Summer 2009, July 16th, Viruz started limping after his agility training
together with Madde. I kept him on leach for a week and we did some slow
training again after that week. Unfortunately he started limping again... We
tried to let him rest for 2 week but with no happy results.
I took him to the vet and we started to check him up. The vet couldn't find
anything really, except the limping. In late August we did some x-rays on both
knees and his back, the only thing they found was a smaaaaaall small arthritis,
most likely from an injury not long ago. With some agility competitions fresh in
mind we remembered where he must have had his injury, just weeks before the
first limping, with the training July 16th as the first after competition.
During the fall and early winter we have tried to get his swollen right knee to
heal, but without really knowing what causes the problems. We have tried
massages, laser treatment, sound treatment, electric treatment, we took some
samples of the tissue to check it for cancer etc etc etc. Last chance was to do
a keyhole surgery February 9 to check inside the knee, what are we missing????
The answer was what I have feared,
but most hoped for, the front ligament was damaged but not cut off. It was
swollen and only attached by 70%. That's why he didn't show the "right"
symptoms. When the vet found this damaged ligament they opened up his knee to do
a TPLO
surgery. It's a BIG procedure but his chances to come back to normal is really
good. I sure miss the wild and vivid Viruz, jumping all over just to show how
happy he is!!!
I have decided not to ever let Viruz compete in agility again, or to train IPO.
The risk is to big for this problem to attack us again... all because of Viruz
"normal behaviour", easy to get hurt being a Viruz =). But of course I will let
my next dog (in the future) train and compete. Maybe Viruz' and my future is set
to involve obedience and some tracking instead. Who knows???
The scene of the injury, at a competition
end
of June on Gotland.
He scrapes his knee on the inside and the
ligament gets damaged. Photo by
Lisa Bång.
Everything goes really quick. Look at Maddes
eyes, she hasn't even moved her eyes
from the seesaw yet.
And Viruz eyes................ talkes for the selves =)
Day 2, first day home after surgery. He is kind
of groggy and has a compress/patches called Durogesic with heavy pain
killing chemicals.
Day of operation.
Day 3. Now really swollen and the bruising is
at its worst. The wound won't stop bleeding.
Day 4, so tired and starts to feel pain. The
patches starts to loose effect. He will get a new compress/patches to
stop the pain.
Day 6. He loves his own bed =).
The swelling is at its worst.The bruising
starts to disappear but the wound won't stop bleeding. I stop using the
cream for bruises, Hirudoid, my intuition says the cream is the reason
it won't stop bleeding. I was right !!!
I got the cream from the vet assistant just for this purpose, not my
idea...
Day 12. Pascha is a true hero / uncle / big
brother. He doesn't care about Viruz hitting him with the plastic
screen. He just moves away if needed. The wounds starts to heal nicely
and the swelling start to fade away =). I can see some coat coming back
too.
Day 16. The stitches are out and it looks
really really good. His coat is on coming, finally not looking like a
skinhead anymore =).
He is now allowed to take short walks for 5-10 minutes, but without any
kind of jumping or sudden movement. Not easy, we are talking about....
Viruz =)
3 weeks after surgery.
The swelling is no longer visible and the wound looks really really
nice. He uses the leg more and more and wants to do looong and action
filled walks... but of course he is not allowed to. Short leash and just
walking straight forward.
He likes his own area, the hallway, with his own bed. Well, it's a bit
boring but he doesn't complain =)
Photos taken 2010.03.14 - almost 5 weeks after
surgery. Looks really nice huh? =)
2010.04.27 Viruz has broken a piece of bone in
his knee, you see the little broken piece to the upper left of the metal
plate.
This is like going back to square 1....... One can break down for
less... It actually gave us an answer on why Viruz had difficulties
increasing his swimming with 20-30 seconds, the bone was probably on the
way to break and it hurt... Poor thing!
Quit swim lessons and now only short leach and only out to pee and then
inside again for at least 8 weeks.
2010.06.15 The piece of bone has settled and we
can start rehab again. In the beginning of July we started swim rehab
again, sloooooowly. We will be back in end of September to check on the
knee, hopefully he will have grown some muscles by swimming during that
time.
2010.10.25
Rehab has been great, Viruz gets more muscles every day it seems. He
swims like a god now and as you can see in this movie (thanks mom for
filming) he enjoys the swimming and even tries to learn how to JUMP in
the water (about 2:30 into the movie).
2010.10.30
I got a couple of photos from mom as well.
23:rd of September we got an ok from the vet, Sophie Gäfvert.
22:nd of October we got and ok from the physiotherapist Anna Holmgren.
So, we can now start to let him loose on the walks but not together with
other dogs. He is not completely fine yet, but soon.
He has lovely mobility in his knee, but is quite stiff in his movements.
It's all in his head so I will try to teach him to walk properly again.
For that I will use cavaletti to make him pull up his leg when walking.
2010.11.27
Viruz is so HAPPY running in the snow. In January we didn't think this
would be possible at all...
