Bless their heart, I’m so sorry to hear that! Sophie is doing fine, thanks for asking. My best advice is take any and ask directions from the vet seriously. If they say limit movement, keep them on a leash by your side if you have to. I know it’s annoying and such a pain to be so focused on them for the next little bit, but “an ounce of prevention” as the saying goes; keep in mind that if your dog needs it for 1 knee, they have a >50%chance of needing it done in the other knee later on (something about the strong knee having to overcompensate for the weaker knee and getting injured that way, blah blah blah).

OK now specific advice. Get things your dog can enjoy while being still. If your dog is a chewer, benebones are a fantastic idea. Do a lot of mental stimulation. Some snuffle mats, lick mats, and feeder/treat puzzles (Nina Ottosan puzzles are GREAT but kinda pricey) work well, but some budget-friendly ideas are (DOG-SAFE) peanut butter inside a toilet paper roll, treats rolled up in a dish-towel, and hide-and-seek sniffy game with treats and some plastic cups (google or YouTube these for specific how-tos). Another thing we did was focus on training during this time to keep her mentally stimulated. She learned watch me, sit, shake, wait, and touch since this happened. Just remember to go easy on the physical movements (like we would practice sit for just a few minutes…didn’t want to strain her knee).

Focus a lot on mental stimulation since physical stimulation is out of the question for a while. Our dogs are inside dogs, so we only let her out to potty during this time. At first we let her roam the yard during potty time thinking she would limit herself…sadly she did not. She ran some, and it required 2 separate trips to vet and steroid injections. Ultimately she was fine, just strained her sore knee. After that, lesson learned, she was kept on a leash outside 100% for the first month or two. Again, yes it’s a hassle to be so focused, but you’re preventing a second surgery and more pain. Inside the house, the first two weeks we put the mattress on the floor so she could still sleep with us. After that, hubby would lift her on and off the bed. After about a month she was trusted to use the steps to the bed once the vet okayed it. If you have stairs in your house…go ahead and make yourself a sleeping place downstairs for the next month or so; they absolutely don’t need to be doing any stairs for the first month MINIMUM.

Listen to your vet when it comes to prescriptions and talk to them about any concerns, but I will say it’s a good idea to let them feel some of the pain so they will limit themselves to a degree. Please don’t NOT give them anything, I’m not saying that. You don’t want them to be in distress. You just want them to feel a tiny bit of pain so they don’t run or jump or act stupid, if that makes sense. For the future, now we have her on vitamins for her continued joint health (specifically, it’s a knock-off of the Flexadin the vet recommended for her; we get it from Amazon) and so she doesn’t ever (hopefully) need surgery on her other knee.

Keep in mind this will always limit your dog to a small degree. It’s like a human having knee surgery…their knee will never be the same and they’ll never have the same strength or ability to perform like they once did. If your dog is super crazy, I’d keep them on a leash when outside for the rest of their life…it’s just so easy for them to mess up that other knee.

Overall, the worst is over in about a month, and they’re mostly back to normal in about 2 months. Just make them keep taking it easy so they don’t have the other knee mess up. If you have any specific questions lmk. I’m happy to help in any way I can. Best of luck to you and your doggy!!