[nagdu] Experience talk needed for this sad puppy

[S L Johnson]

Hello:

I am so sorry to hear about this.  It is definitely very sad news.  I 
suppose you will not know until the X-rays if it is a complete or partial 
tare.  The treatment options may be different depending on the severity of 
the injury.  I had a female golden, Cinnamon,  with a partial tare in her 
right ACL after a boy on a skateboard slammed into her.  Since it was only 
partial my vet chose not to do surgery.  He said sometimes the partial tares 
will heal themselves over time.  He did advise me that this could be a 
career ending injury.  Cinnamon was immediately put on high doses of 
anti-inflammatory pain medications.   She was not worked for several months 
in the hope scar tissue would gradually repair the tare.  Even though she 
wasn't working,the vet advised me to walk her around the house or yard.  He 
had me start very slow and for a few minutes gradually increasing the time 
and distance as she was able to tolerate it.  The reason he gave was to keep 
her joints from becoming stiff and her muscles too weak.  He also showed me 
exercises to do on the injured leg to help it regain strength and range of 
motion.    finally the vet let her do short walks but, her work was very 
limited.  She no longer had stamina for long walks, had trouble with high 
curbs and steps and was painful in damp cold weather.  I did end up having 
to retire her as a result of this injury.  Cinnamon was six-and-a-half years 
old when she was injured so the outcome may be different for a younger dog. 
Give him lots of love from me and good luck.  I will keep you and your 
beloved pup in my thoughts and prayers.

Sandra and Eva

-----Original Message----- 
From: Valerie Gibson via nagdu
Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2015 4:25 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Valerie Gibson
Subject: [nagdu] Experience talk needed for this sad puppy

Hi,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Mine will not be so wonderful.

As some know, I am training my own guide dog of the Akita Inu breed.

Right now, he is one year and seven months old.

Because the larger breeds do take more time to mature, he's not quite there 
yet, but we'd just started to work in more places so that he could know that 
the commands are the same no matter where we are.  He'd been making great 
progress, even surprising me at time.  I was pleased.

But then...he tore his cruciate, and for those who don't know, i believe 
it's in the ballpark of the ACL.

Obviously that takes training to a screeching halt, no pun intended.

We're scheduled for X-rays on monday, and then a consult with the surgeon, 
and then surgery, and then physical therapy.

I have a couple questions for you as dog owners, and then a couple questions 
for those who do train their own dogs or who know anything about dog 
training.  If yo know all of the above, you'll be even more helpful.

Has anyone known a dog who's torn their ACL and has undergone surgery and 
PT?  If so, what was your experience?  I'd preferably love to hear about 
younger dogs who have done this.  I'd assume olde dogs don't have the 
resilience, but i could be wrong.

I'd also like to know, from you trainers or experienced dog handlers, are 
there any training things i can do with him that requires hardly any 
mobility?

I'm assuming that PT is going to take about a year to get him back on the 
job, even if it's just for an hour. Again, correct me if i'm wrong.  I just 
don't want to spend that time not working with him, even if it's just mental 
exercises.

If there's any other advice or tips you can give, please feel free.

I'd also like to point out that I'm sure I'll get multiple feedback on 
wether or not he will even be able to work. I've gotten it enough from my 
family, so I'd rather not be "told" my dog will or will not be able to work. 
I'm going to leave that decision to God, time, my knowledge of my dog, and 
the PT.

Any help or prayers will be appreciated during this long road ahead.

Thanks so much.
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