Almost 5 months have gone by since Alex’s ACL injury, and I am glad that we did not put her through surgery. Well, that is thanks to Cynthia for talking me out of it. Years ago, Cynthia and I took a class in college and our instructor called us, the dynamic duo, and you know what? I think he was right because we have always relied on each other, and this was one time when I truly needed her support and advice.
Here’s a little update on Alex:
- Walks – She still wears the brace during our walks, but her speed and flexibility has greatly increased overtime. She does not wear the brace at home. Alex is walking longer than before, about 25 minutes once or twice a day. But the next day, just to be on the safe side, she takes shorter walks so she does not over do it.
- Rest – She sleeps a lot, she is almost 12 years old, but even at home she is more active. One thing we do not allow her to do at all is run up and down the stairs like she used to do before. Alex is probably thinking, “Mom you are a party pooper.”
- Diet – Since I started to feed her more human food than kibble, Alex’s appetite not only opened up, I love that, but she has not skipped a meal once.
Alex is also taking supplements to help her with her ACL injury, and I am also, little by little, trying different spices to help her arthritis. I can’t complain. My girl is doing fine and she is still active at almost 12 years of age. The combination of bedrest, supplements, walks, diet, etc., has certainly given Alex a new “leash” on life. Senior dogs are amazing.
AllMyCanineCompanions 
Thanks for sharing your journey with Alex. I’m glad you didn’t end up going the surgery route. I am going through a similar situation with my little dog, Ralphie, right now. He sprained his acl and was limping a lot. I hated seeing him in pain but knew surgery wouldn’t be the best option even though the vet told us so. After doing some research I ended up getting him a brace from Woundwear and it has been working great! I know its going to take some time for hime to fully heal but it warms my heart when I hear stories about other dogs going through a similar thing. Hope Alex is doing well! 🙂
Allie, I am so glad that you took the time to do research. Many of us, pet parents, end up going the route our vet’s recommend, and from experience I know that there are times when more research needs to be done. Do listen to your vet, but also assess your dog’s particular situation like I did and you did as well. Have a great Sunday:-)
Hi 🙂 I was wondering what exactly you feed your dogs in terms of human food? I want to reduce how much kibble my dog has (no matter which kibble we get, he won’t eat it without being coated in human food eg mushed up sardines- when the vet says he will eat after 4ish days, he won’t starve himself, it’s lies!). But a lot of the diet information for dogs is based on raw food and I’m not sure I want to give him raw meat. And I want to make sure he’s still nutritionally balanced, so I’m wondering what you do?
Let me start by saying that I am not a vet, nutritionist, or anything of that sort, therefore what I’ll share with you is based on what works for my dogs, and when I start them on something new I Always, Always give them a very small amount and increase it as it goes. I don’t like to feed them raw food, although the dogs I’ve seen on that diet are healthy and gorgeous, but raw food makes me want to puke. This is what I feed my dogs: Brown rice and chicken that I cook in a crock pot. I do not use any seasonings at all. Once cooked I add ginger, oregano, or basil because they are all good for arthritis. I also stir-fry ground beef/chicken/or pork with veggies such as celery, carrots, cabbage, peas, lettuce, etc. They also like frozen chicken wings that I mix with veggies. Look at a show called Fido and Wine. There are recipes for dogs and humans. I’ve only watched one episode and I liked it. I only feed my dogs a total of 1 cup per day of kibble. I hope that helps.
Thanks so much. It’s nice to know that you can do simple meals. All I’ve found on the internet so far is raw meat or meals where you add processed supplements for the right nutrition but processed supplements seem to contradict the idea of fresh food. I’ll check out the show and keep searching the internet 🙂
Your welcome:-) Yes, I also found a lot of info on raw food, but I just can’t do that. I’ll be sick for it makes me nauseus. The things I add to Alex’s food, and that is because she is 12 years old, happen to be: ginger, oregano, cilantro, basil, etc., great for arthritis. I don’t give them any vitamins. I’ve noticed, once they started to eat human food, changes on their breath, hair, weight, etc. All those changes are for the better. Please make sure you start with a small amount of human food to make sure that you don’t upset your doggie’s tummy. Have a great weekend:-)
I’ll definitely introduce it slowly. I have experience of upset tummies (we got him from a rescue centre and his stomach was a mess from keep changing to whatever food had been donated) so I really don’t want that again. Have a good weekend yourself 🙂
You too:-)
Bless her heart – amazing what some lovin can do! Glad she is doing well and making good progress.
Yes, she is doing much better. Thanks:-)
12 years old, still going on nice long walks – life is good. It’s so nice she was able to recover without surgery. She may not be able to run up stairs like she used to, but long walks and good food isn’t too shabby.
Lol. Thanks Will and Eko. My girl is a senior, therefore I have to find the least evasive procedures for her and try my best so she can have a quiet and enjoyable time with us. Thanks a million for your suggestions and info on different products. I love your posts:-)
So glad to hear Alex is making good progress-I know she is getting top-notch care 😉
Thanks a million for your kind and encouraging words:-)