Recovery Following Your Dog's Orthopedic Procedure

An orthopedic surgeon for animals can be satisfied with the work that they do at every surgery. However, what really matters and what is on the mind of that surgeon is post operative recovery. Your dog can have the best repair job, it is up to you and your dog to make sure that it is not re-injured. An ACL injury can easily be repaired and it can also be easily re-injured. That is why post-operative recovery following a major orthopedic surgery is so important. As an owner, you need to prepare yourself and make sure you have set some time aside for aiding your dog with recovery and making sure he/she does not injure themselves.

The first week is going to be the most difficult for you and the dog. You may be giving your dog some physical support with a towel under the abdomen for support that entire week. Your veterinarian will typically want to see you back into the clinic for a recheck appointment in a few days post-surgery to make sure the incision is healing well. About 2-3 weeks out from the initial surgery, a set of radiographs may be required to see how the repair looks. At this point, rehabilitation will begin. Prior to this, you should have been cold compressing the surgical site and performing range of motion to prevent any stiffening of the joint. Now comes the part where you will begin very short walks. Start walking on softer surfaces, such as sand, to aid in balance.

Continue to follow your veterinarian's recommendations for rehabilitation and follow-up radiographs. You should have also been given a detailed outline of the recovery steps to take. Make sure you carefully follow this and do not over-exert your dog post-surgical recovery. There is a limit to what your dog can dog immediately following the surgery, and it is your job to make sure he/she does not overexert themself. Hopefully, your dog was not too active during the recovery/rehabilitation phase. If it was a smooth recovery, the healing process should have proceeded with no problems. The last thing a surgeon wants to do is cut into the surgical site for a second time to repair what they had initially done. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that you make sure your dog is confined to a small room where he/she is unable to run or jump. Doing this will save you the stress of having to go through the surgery a second time.