06:45 – Toilet Break (W+P)

07:30 – Breakfast

Noticed that Basil has a staple remaining in his leg last night so vets at 10:00 to remove it.

10:10 Toilet Break (W)

Basil was an exceptionally good boy at the vets and was rewarded with a marrowbone chunk.

13:30 – Toilet break (W)

15:45 – Toilet Break (W+P)

19:30 – Toilet Break W+P)

22:30 – Toilet Break (W)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

So he slept all night with some degree of snoring.

Wound looking progressively better – little lumpy toward the top – will try and get some video of him in the garden today to show him using his leg as it is two weeks post-op today.

I awoke at 04:46am again – not sure why .. (last three days I’ve woken at 4am then struggle to get back to sleep until 07:00 for 40 mins or so.

Daily Summary

08:00 – Toilet Break (W+P)

08:15 – Breakfast

09:55 – Toilet Break (W+P)

13:30 – Toilet Break (W)

16:45 – Toilet Break (W)

20:15 – Toilet Break (W)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Still doing well – he’s a little chewy today so will need to keep a close eye on him – been showing signs of paw chewing so probably a little bored.

Finishes his antibiotics today.

Oh forgot to show a pic of the dog ramp that we built for the back step at the weekend

DIY Dog Ramp for Back Door Step

Daily Summary

08:00 – Toilet Break (W+P)

08:30 – Breakfast – with last antibiotic

10:30 – Toilet Break (W)

13:20 – Toilet Break (W)

17:00 – Toilet Break (W)

17:20 – Dinner + 1.5 Seroquin + Meloxicam

21:30 – Toilet Break (W+P)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

So Basil looks very bright eyed today and very bouncy in the legs department – will need controlling more than usual.

Daily Summary

07:30 – Toilet Break (W)

08:30 – Breakfast

09:00 – Toilet Break (W+P)

09:10 – Brush and Ears cleaned

12:45 – Toilet Break (W)

17:00 – Toilet Break (W+P)

19:15 – Toilet Break (W)

22:00 – Toilet Break (W)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Basil seems to be bearing more weight on his leg that had the surgery – good leg clicking a lot under load when finding a comfortable position on soft bedding – mostly.

The mild inflammation around the top of his wound seems to be much reduced – not so pink and puffy whish is good.

On the negative side he is definitely getting more boisterous with Ben if she takes him to the garden – will have to nip that in the bud to ensure successful outcome.

26 degrees centigrade in the shade outside and 23 in the house – may put the fans on soon.

Daily Summary

07:00 – Toilet Break (W)

07:30 – Breakfast

12:10 – Toilet Break (W)

16:00 – Toilet Break (W)

18:00 – Dinner

19:20 – Toilet Break (W+P)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Not much of an update today – built ramp for the back step – seems strong enough and Basil doesn’t slip on it.

Really sticky and humid – 23 in the lounge but feels like higher.

Sleepy in this warm weather

Daily Summary

07:40 – Toilet Break (W+P) – Ben

08:30 – Breakfast

10:12 – Toilet Break (W)

11:30 – Built Ramp for Back Door

12:00 – Toilet Break (W)

14:40 – Toilet Break (W)

17:00 – Dinner – Ben

17:40 – Toilet Break (W)

21:55 – Toilet Break (W) – Ben

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Basil slept all night – good news. Awoke very bright eyed and bushy tailed.

However – more stuff on the bed this morning so rang the vets and they advised a visit to check the wound.

Bas tried to put his front paws in the boot which I hastily chastened him for – poor boy really is becoming far too confident on his rear legs – will be a struggle to keep him from pulling and rearing for the next few weeks.

Was going to get the timber for the back door step from Travis Perkins but they shut at twelve (in 15mins) and I haven’t even worked out what I need or designed it yet. Ah the best laid plans.

Maybe I’ll find something at Focus DIY in Gillingham… (and pigs might fly unless I want to buy garden furniture or a plethora of plastic storage buckets – or maybe a Christmas Tree in July)

06:20 – Toilet Break (W+P)

10:50 – Vets – Matt prescribed Antibiotics just to be on the safe side. The second time my dog has urinated on me in a week – I’m sure a hat-trick will be on the cards by Tuesday. Lifting him in and out the boot obviously puts pressure where pressure shouldn’t be.

11:10 – Toilet Break (W)

15:20 – Toilet Break (W+P)

18:00 – Dinner + Antibiotic + Meloxicam + Seraquin

19:20 – Toilet Break (W)

22:50 – Toilet Break (W+P)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

So despite a night-time pain killer – Bas was very unsettled last night.

Really struggling to write this internal document today – just no creativity Both of us feel tired all the time.

Need to build a ramp this weekend – I could really do with a 1m square decking tile to trim down – I’m sure that decking should be grippy enough in wet or dry weather to give the dog confidence.

Ben rang PetPlan (our canine insurer) to see where we stood about our holiday cancellation – unfortunately not covered for two reasons – he got ill longer than 7 days before our leaving date and his condition is not life threatening.

Travel insurance doesn’t cover being unable to travel due to an injured pet.

Bummer

Daily Summary

07:00 – Toilet Break (W+P)

07:30 – Breakfast

10:30 – Toilet Break (W)

12:30 – Toilet Break (W)

15:30 – Toilet Break (W)

17:30 – Dinner

17:45 – Noticed some slightly odorous wound drainage on his white bed quilt – noticed a tiny patch yesterday am too.

Not foul smelling – just slightly odorous.

Will take another picture to compare wound from the other day – little worried about infection / what is normal.

20:35 – Toilet Break – (W+P)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Wound Day 7 - Pic 1 For Comparison

Wound Day 7 - Pic 2 For Comparison

Wound Day 7 - Pic 3 For Comparison

So good news, Basil went all the way through the night last night with only one Tramadol hidden in a Milky Way slice.

However he has shown a much keener interest in his wound today – I guess it’s kind of itchy etc.

Really hoping he hasn’t opened a staple – probably my paranoia and a little puckering from reduced inflammation.

One thing I have noticed is the very flat plain that his rear right leg profile now has – maybe that is muscle damage or simply that the other leg is furry and therefore hard to compare.

Daily Summary

07:15am – Toilet Break (W+P)

07:30 – Breakfast 150g Kibble + topping

10:20 – Toilet Break (W)

11:30 – Cone of Shame Fitted(see below) – Began nibbling at healing wound – I guess its a little itchy.

14:15 – Toilet Break (W+P)

18:00 – Dinner

18:40 – Toilet Break (W+P)

2145 –  1 x Tramodol in Milky Way (chocolate Removed)

21:55 – Toilet Break (W)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

I hate you - all of you

Not a bad night – Kate woke us at 04:16am closing the bathroom door. Ben lost her purse so I rang round the card providers until around 10:00pm to cancel all the cards.

Need to cancel our holiday that was booked for the 6th August – won’t make much difference since we will lose all the money for the villa, flights etc – Gutted.

Daily Summary

07:15 – Toilet Break (W+P)

09:00 – Breakfast

10:55 – Ben got back from Doctors – Bas got rather excited – asked to go outside – tried to bound from back legs in the garden which we managed to dissuade . Does not appear to require pain relief so far today- although maybe it might be a good idea to calm him down a little.

13:05 – Toilet Break (W)

17:35 – Toilet Break (W)

21:20 – Toilet Break (W+P)

10:00 – 1 x Tramodol

Update  – So Basil seems to be showing more interest in his wound from a chewing / licking / perspective.
Not keen on his new foam insert for his bed – although with hindsight I’m sure the smell of the adhesive that they used to wrap it in stockinette may not have helped – maybe I should have left it outside to dull the aroma.

Anyway he now has his old Basil scented fibre filled bed as well as his new foam bed in the pen – hopefully this will give him the choice on what is a very warm and sticky evening.

Am growing more concerned (with a healthy dose of paranoia) that he is considering using his leg too much for what is a very short time post-surgery – and am constantly trying to get him to reign back with the sling when toileting.

I’m sure the only environmental restraint is his pen – if he had it his way he would be bounding round the garden until something awful happened – either to his repair or to his other leg – which I note is making some very nasty clicking noises. (Am really hoping that it’s not his cartilage in the left leg – but have grave concern that it is – unmistakable sound)

Right – time for bed for me 21:30pm

Must try and get some video of his locomotion in the garden on a leash tomorrow to provide an example for others.

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

So he slept a little better last night – Ben said he just woke up a couple of times panting – but this time due to the heat probably.

He very carefully scrutinised his food for any hidden tablets this morning – it’s going to be tricky.

Need to find a good orthopaedic bed for him as his has become very squidgy and not really supporting him.

So I rang a local foam suppliers (BV Foam) in Gillingham and Chris was very helpful. He’s cutting me a rectangle of reflexive foam (didn’t recommend memory foam for heavier dogs particularly post-surgery) which I should be able to collect tomorrow. I think it’s around £58 including a stockinette cover to make it more simple to put in and out of the cover.

Oh I actually managed to get a picture of his right hind leg today – so anyone with a pet about to have this procedure can understand what to expect.

If you’re very squeamish probably a good idea to scroll away now.

Basil's Wound

Basil's Wound - Different Angle

Daily Summary

07:00 – Toilet Break (W&P)

08:00 – Breakfast

08:25 – Toilet Break (W)

08:30 – Ben hasn’t given him any Tramadol yet

09:15 Toilet Break (W)

09:30 – Tried to give him the Tramadol by emptying the contents of the capsules inside two square pieces of toast with the merest hint of strawberry jam on the top (to counteract the bitterness of the powder). Fed him normal piece of toast (liked that) then first piece with Tramadol in (fooled him with minor mock gagging)- Second piece he held in his mouth until we were satisfied it was gone – then later found it on the floor of his pen – so it’s going to be back to throwing the capsules down his throat.

13:20 – Toilet Break (W&P)

15:45 – 2 x Tramadol – (this time secreted in some Milky Way slices) – which seemed to work.

19:25 – Toilet Break (W) thank goodness – was getting worried.

23:15 – Toilet Break (W)

23:20 – 1 x Tramadol (Ben’s suggestion since he had the Loxicom at 17:00)

Couple of quality cuddle sessions today from Mum and Dad – really appreciates a good chin rub and a little behind the ears massage – helps to relax him.

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Day 4 in the Big Labrador house…

So woke up at 5:30am to get in the shower – up and dressed by 5:50am and in the lounge so that Ben could get ready for work.

Vets at 09:00am – Slinged his hind legs to and from the car. Matt made a thorough examination of his leg and was pretty happy with his progress overall. He’s definitely been toe touching more and using his hind leg to steady himself while toileting – but obviously gets fatigued very quickly from standing 40Kg on three legs.

Arranged appointment with Matt to remove his staples (a week tomorrow) Tuesday 27th – Apparently no local anaesthesia, the tool apparently opens them up from the outside so is relatively pain free.

We’d picked up a pill crusher / grinder  (for the SeraQuin – so massive and hard those tablets) from the shelves in the stock area on Sunday pm and asked if we could pay today.

But both of us had forgotten our wallets / purses so we apologised and said we’d drop the £5.99 in at some point( could be slightly under-performing at the mo for some reason  )- the receptionist just said “Don’t worry about it , it’s no problem…” – which was nice.

Must drop it in though or I’ll forget.

So -the outcome was very much so far so good – long time still to go…was thinking about printing a calendar and crossing the days off but could make it feel worse.

No pics today so far as been too busy – but will see if any need to be taken.

Daily Summary

06:00 – Toilet Break (W+P)

06:10 – Tramadol x 2 – Spat one out after holding it under his tongue for a minute

06:15 – Secreted the remaining Tramadol in his breakfast but the bitter taste made him very wary –

06:45 – Reluctantly finished his breakfast

08:35 – Toilet Break (W+P)

Whined and whimpered all morning after Ben went to work at 7am

10:00 – My phone rang (work colleague) and he exhibited a new behavior – howling until I finished the call.

11:20 – Toilet Break (W&P) Unnatural Yellow toward end of motion – Possibly General / Tramadol / Stress ?

11:35 – Stopped whimpering, laid down and dozed until 12:30 lunchtime (peace)

12:30 – Phone rang and woke him up – Hambledon Estate agents – would we like a valuation – Not right now thanks.

12:45 – Remembered I should have done a video for a press release happening at 9am today over the W/E. DOH !

15:15 – Toilet Break (W)

15:20 – Tramadol x 2 – administered in pieces of toast – he still found one and spat it out but we got there in the end – funny thing was he spat the toast out and swallowed the pain pill the final time !

17:30 – Toilet Break (W)

21:00 – Sold the girls on a fake Toilet requirement. (SUCKERS)

21:45 – 1.5 Tramadol (roughly) due to a non-bought toast offering

Quick Pic of his medication – by the way – pill crusher barely copes with the Seraquin – I think it needs to be a ceramic or metal one really.

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Basil's NSAIDs - Once a Day

He will be on Seraquin for life now - 3 times a day.

Called Ann back to tell her no improvement and she very nicely agreed to meet us at the surgery at 13:15.

Put Basil in the car again and met Ann at the vets.

She kindly offered to see him in the boot of the car to avoid having to lift him and have him walk on the hard flooring.

She wanted to check him for post-operative infection to see if that was the cause of the panting , so poor old boy had the rectal thermometer treatment – but all normal –  it was the pain that was causing the panting and whimpering.

She prescribed Tramodol, but explained to me the dosing especially as it can have an additive effect with the Duragesic (although this was applied at 9am on Friday morning so should be on the downward curve – and he was presenting behaviour that the duragesic was no longer working)

Drove home and popped the Tramodol in his mouth at 14:05pm – lets hope it gives him some relief without sedation.

Update – Toilet break at 14:30 – he slept for around 50 mins from 15:05 until  16:15 – some panting but whimpering not so prevalent upon waking.

So maybe with the NSAIDS with his dinner in 45 mins he might be more comfortable.

Daily Summary as remembered

08:05am – Tramodol x 2

10:15am – Toilet Break (W&P)

6:00pm – 200g of Kibble and Lamb topping laced with Seraquin (Chondroitin and Glucosamine), Meloxicam (loxicom)

7:15pm – Toilet Break (W&P)

10:30pm Toilet Break (W&P)

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

So Ben slept in the lounge with Bas last night – we didn’t need to use the cone of shame as he hasn’t attempted to lick, chew or nibble the wound or staples so far.

Woken at 5am (standard time) to panting but the room was warm so put it down to heat. Bowel movement normal – but no wee going on until 8:30am.

Then he started to pant and whimper so I rang the vets at 9:50am and Ann rang back at 10:05am – great service.

She suggested maybe giving him a half-dose of the loxicom (around the 20Kg mark on the syringe) and that this may help as it could be that the patch could be wearing off – but that due to the nature of the slow release patches it could be tricky to replace a patch without knowing it had definitely expressed it’s contents (overdose / withdrawal etc).

So have given him the loxicom with some food and we’ll wait for a couple of hours to see if he settles.

We’ll also try some enrichment with maybe a Kong with some treats in – but he hates the smell of latex rubber.

Basil – pain relief wearing off ?

Will call again if he doesn’t settle down – horrible seeing him like this…

Around 20mins after additional NSAIDS – posted for the vet in case she can take a look

UPDATE – 12:15 lunchtime – still complaining and panting although now able to sit and lie more comfortably – always seems to favour laying on the bad leg.

Toileting – both types outside – carried leg all the way but occasionally toe tapped on the lawn and steadied himself with leg while squatting.

Sling around rear quarters used on exterior door threshold and step both exit and entry to provide stability.

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Just to say that Basil was fine, had refused food in protest and despite the agreed time of 11:40am we were free to collect him as soon as we liked. I joked that they probably couldn’t stand the howling… So anyway we rocked up at the surgery at 11:00am after breakfast and the surgery was busy. A farmer was asking for some hypos for a Steer, a 13 year old brown dalmation  walked passed us and left an odour trail like you wouldn’t believe – (Fear I guess) and a tiny Jack Russel puppy in the arms of a young girl. So the nurse stocked us up with Seraquin (Glucosamine and Chondroitin) which Matt the vet said he would be on for life – and Flexicam (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory) and we took Bas out of the back door to avoid any possible social lunges toward the other cats and dogs. We got him home and put him in his new Alcatraz for the next few weeks.

Tired, slightly woozy and fed up with being held captive.

Oh and here’s a small video of Basil’s shaved bits and staples – don’t watch if afraid of shaved labradors or wounds etc.

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

So Matt the veterinary surgeon called at 12:14 lunchtime to say that the operation had gone well and that he had used two sutures of 300lb fibre to secure the joint.

He also said that unfortunately there was a fair amount of arthritis already within the knee capsule and that he had to trim a fair amount of damaged miniscus (cartilage) away from the knee.

He suggested that he wanted to keep him in overnight since he would be on call at the surgery and i would be sensible from a pain-relief perspective as well as the fact that he would have wanted us to return Bas to the vets on Saturday morning for a check-up. (The more lifts in and out of the car the more risk of damage)

He said he would be ready for collection at 11:40am on Saturday the 17th and would ideally like to see him again on Monday morning (19th at 9am).

I asked him about pain-relief and he said he would affix a Fentanyl duragesic patch on a shaved area of his shoulder / back which contained a slow-release opiate style pharmaceutical – which together with his anti-inflammatory with his evening meal would keep him comfortable over the weekend.

I told him I had ordered a pin-drop pen and that it should be with us today according to DHL Worldwide express.

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)

Since this is bound to be one hell of an experience, we thought we would include a page for our Labrador Retriever (Basil) who managed to entirely rupture at least one cruciate ligament in his right rear knee.

We dropped him off for surgery today at Longmead Veterinary Practice in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

Basil (Serene Sage is his Kennel Club Name) is 6 years and 5 months old and tore his cruciate ligament while playing with the extended family dogs on Father’s Day while I was away in Germany.

So having read many interesting (if slightly confusing) blogs and pages we thought we would try and share our experience with the challenge of post operative care after CCL surgery.

Our vet is (probably right now) performing a lateral suture repair, which we chose as a first choice rather than TPLO. TTA or tightrope was not offered as I believe the referral centre that they tend to use prefers this option.

The hardest thing will definitely be the weeks of strict confinement and stopping door bells ringing, people knocking the door and not allowing him upstairs at bedtime.

Awaiting a pin-drop pen to arrive today to be able to provide confinement when he arrives home.

Will add some videos and pics shortly to keep a diary of his recovery.

This was Basil at 08:30am on the 16th July- the morning he went in.

Submitted by Darren Gallagher (@dgallagh)