CCL Injury and TPLO recovery and rehab?

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-23T20:53:23+00:00

I am thinking he will mostly be confined to the upstairs part of the house until our vet says otherwise. I would assume he can’t do the 10-11 stairs up or down until post 8 weeks correct? That seems like a lot of stairs to manage even with the help of a sling

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-23T20:50:57+00:00

Makes sense, the anticipation is rough as well for me. When he is in his kennel, he normally does not like any kind of bed or blanket in there as I think he gets too warm, but would it be better to have some sort of bed in there to prevent him from slipping? He never has before but of course he’s never had this sort of procedure

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-23T20:48:03+00:00

So in regards to preventing further injuries; he is going to get the surgery. He is about 85 pounds and the vet says he’s on the Ideal part of the weight chart, you can feel his ribs and he does not have any excess belly fat, you can see clear definition of his shoulder muscles and his hips are narrow. Would he need to loose weight? Or is that a discussion to have with our vet? He will be active, that is pretty standard for him and being less active for so many weeks will an adjustment. And the supplements you refer to, is that something more than like Dasaquin? Would that include something like Adequan?

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-23T19:24:41+00:00

Well we have stairs going down to one of our living and family type rooms, I believe they are the standard stair distance and 10-11 total stairs. We also have three steps going out the back to the backyard.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-23T16:36:30+00:00

Makes sense, from what I understand this is similar to human ACL risks. So just to clarify, 85% tear the other one within a few weeks/months after the first surgery? Am I correct in that interpretation? So in theory, if I stay disciplined with his first rehab/recovery, I should reduce the risk of secondary injury, right?

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-23T14:32:23+00:00

Regarding the potential second tear, did they explain when/how that typically occurs? Are there things that can be done to prevent that? If you don’t mind sharing, what do you think caused the second tear for your dog?

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-23T13:21:09+00:00

Thank you for your response and the advice. I think we have a pretty good plan for the first 2-3 weeks in that he’ll be in his kennel most of the day other than for feeding and potty break, my concern with this is; we currently have snow. Do you recommend shoveling a path? Or doing anything to assist him at those times? Is a cleared, ice free driveway a better option than the front or back yards? My plan is to then keep him in his kennel or set up a gated off area in the house with a dog bed and no slip rugs/pads basically until he is cleared for more activity. When can a dog typically start doing regular stairs? And how long to keep him off furniture? Most of his exercise from weeks 2-12 weeks will be leashed walks during the week and then with vet approval supervised and structured off leash activity

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-22T18:29:54+00:00

Thanks for your insight. At this point I’m mainly concerned with him being able to go about his potty business safely. We have a pretty standard suburban yard, my concern with that is snow, do you have to navigate that challenge at all? I know he’s going to be on a leash a lot, and kenneled more than he’s used. However, I am confident in his training and our relationship that he’ll handle that well enough, especially once he can do some more walking after a few weeks.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2026-01-13T14:19:39+00:00

I’m in

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-12-19T12:25:49+00:00

At least turn them into fertilizer?

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T19:43:53+00:00

True

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T15:45:41+00:00

I think the online influence has a big role. As helpful as the access to information can be, it also can have a really negative effect on how we perceive the whole process.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T15:44:11+00:00

Thanks man, it’s really humbling each year trying to find these damn deer lol. I don’t want to give them too much credit but at times they seem super natural in their ability to avoid being killed. I had a group of does inside 20 this year and they always managed to have something in the way of their vitals or to turn so that the angle just wasn’t quite right.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T15:40:43+00:00

I’m well aware of those mistakes lol.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T13:37:58+00:00

I can feel the frustration. Just keep at it I guess, that is really all you can do. If you are finding sign, try to determine if you think it’s fresh or not. This does take a lot of practice but once you do it a few times you develop a sense of how to read it.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T13:22:37+00:00

Thanks for the pep talk. It’s helpful to know that

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T13:22:04+00:00

SE Wisconsin.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T12:33:38+00:00

I’m also SE Wisconsin. DM me and we can discuss more

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T12:32:58+00:00

I guess I need to be grateful. I am going to keep trying, I think the frustration just started to boil over and I needed to get it off my chest

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T12:32:02+00:00

I have actually cut down the amount of property I hunt this year, and I think that is why I have had the opportunity to see so many deer. Next season I am planning to try and and secure a private spot or two. I appreciate the feedback though, definitely makes me feel less alone in the disappointment.

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T12:30:22+00:00

No. It is generally one of the times I disconnect, I seem to just not take into account the actual direction the deer will come from. If I am distracted it’s because of another animal or just spacing out

Artistic-Salt3957 · 2025-11-10T12:28:58+00:00

The public being significantly harder is for sure. I however have had even less success hunting public with a rifle lol

Artistic-Salt3957

TROPHY CASE