About a year ago, I was beginning to accept that Noki wasn’t the spry, energetic girl she used to be. She was 8—not old for a Husky, but also not young. She didn’t seem excited to go for runs anymore, and was often sore after any type of vigorous activity, which I assumed to be due to arthritis. Then the day after one of our normal weekend hikes, she started limping. After a few days without any improvement, I took her to our vet, Blue Cross Animal Hospital. An X-Ray revealed something I didn’t expect: a torn cranial cruciate ligament (commonly referred to as an ACL).

Based on the diagnosis, we were referred to Sheridan Animal Hospital for a consultation with Dr. van Ee, who specializes in orthopedic surgery. During that appointment, we received our second surprise: Noki didn’t just have a torn CL—she had TWO. Apparently at some point she tore the one in her right leg, but never really displayed any symptoms. So we’re not sure how long she was walking around with it. Poor girl!

Double the surgeries. Double the fun.

From there, we embarked on the 10-month journey of scheduling, undergoing, and recovering from two surgeries. The first decision was which surgery to go with. There were two options: 1) the more traditional Ex-Cap, where a thin wire is wrapped around the knee to hold it in place while scar tissue forms, or 2) the TPLO, which is a newer procedure that involves cutting into and repositioning the bones with a metal brace. Even though it sounds more invasive, we were told recovery was typically quicker with the TPLO. Of course, the procedure is also the more expensive of the two, but since I had pet insurance, that wasn’t as big of a factor.

Surgery 1.

I decided on the TPLO, and Noki’s first surgery took place in September 2015. Recovery got off to a rocky start when the incision got a really nasty infection. But once that cleared up, things went much smoother. Noki was putting some weight on the surgically repaired leg within a few days. For about 10 weeks we had to limit her activity (no stairs, no jumping on furniture, only short, leashed walks). Noki must be a quick healer, because she passed her follow-up X-Rays with flying colors, despite the infection she had.

So one leg down, one more to go. I decided to hold off on the second surgery until the spring. That gave us some time to build up her strength back through walks and swimming at Sand Dancer Canine Swim. Plus, as a Husky, she loves the winter, so I wanted her to enjoy the snow (what little we had) as much as possible.

Surgery 2.

In the middle of March, Noki underwent her second TPLO. By then, we felt like seasoned veterans. The surgery went well. The incision healed properly (no infection).  Plus, she was able to hobble around better than the first time. The hardest part of the process was holding her back when she started to gain confidence and wanted to test out her new-and-improved legs.

Good as (almost) new.

Fast forward to June, and we received the news we waited so long for: Noki was fully healed on both legs and was allowed to gradually increase her activity. Hallelujah! Since getting the green light. Noki has enjoyed being a dog again. We’re back to doing long walks, hikes, trips to the dog park, and, of course, her beloved swimming sessions. And today, we went for our first run together. It was short—just over a mile—but I was thrilled to see her doing it with the same enthusiasm she had years ago.

Things I learned.

While I hope your dog never has to go through an injury or surgery like this, here are a few things I learned that hopefully will be helpful for others:

• Get pet insurance. It sounds silly—until you need it. The policy I have covers just accidents or injuries (no wellness visits), but only costs around $30 a month for our two dogs. Without pet insurance, this whole ordeal would have cost around $10,000. Insurance didn’t cover all of it, but more than enough to be worth the initial investment.
• Don’t make assumptions. It doesn’t take a traumatic event for a dog to tear his or her cruciate ligament. Sometimes it’s genetic. Sometimes it just happens without notice. And when a dog tears one CL, there’s a 50% chance they’ll tear the other one. I’m thankful that the vet at Blue Cross didn’t assume Noki’s limp was just arthritis and ordered the initial X-Ray.
• Find the top surgeon in your area. I can’t say enough good things about Dr. van Ee and the staff at Sheridan Small Animal Hospital. Between all the visits, they definitely got to know Noki by name. But even little things like calling with an evening update the day of surgery, or squeezing me in for quick check-in appointments made a tough process a little easier.
• Don’t give in to the sad eyes. After the first surgery, Noki looks so pathetic and uncomfortable. So while I was at home, I would take her cone-of-shame off. I never saw her lick at her stitches, but who knows if that contributed to her awful infection. Sometimes tough love is the right choice.
• Stay patient. 10-12 weeks doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re used to being very active with your dog it can feel like an eternity.