Torn ACL 5 yr old Yellow Lab ; nujoint and a baby aspirin ;

Question
I have a 16 month old little girl and a baby boy due the end of Nov.  Our baby Chasey is 5yr old yellow lab was running around the house chasing a ball our little girl Kallie was throwing and playing with her.  Chasey(lab) has been limping for a couple of weeks with hip problems but would run and jump fine.  Come to find out her hip was popping in and out of place.  So I started giving her Hip Action by Zuke's because chasey's stomach can only tolerate natural treats or else she will throw up.  So while running with Kallie playing with a ball Chasey yelped really loud and would not put any weight on that leg(rear right leg), I knew that moment she tore something, yesterday a x-ray confirmed that she does have a major tear and the Vet said no doubt she is going to need surgery to repair this that rest and waiting it out might not work for such a bad tear but he is sending us in a couple of weeks to a orthopedic surgeon for another opinion.  We agree on the surgery and pulling are pockets out to have it done.  I am okay with necessary surgery but not okay with the idea of long term pain medicine that the vet suggested.  I am trying to ice the knee as much as she will let me to decrease any type of swelling she might have or pain.  I am giving her 1 Previcox a day that the Vet gave me samples on to keep her out of pain till we can get this fixed.  What can I do to keep her comfortable without the use of pain medicines, supplements can I use, can I still take her for short walks(or is rest better)? I don't want her to gain too much weight while being rested, she is already too heavy which I am going to get down so help her in the future.  I keep her in the crate while out and when Kallie is up so she doesn't get her excited and running with a ball, but when Kallie is napping or in the evening I am letting her out. I hate keeping her in a crate when she will just lay around the house anyways when Kallie is not around.  I am strongly against pain medicine even for myself I feel it just mask whatever problem is there and just allows for further injury without the body telling you ouch that hurts to take it easy.  We feed our dog good natural food no table scraps but gets fresh fruit and veggies every now and then.  I would love any advice you can give me to help with before and after this surgery to help her heal the best she can and resume normal life.  I am a stay at home mom right now and doing real estate on the side so I am here to work with her as much as I can with a growing family.  OHH and when she is in the crate we give her lots of hugs and kisses!!  Thank you for your time!!

Answer
ACL canine injuries; supplements; oils; Pain Relief for ACL tear:
Please see the links below : let me know if I can be of more help...
Talk to you soon!
Marie Peppers LPN MA
mtnmom@gci.net


Wow - I am so sorry about this!  Yes, sounds like it will be a much needed surgery.  I am sure glad you will be getting another opinion before they cut.
Here are some of my past posts on exercise and pain control...
see here:
ACL injury / Mastiff
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Alternative-Medicine-Pets-3721/2009/6/Mastiff-ACL-Inj...

POST ACL repair / still pain...

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Bulldogs-2360/2009/3/Luxated-Patella-surgery-TPOL-1.h...


After you read the above posts...Let me know if you need more help...

An 81mg BaBy aspirin can be helpful....
NuJoint and NuVET.... GREAT supplements