The question on Rimidyl reminded me of a an article on CCL surgery rehab summaized in the current issue of AKC Gazette. A study published in May in the Journal of Am Vet. Medical Association reports on the effects of early post-operative rehabilitation after repair of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) in dogs. (This is similar to the ACL in humans). The study looked at 51 dogs, half of which had restricted excercise and the other half had physical therapy/exercise following cruciate surgery.
"Gait analysis techniques and comparison of the repaired limb to the opposite leg revealed obvious differences between the group. The dogs who received post operative physical therapy had no significant differences between the repaired leg and its counterpart. Dogs whose exercise was restricted still demonstrated significantly less function in the repaired leg compared to its counterpart six months after the operation."... "Earlier studies in dogs have demonstrated that low-impact exercises, such as swimming and walking, maintain muscle strength, joint mobility and function, while not worsening the arthritis. Other studies have also shown that appropriate exercise is not only beneficial for proper healing of transplanted tissues for CCL repair, it is actually necessary."... "Also, overweight dogs are at increased risk of developing arthritis, so weight loss may have to be included in their post-operative care." The moral of the story on this one is to take your vet's post-op exercise protocol seriously. My Hannah had CCL surgery last April (rehabing at the specialty). We took seriously the 3 month exercise program that the vet gave us. It is very hard to tell which leg she had surgery. So far she has beat the statistics (60% will need surgery on the other leg in 6 months; 85% for Rotties). The best thing was my husband and I also lost weight by our early morning walk routine...which ultimately became a 4 mile walk for the entire family! Nancy Melone Mars, PA
