Koda needs surgery?!?

It seems a bit surreal. My perfectly healthy running dog now needs surgery? How did this happen?

Oct. 31, 2009 - Koda runs 6 miles of trails with me. He is completely sound and happy. In fact, when he finishes, he has energy to spare and would enthusiastically go run a few more. (He's run 10-13 miles with me on previous runs, so 6 miles is a piece of cake for him.)

Nov. 22 - Koda was running full tilt at the dog park when I hear a yelp and he comes up lame. I immediately take him to the vet - but it's for the FRONT left paw he's limping on. We get a round of Rimadyl and instructions to take it easy.

Koda's front left paw sprain appears to clear up and everything is back to normal.

Dec. 24 - Koda and I go out to a trail for a little 5 mile Christmas Eve run. But 30 minutes into it, he starts to slow down and his gait is uneven. Pretty soon, he is really struggling on the uphills, so we take breaks, and alternate between walking and jogging to get back to the truck. This has never happened before. I'm thinking maybe he's just having an "off day" - so I decide to not take him out for runs for awhile.

Jan. 7, 2010 - Koda and I head out to a trail, after 2 weeks of no running (and leashed walks only). Again, after about 30 minutes, he starts slowing down and eventually stops completely and sits down to rest. On our way back to the car, I notice he doesn't seem to have problems running down hills, but the uphills are a struggle.

Jan. 15 - The day of truth. On a regular neighborhood loop walk, Koda starts "hiking up" his REAR left leg. We are about 30 minutes into the walk when he just pulls over and sits down. He refuses to walk any more. It's heart-breaking, but now I know it's his left hind leg giving him the problems.

I have the vet do a comprehensive exam on him, to rule out anything else that may be going on. Koda is put on Rimadyl for the second time and he is only allowed short walks on flat streets only.

Jan. 22 - Follow-up visit to the vet. He's still limping a little, but we want to see if he will improve over time. Another third round of Rimadyl and continued short, flat walks.

Mar. 5 - Now 6 weeks later, Koda is not showing significant improvement with this conservative treatment of Rimadyl and restricted activity. I get a referral for a surgical consult.

Mar. 9 - Koda is seen by Dr. Munjar of the Veterinary Sugical Center of Portland. The doctor does a manual examination as well as a set of xrays. The xrays reveal signs of CCL damage, with the start of calcium growths around the joint. He recommends the TPLO surgery for Koda's early stage CCL tear.

I am leaning towards the TPLO surgery because it seems like the only definitive solution. The insignificant improvements using conservative treatments would never allow Koda to resume his normal activities. They would only continue the cycle of Rimadyl, rest, and temporary improvement. Dr. Munjar said because Koda was athletically fit, not overweight and only had an early stage tear, he stood a good chance of returning to his active lifestyle after the surgery and recovery.

But this TPLO surgery is not only very invasive, requiring 8 weeks of complete inactivity, it is super expensive. The estimate I received was about $3400 - $4000 (including the initial set of Xrays and the consultation fee). Yikes!

After doing some more research (see links at the right), I wanted to explore an alternative to surgery. I was getting cold feet after reading about how all-consuming the long recovery period is. I'd found an article from OSU's Canine Rehabilitation Center called "Research shows that therapy and rehab can prevent ACL surgery for your dog" - which sounded like a viable option to check out.

I spoke with a surgeon there, Dr. Tom Smith, but found out that this alternative method is really only recommended for smaller dogs (under 35 lbs.) who are not as active as my 60 lb. running husky. He said if it were his dog, he would do the TPLO surgery.

Mar. 15 - Koda is admitted for his TPLO surgery.