at which is a maximum of 12 degrees.  Worf's is at 16 degrees.  The surgeon admitted that they messed up during surgery.  He wants to wait 4-6 weeks to see if building up more muscle on Worf's leg will help his stability.  If it doesn't, the surgeon wants to go in and do the surgery AGAIN and fix the angle.  At no cost.  So...we have to walk him more and try to get him to swim to build up muscle.  I don't think we want to go through surgery again.  But we will wait and see how it goes.  The light at the end of the tunnel is getting dim...  :( 

6/21/04:  I emailed the surgeon a bunch of questions and he sounds optimistic that exercise might strengthen Worf's leg enough so that we won't need more surgery.  He said two other surgeons measured the same angle and came up with 11 and 12 degrees so I guess it's not an exact science. (URRGH)  We have been walking a lot more.  He limps along but I keep pushing him to build up muscle.  Still no swimming because the water is just too cold!  Worf is just not a water dog so he has to wait until it's warm enough for Mom to go swimming with him.  He won't go on his own.

7/26/04:  We've been going to the cabin just about every weekend.  It's tough getting him out of the boat. No real swimming yet (been too cold!) Weren't able to get in to see the doctor at Worf's 6-week date. (Doctor on vacation.) Had an appointment set up for August 5th but had to cancel it because of things at work (for me).  Worf is doing "ok."  It does seem better but he still limps quite a bit especially after long walks and when he first gets up.  His leg is clicking a lot but it doesn't seem to hurt him.  He really wants to run and play (and does whenever he gets the chance).  I will reschedule his appointment when things slow down at work.  We REALLY don't want to do any more surgery unless it's a last resort.  He has been through enough.  Maybe there will be something else the doctor can recommend...

8/19/04:  Went to see the surgeon again.  He watched Worf walk around and even shaved a little patch on Worf's leg to see how the bones were moving.  He felt Worf's legs and hips.  Worf has "positional instability," which means his leg is unstable when his foot is in certain positions.  The doctor still feels that re-doing the surgery might help.  The key word is "might."  He really couldn't convince me that we really NEED to do this right now.  He said it might improve Worf's function but he might end up the same.  He said Worf is going to end up with arthritis either way but doing the surgery again might delay the onset of the arthritis.  But he might not get it for a long time anyways.  It's all unknown...  They could also try another type of slightly-less-invasive surgery using fishing line, but that may or may not work and the recovery time is the same (10-12 weeks).  Worf is getting around just fine.  His leg clicks quite a bit but it doesn't seem to bother him.  We go for long walks, he runs & plays with Zena, and he doesn't seem to have any pain.  He has a hard time climbing up out of the boat but he recently started climbing up on our high bed (which he never did before). He does limp at times and seems to tire easily, but then he just lays down and rests.  I think for now we are just going to wait and see if it gets worse.  He's only 20 months old and I hate to put him through the trauma again.

9/17/04:  Worf has been taking MSM/glucosomine supplements for over a month now.  I think it might be helping.  He rarely limps and his leg doesn't click very often.  He just lays down if he get tired or his leg hurts.  He loves to walk and run & play with Zena.  If given the chance, he will chase deer through the woods and over rocks, stumps, etc.  (we don't give him that chance!) He limps if he over does it, but who doesn't?  So far, no reason to consider another surgery at this time.

1/30/05:  It has been one year since the first surgery.  No limping or clicking.  I think the MSM/glucosimine really helps.  Plus we walk 20 minutes twice a day and he runs and plays a lot with Zena.

10/4/05:  We walk 20-40 minutes a day. Worf's right leg clicks and pops occasionally. It doesn't seem to hurt him. He limps a little if he walks too far or runs too much.  He rests a lot - pretty much of a big slug!  He's doing fine but we wonder how he would have been if we hadn't done the surgeries...   He's better at climbing stairs but still gets confused once in awhile.  I wonder if he will stay the same or decrease his leg function?

July 2007: It has been 3-1/2 years since Worf's TPLO surgeries.  He still limps on his right leg off and on.  He never really built up the muscle like he should have.  His leg clicks and pops hen he walks.  He is happy-go-lucky and it doesn't seem to bother him at all.  He runs when he wants to (not very often) and wrestles and plays with Zena.  Overall, he's a pretty lazy dog.  Who knows if he would have turned out the same way if his legs had been good....

MORE UPDATES TO FOLLOW...

Here are links to some pictures.  Be warned - some of them are VERY gross...

First Surgery        Second Surgery