a Robert Jones bandage and repair of a partially torn cruciate

Penny has a rather pretty bandage on her leg after the operation to repair her partially torn cruciate ligament. Searching the net today for information, I've discovered an article at PetPlace describing it as a Robert Jones bandage.

The surgeon told us to be very careful that it doesn't get wet, so we've been crawling around the backyard feeling the ground for dampness - ah, what we do for our beloved dogs! But now I've read on the PetPlace site that we should have a plastic bag right over her bandage when we go outside, because she might accidentally wee on it and make it wet.

We took turns to get up at two-hourly intervals during the night to check on her - yawn - and she slept well. She can apparently shift around, because we see her in different resting positions when we check on her during the day.



I read a report on the history and use of this bandage and was pleased to read

By supporting the soft tissues, the Robert Jones dressing relieves pain and may facilitate healing.

And, at another site, I read

It promotes healing by immobilizing the injured area, thereby limiting swelling and providing protection from secondary trauma. Compared with other padded bandages, the Robert-Jones bandage offers limb stability, tissue fluid absorption, and protection from trauma. Generally, most of the compression is lost after several hours to days as the cotton loosens.

One of the best finds of all has been a blog by the owner of a dog who has gone through the traditional repair, as we are doing, and also has successfully completed conservative management, avoiding surgery altogether. (We tried conservative management, but Penny got worse.) I'll be reading each week of that blog to get an idea of what we can expect.

Today's big exercise has been carrying Penny out to wee (yes, a good wee in the morning, thank goodness). We know she can wee with the sore leg in the air, because she's been doing it for weeks.

The next step is to see her do a poo. (Oh, how our dogs teach us to focus on the important things in life.) We're not sure how that will go, as it seems to involve putting her weight on both backlegs. The vet nurse told us to support her with a sling under her rear end, but we've been out three times and she just lies down.





Maybe there'll be some action later...