YES, MY GOLDEN RETRIEVER KAYCEE HAD BOTH KNEES DONE. SHE STARTED LIMPING A COU0PLE OF DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMA IN 2000 AND I WAS IN A PANIC. I HAD LOST MY 12 1/2 YEAR OLD IRISH SETTER TO BONE CANCER IN JULY "97 AND HE STARTED WITH A LIMP.ON REAR LEG.
GOT KAYCEE TO THE VET AND LUXATING PATELLA WAS DAGNOSIS. SHE HAD HER RIGHT KNEE DONE jAN. 3, 2001. sHE WAS 16 MONTHS OLD. THEN 14 MONTHS LATER HER OTHER KNEE TOTALLY WENT AND THIS TIME SHE ALSO HAD TO HAVE ACL REPAIR. RECOVERY WAS LONGER. THE FIRST TIME I HAD TO KEEP HER INACTIVE FOR 4 WEEKS, THE OTHER KNEE REQUIRED 6 WEEKS AND SHE HAD TO WEAR A SPLINT THE FIRST 5 DAYS.
BECAUSE SHE WAS TOTALLY INACTIVE FOR SO LONG, I WOULD MASSAGE HER BACK AN HER LEGS EVERY DAY--AND SHE LOVED IT. ALSO, SE HAD VERY SENSITIVE SKIN AND HAD HORRIBLE RAZOR BURN AND ALSO WHEN SPLINT WAS REMOVED, TAPE BURN WAS WORSE THAN RAZOR BURN. I SMEARED HER SKIN SEVERAL TIMES A DAY WITH ALOE VERA GEL. IT NOT ONLY SOOTHED THE BURN, BUT ALSO HELPED WITH HEALING.
ALSO THE FIRST FEW DAYS I HAD TO USE A SLING TO HELP HER WHEN SHE WENT OUT TO DO BUSINESS. I USED AN OLD TABLE CLOTH. I WILL POST A PICTURE AND YOU WILL SEE HER LAYNG ON IT..
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOUR CALLIE DOES NOT BECOME TO ACTIVE TO SOON. ACCODING TO ME VET, THE LARGER DOGS ARE FAR MORE APT TO FOUL UP THE SURGERY THAN TOY BREEDS BCAUSE OF THEIR WEIGHT, AN THEY USUALLY SEEM TO TRY TO GET ACTIVE SOONER.
ALSO, IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO START CALLIE ON JOINT SUPS RIGHT NOW, GLUCOSAMINE, MSM, CHONDROTIN. I STATED KAYCEE ON THEM AFTE HER FIRST SURGERY. SHE DIED MAY 25 AT AGE 8 YEAS, 9 MONTHS, 1 WEEK---CANCER, THE TERROR OR GOLDEN RETRIEVERS. bUT SHE WAS RUNNING AND SPINNING AND JUMPING TIL THE END, HER KNEES NVER BOTHEREDHER AGAIN. aT 2 1/2 BEFORE LAST SURGERY SHE HAD TO BE HLPED UP ONTO THE BED AND SOFA. WHAT A DIFFERENCE THE SURGERIES MADE.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR CALLIE.
