torn ligament

[siamcat]

My dog started limping last night and I took him to the vet today.
Ends up he tore a ligament in his knee and he's scheduled to have surgery on Thursday.
Does anybody know how to avoid it happening again?
What can we do to make him heal without injuring himself more.
He's such a happy dog, when I put the leash on him today to take him to the vet he was all happy to go for a walk, all three legs of him.
Any help or suggestion is appreciated. Thank you.

[siamcat]

Well, you can cross your fingers tomorrow that everything goes well.
Wonder if they let me bring his pillow to put in his kennel.

[stormy]

Sorry to hear this siamcat. Our dog did the same thing to both hind legs, and tore his right leg twice. He loved to run and jump and play, and when he ran, he looked like a big tan blur flying across the backyard. We had to stop throwing the toys for him, because he just ran too darn hard and kept re-injuring himself.

Eventually we had to put him down when he tore his knee again, as the vet told my fiance that a 3rd surgery would probably not take, and he would most likely stay in the pain he was in. As an older dog, we decided not to take the chance having a very big dog who was in pain and cranky around the kids, not to mention that his quality of life would consist of limping around, and no one could play with him. It was really sad.

I wish your doggie well and hope for a safe, speedy recovery, and that he stays that way.

[siamcat]

The surgery went well and hopefully we can keep him from re-injuring. He loves to fetch and has so much energy.
Sometimes he has what we call his crazy 5 minutes where he just runs and zips back and forth around the pool or the cars like a dog possessed.
I'm sorry to hear about your dog.

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

I believe the key factor is preventing ligament injuries in the knees of dogs is keeping a dog at the proper weight. That being said, I see quite a few that are in peak physical condition and injure themselves due to very vigorous activity. Some dogs also have conformation issues that make injury more likely.

[stormy]

So glad to hear the surgery went well. I know what you mean about the 5 minute crazies. Tank did the same thing. He was in perfect shape and health, but he did lose weight after his surgeries. I guess all those years of running and jumping just took it's toll.