Hi - newbie with some questions

by **jenniferpa** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:42 pm

So, my pitbull (8 years old) has torn both ACLs. One is much worse than the other (we didn't realize there was a problem with the second one but there is). I'm making an appointment on Monday with the surgeon but have a question.

How to people manage to transport a dog weighing over 70lbs to and from the vet? She can't really jump (nor should she from what I have read) but ramps spook her. I was thinking perhaps a sling-type hoist? I have to say, visiting the vet today (in the car, out of the car, repeat) plus the xrays has left her essentially immobile today. I absolutely have to find a better way to manage this.

Do they normally do both ACLs at the same time or is this - do the most damaged one first, recover and then do the second one?

At the same time as they diagnosed this today they discovered she had thyroid issues (which may account for her weight gain - I've been accusing family members of slipping her treats when I wasn't looking :oops:

). I was wondering if it might be appropriate to wait until she loses the excess weight she is carrying? My understanding is that it may not be necessary to rush into surgery (mind you, if the current situation doesn't improve vis a vis her discomfort, then it's a no brainer - it will have to be done ASAP).

Many thanks in advance

by **slshepherds** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:12 pm

Hi jennifer

Sorry to hear about your pup. The important thing when lifting and handling large dogs is not to hurt yourself, especially not injure your back. The harness that I use at home and at work is a HelpEmUp harness, they are not inexpensive but make lifting so much easier than using a sling or nothing at all.

As for surgery ... there are some vets who will do both sides at once, but most prefer to do one side at a time, especially if you are considering a TPLO/TTO/TTA/MMP where you have hardware in place. You should talk to your surgeon about timing of the procedure, especially given how affected she seems. Post surgery you may also want to think about rehab, both for the ACL's and also to help with weight loss.

Wishing you the best
Joanne

by **jenniferpa** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:44 pm

Thank you very much for your reply.

One of the issues I am having with deciding what to buy in order to transport her is - it's seems as if it is almost impossible to pick up a 70lb + dog who, frankly, doesn't wish to be picked up, and move her from the side of a car into said car. I mean, I can (just about) pick her up with sling sort of thing and carry her, but this twisting and depositing thing seems almost impossible. I was wondering if this was something that requires specialist knowledge. Or specialist techniques. Or specialist equipment. The last thing I want to do is frighten her and it sure as heck frightens me.

by **slshepherds** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 6:04 am

There really is no specialist equipment to get a dog in/out of a car. There are lifts (hoyer) that can be used with dogs, but they likely wouldn't help with getting into a vehicle (design and size). This is why I like the HelpEmUp, I can lift and direct a 100lb+ dog (not that I would recommend doing this) relatively easily. Have you tried tempting your girl by using treats or putting a favorite toy in the car?

Joanne

by **jenniferpa** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 11:08 am

It's not so much the tempting - she'll jump when I tell her to, but that by doing so yesterday (taking her to the vet) she actually made the injury worse. Yesterday morning she was walking OK with just a bit of toe touching behaviour and after the vets visit - well if I could carry her I would. I feel rather guilty and am trying to avoid further injury. Not only that, we live in a house that is in no way ideal for a dog that can't walk. While I can just about avoid steps, to do that the walk becomes 100 yards, and even a few feet cause her problems. I'm actually wondering how she would respond to being put in my children's old radio flyer wagon. Not well I'm guessing.

I wonder what the delivery time is on the harness you mentioned - I think I'm going to have to buy one (lets face it with the cost of two acl surgeries in our future the cost of a harness is a drop in the bucket). If she was smaller then it would be so much easier - I could put her in a portable crate and just move that, but for her size I doubt that's practical. Of course if she was smaller it wouldn't be so much of an issue anyway.

by **jenniferpa** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:52 pm

I just wanted to let you know - I got the helpemup. An excellent design and while I wouldn't say it makes it easy to get her into and out of the car, it at least makes it possible. One person on another forum indicated that they thought it wasn't a good design but I really don't know why - practically everything about it is adjustable. I probably could have got away with a medium front and a large back, but the overall large size works fine for my needs.

Her first surgery (TTA) is scheduled for Monday, with her second 6-8 weeks afterwards.

Thank you for your help.