In November 2013, Alex injured her ACL and I was beyond scared. So scared that I was ready to put her through surgery, but my better half, Cynthia, talked me out of it, and even today I am glad we made the right decision for Alex. Please, bear in mind that neither Cynthia nor I are vets nor pretend to be one, but we made the best choice for our furry kid Alex, taking into consideration her age, recovery period, chances of getting full recovery, and expenses.
At the beginning, Alex wore the brace featured in the above picture all the time, except for bed time, of course. She had tons of bed rest and this was easy to do because at the time of her injury she was already 11 years old so she loved to sleep. This is not an easy task to accomplish if you have a young dog.
Nowadays, Alex does not use her brace when she is at home anymore. She wears it only when we go out and when we visit family. Because of her ACL injury I changed a few things in order to help her heal and keep her free of pain. Here are a few of the changes I made for her:
- Walks – I try to get her out 2 to 3 times a day, when the weather is not too cold, for about 15-25
- Diet – Alex eats 75% human food, 25% kibble
- Bed – I got her an orthopedic bed
- Sun bathing – Sunbathing, in moderation, is excellent for her injury
- Heating pad – I put a heating pad on her during the evening. This accomplishes two things: it keeps her warm; and it helps improve her mobility
- Supplements – Omega 3 and Osteo-Pet total joint care
I cannot complain. Alex is doing great and she is about to turn 13 years old in May 5th. I still cannot believe it. My girl is a tough little cookie.
AllMyCanineCompanions 
Thanks for sharing your story about Alex! I really enjoy reading this blog. It gives me a lot more insight for what I am in for with Ralphie 🙂 His Woundwear brace is working great and hope I can erase surgery from our plan B list soon. Hope all is well!
Hi Allie. I am so glad the brace is working for your Ralphie. The brace has worked wonders for Alex. She doesn’t wear it at home, unless we have visitors, but I still make it wear it when we go out. No noticeable limping at all. The best to you and Ralphie:-)
That’s awesome! I’m glad the brace has been helping Alex as well. 🙂
Yes, it has. She doesn’t limp anymore, but I make her wear it when we go out for extra support. At home, I remove it.
So glad she is doing well – she is indeed a tough little cookie
Thanks:-)
Amazing recovery! My boy is getting old; when he was young he needed bilateral knee surgery. I hadn’t thought of multiple short walks. Great idea!
Some-one else mentioned people food helped their dog – can you tell me more about that?
Yes, multiple short walks for dogs with ACL injury, seniors, and those overweight is better than 1 or 2 long walk. Regarding human food, I have a couple of posts where I talk about what I give Alex. Food such as: chicken soup, tuna and rice, tuna and ravioli, stir fry and ground chicken, to name a few. Keep away, although I do use white rice, but not excessively, from white rice and pasta. The best for them, it helps with inflammation, is brown rice. Do not cook with onions and garlic, and start very slowly. You will see the improvement within a week.
I was giving him rice when he had his unfortunate incident with carpet fiber. He likes it fine. I’ll put it back in his diet. (and mine)
Fantastic outcome. So glad you guys were able to avoid surgery. Keep rockin’ it Alex!
Thanks a million:-)
I remember when it happened, so glad things have worked out so well.
Thanks Will:-)
great that it worked so well :o) Cynthia was right and it probably was a good way to help Alex without surgery :o)
Yes, Cynthia was totally right. I always thank her for that:-)