Managing recovery after dog knee surgery for an anxious high energy pet

[Frankenpug23]

Hi all,

My dog is due to have an xray under anaesthetic on his knee, as he is limping on and off (about 5 mins a week plus a bad day per month) and the joint is swollen. Its a likely moving patella, but as he won’t let a vet near him they are not 100%. The plan is to see whats wrong and then operate to correct it then and there (as he is aggressive and a flat nose bread we just need to sort it, if needed).

The problem is the recovery how do people cope whose dog has had this before. Our dog is anxious, high energy, stuck to our side etc. Vet has said we can cordon off our lounge as last time we tried to crate him, he injured himself! We will sleep with him in the lounge at night - and take annual leave but we don’t have 6 weeks worth left… how so people work while keeping their dog safe?

Just to add our dog is on steroids (he is on a reduction regime, but how did others find the pain relief if they used pardale v and gabapentin?

Also tips on reducing boredom would be good we have kongs, licky mats, snuffle mats anyway.

Thanks

My dog has had three knee surgeries. She has to be sedated during her recovery time. The one time she wasn't, as the vet decided she should be used to crate rest by now, she dislocated her hip. I now insist on three Trazodone a day.

She had Gabapentin, Pardale-V and Metacam for pain relief.

I don't work, so was able to be with her pretty much all of the time. When I walked the other dogs, I put the TV or radio on for her.