At 2 days post-op after TPLO surgery for a torn ACL, we took Tenor home from the pet hospital. 

Dr. Beckman said that he was healing faster than most dogs, and he was also putting more weight on his leg sooner than most.

I think Tenor paid the price for that extra weight on his leg in those first days post-op, because his leg and ankle swelled up like an over-stuffed balloon just moments after we got him home.

Here's a little about our dog's recovery from TPLO surgery, as well as the stories of other dogs who've been through it.

Last month, on a warm sunny day, Jim & I had just returned home from a trip to Canada.

We picked up our dog at the pet sitters, then we all played at home in the backyard together. Tenor was soooo happy to see us. It had been a week -- about the longest he'd been away from us.

Suddenly, he got this urge to just start running... HARD!

Tenor was running laps from corner to corner -- the entire perimeter of our fenceline. When all of a sudden, as he was running and turning the corner, he yelped and fell down. His knee gave out. That was the start of Tenor's 3-legged mobility.

Our Dog Tore His ACL

We immediately called our vet, who said to put him on the Deramaxx pain killers we had leftover from the last time he pulled his leg muscle.  If it continued for more than a week, he wanted us to bring  Tenor in for x-rays.

It continued. The meds didn't help much. Tenor wouldn't put any weight on that back right leg at all. When we took him to the vet for x-rays, it was obvious that he'd torn his ACL.

 

The vet said Tenor had about an inch or so of free-range motion in that knee -- in a direction that he was supposed to have NONE. (More proof that the ligament was torn.)

So we scheduled our initial pre-op visit with the veterinary surgeon who comes highly recommended in these parts: Dr. Samuel Beckman with Affiliated Veterinary Specialists here in Nashville. (They're also the doctors associated with the after-hours emergency care center.)

 

So we took our vet's x-rays to the surgeon (Dr. Beckman), who also did a visual exam of Tenor and agreed the TPLO surgery was necessary.

By the way, while examining Tenor's x-rays (one set included his hips), Dr. Beckman said that Tenor will never have a problem with his hips -- they look REALLY good. Whew! some good news for a change!

Dr Beckman also spent a good deal of time explaining to us the parts of a dog's knee, how the knee and ACL work in dogs -- including ways that they're similar and ways that they're different from a human's ACL and a human's knee, the options for this type of injury, and what to expect in terms of the surgery and recuperation period.

We recently introduced the GoughNuts dog toy to our dog, Tenor, for the first time.

Think: A 'doughnut' that dogs go nuts for.

Let me just tell you... the minute that package arrived in the mail, somehow he instinctively knew it was for him. I don't know if it was the strong smell of the rubber that was wreaking from the package itself, or what. But he kept pestering me until I took the time to open it and let him see what it was.

And he immediately loved it!

   

I recently got our dog the Tug-A-Jug dog toy by Busy Buddy. They call it 'the ultimate interactive toy'.

I chose this particular dog toy because my dog REALLY likes to play with old 2-liter bottles. He especially likes it when I put tiny dog treats inside the emplty bottle. He'll play for a long time just nosing the bottle around on the floor and pawing at it with his toes. And he really likes making the plastic crinkle, pop and crack while he's trying vigorously to get the treats out of the bottle.

Of course, at the end of the play session (which can last an entire evening), the bottle is always thrown away -- because, at this point, there are usually some sharp corners of plastic. Not to mention the fact that the treats have mostly been emptied, and the bottle itself is in some strange contortion that is no longer rollable, tossable, or even chewable.

So I thought the Tug-A-Jug sounded like a more permanent option to the old 2-liter bottle idea.

I got the large one that is 'best for dogs over 40 lbs'. (I have an 80 lb. Black Lab.)

I'm beginning to think my dog is smarter than I give him credit for. I think he can spell words!

Here's what I'm talking about...

My friend Tonya brought her dog (Lucy) over to play with our dog (Tenor) the other day. This was their first time meeting.

And it was hilarious.

Her little pup (at one year of age) is like the Energizer Bunny. She never stops. And just when you think she went this way, you realize she went that way and now she's right behind you.

She moves so fast, it's nearly impossible to capture her in photographs!

At the IHRA drag races I attended last month, I photographed several dogs who were accompanying their owners to the races.

The dogs belonged to drag racers and their families who tend to travel with their pets from race to race. In the IHRA drag racing series, there are usually 11 or so races each year -- which means a lot of time on the road, and a lot of loud noises for the dogs.

This led me to wonder... do dogs need ear protection?

What if I take my dog to a race someday? Are there doggie earplugs or something that we should consider?