[Dailydrool] torn cruciate

[AWoodrum]

Sorry to take so long to reply, it's the "Daily Drool" in the SPAM folder
bit, I just cleaned the folder out.  Again.  Sigh.

This happened to our Gracie at about the same age, 10 to 12 years old, and
very long story short, she did not have surgery, we went with pain killers,
too, and she was able to rehab just fine, back to normal, but it did take at
least 6 months.  About 2 weeks after she was injured I started to allow her
to take a few steps in the yard again.  She loved going for walks, so I let
her walk across our front yard to start rehabbing, then I'd pick her up and
pull her in our little red wagon (big red wagon actually, Gracie weighed
about 68 pounds) and she would ride while Holly and Anna walked and Mama
pulled.  After a week, I let her go a little further (one more house), then
slowly, very very slowly, we built up the distance she could go.  Every week
or so she was allowed to go a little further.  What I did was watch her leg
- once it started to quiver it was stop walking now and in the wagon - she
wanted to go more but I did not let her because I didn't want her to do too
much and reinjure her leg.  During this time we also slowly cut her pain
meds back and eventually got her off of the prescription meds - she always
took SOD & Boswellia, which helped her a lot.  

One thing we did right away was put ramps for her to use, our house is a
1950s pier and beam foundation, so there is an 8 to 10 inch drop off in the
back where the pet door is located.  I built steps when we first installed
the pet door using big heavy yard stepping stones (from Home Depot, about 2
inches thick each), and once Gracie was injured, the steps had to go.
Actually we built a ramp from plywood and used the steps as the support for
the plywood ramp.  Attached the plywood to the foundation and the patio, it
rests on the old doggie steps, which are very strong and heavy, and it works
great.  Did a similar thing on the front steps.  The plywood was already in
the garage so no cost, then I bought a bit of that ugly green outdoor
carpeting and stapled it to the ramps so the dogs would have some traction.
It's all still there and still works great.  Gracie rehabbed well and lived
several more years and died at age 15 of kidney failure, almost 2 years ago.
The ramps are still in use and come in very handy for our seniors.  

One other thing - Debbie Winchester sent me a special back legs harness to
use to help Gracie start to learn to walk again and to use to get her
outside to potty, and that thing about saved my life.  Using the "towel
under the belly" will just about kill you.  I highly recommend you go online
and get something to help get her up and in and out.  There are Droolers out
there who can recommend where to go online and what to order.  

Anita Woodrum
awoodrum at clear.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Dailydrool [mailto:dailydrool-bounces at lists.dailydrool.org] On Behalf
Of daisy7521 at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2014 9:30 PM
To: dailydrool at lists.dailydrool.org
Subject: [Dailydrool] torn cruciate

The DAILY DROOL
An internet mail list designed to
entertain and inform basset hounds
and their people.


------------------------------------------

           ----
           /    \__
|\         /    @   \
\ \_______|    \  .: O
 \      ##|    | \__/
  |    ####\__/   \
  /  /  ##       \|
 /  /__________\  \
 L_JJ           \__JJ
-----------------------------
***Secret Pawtner Info***
http://lists.dailydrool.org/listinfo.cgi/secretpawtner-dailydrool.org

Daily Drool Website:
http://www.dailydrool.com

Vote for Basset of the Week:  http://www.dailydrool.com/botw.html

Dictionary of Common Drool Terminology:
http://mysite.verizon.net/msrandolph/

Daily Drool Archives:
http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/

Old Daily Drool Archives:
http://oldarchives.dailydrool.org/dailydrool/