Hey guys! This is Nikki, Lead Veterinary technician with Posh Dog Knee Braces, and today I would like to discuss the hard decision of how to pick conservative management, and if that is the path for you. I am going to be attaching an excellent article, written by Dr. Narda Robinson, DVM, from Colorado State University. Note, this article is from 2012, but sadly what she said is still 100% true, and most studies done are still being ignored, even if they show proof that surgery is not always the best option for our beloved furry family members.
https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/questioning-canine-cruciate-ligament-surgery/
Here Dr. Robinson goes on to talk about 8 false claims that surgery is best for your dog. Have I mentioned I love her! Her genuine honesty in the Veterinary field is a breath of fresh air. In this article, she uses actual facts and her experience to back up false claims that TPLO is the ONLY option for every dog with a CCL/ACL or meniscus tear.
She also dives into the diversity comparing humans to dog knees, and why the veterinary field is so quick to tell you they are different. Because they know that in human medicine, people choose conservative management, and go on to lead perfectly healthy and active lives ALL the time. They also know, that in no way would a person elect to have their tibia completely severed in pieces, and literally screwed back together to fix a ligament tear.
Just last week, I took my son to a human orthopedic Dr. for a recheck of his arm. We got to talking about our pets, and he told me that his 8 year old Labrador retriever had a CCL tear in the left hind leg. I asked if he was considering the surgery, and he immediately said no. He said there was no way he would put his dog through that expensive surgery right off, without at least giving his dog a few weeks to see if he made any improvements.
We discussed bracing and Conservative Management , and he immediately took my card and said what a great option we had. So, here we have a trained orthopedic surgeon for humans refusing to do surgery on his dog, because he knew from experience that it was not always warranted.
We can always do more with conservative care, such as weight loss, supplements, diet changes, PRP, massage, acupuncture, laser, hydrotherapy, and much more! I always tell people, you have a lot of options initially, and surgery may eventually be warranted, however, you do have some time to explore alternative solutions first. We can always do more Conservative Management, but once you cut the bone, there is no going back from that, especially if your dog is the 1 in 4 that has a lifelong complication.
Please check us out at poshdogkneebrace.com, or you can leave us a message on our contact page if you have any questions about Conservative Management.
~Nikki, Posh Lead Veterinary Technician
The Posh Dog Knee Brace is a 100% custom Dog knee brace, hand made only for your Dog. We make our custom brace with no casting. Our state-of-the-art brace for Dogs is very durable, waterproof, sand proof, and easily adjustable by customers. If you are interesed in purchasing a Posh Dog Knee Brace you can order a brace online or you can contact us with any questions you may have about or dog knee brace.
