Preparing the House for a Mastiff After TPLO Surgery

In preparation for Brinkley coming home this evening I spent the night last night cleaning the house up and getting everything post surgery ready.  I bought two 3x5 rugs yesterday to go on the linoleum in front of the sliding door so she doesn’t slip when we go outside. I put up an x-pen in the living room so she can be around us when we are home, but she will still need to be crated when we aren’t home.  I'm forseeing sleeping in the floor with her the first few nights, but we'll see how it goes. 

When I pick her up they are supposed to give me a harness that goes under her abdomen so I can help her walk and an e-collar, but I’m hoping we won’t have to use either of those much.  I hate those giant plastic e-collars, and I’m sure that’s what they have ready for her.  I purchased one of the donut type inflatable ones that should fit her in case we need to use it instead. 

Here is the setup I have ready for her.  I hope the drive home goes well.  We’re expecting some snow and it will be rush hour St. Louis traffic I’m driving back through, so it will probably be a long ride home.

 

To read the beginning of Brinkley's CCL story start here: A Mastiff's Journey Through Craial Cruciat Liagment Surgery

 

And to read about the rest of Brinkley's journey:

Coming Home From the TPLO Surgery Center

Day 2 Post-TPLO Surgery

Day 3 Post TPLO Surgery

Day 7 Post TPLO Surgery

BrinkleyMastiff - Walking on Day 8, Post-TPLO Surgery

Makin'Mischief Mastiff Collar... Plus Brinkley Day 11 TPLO Update
PassiveRange of Motion Exercises in Post TPLO Mastiff

A Mastiffs Journey through Cranial Cruciate Ligament Surgery

In the Beginning...

Well in less than 24 hours Brinkley will get dropped off for her TPLO surgery.  I have deliberated back and forth, back and forth on whether to do the TPLO surgery or the Tightrope surgery on her and I have decided that I think the TPLO will yield the best results for the long term for her.  This was not an easy decision for me, so I hope by documenting her surgery and recovery I can maybe help someone else out down the road to make their decision a little easier. 

Flashback to where this all started…. Brinkley is a 175lb female English Mastiff who just turned 2 years old in October.  She is very high energy for a Mastiff and that is one of the reason’s I think her ligament tore. She first tweaked her knee a few months ago.  Nothing severe, just a little limp for one or two steps when she first got up after she played too hard or ran or walked too far.  In an effort to help her heal up we put her on house arrest and restricted any roughhousing indefinitely.  It seemed to be going well and the last month or so she seemed to be doing fine…. Then her knee went out completely on December 12th.  We got home from work, both dogs went out in the backyard and 3 minutes later I heard a yelp. I ran outside to see what was wrong and she was not using it at all and was barely even toe tapping it.  She was in obvious distress, so we brought her in and crated her so she couldn’t move it to much and I gave her a Deramaxx I had left over from Boone’s neuter.  The next morning I was off to the emergency unit at the University of Missouri to confirm my suspicions, a torn Cranial Cruciate Ligament.  They gave me Tramadol and Rimadyl to get her through until she could have surgery, but the earliest open appointment they had was January 23^rd.  Although they are one of the top orthopedic surgery vet groups in the Midwest, I was worried that in compensating for the injured leg she would blow the other knee out if we waited 2 months, so I called around and was able to get an appointment at Midwest Veterinary Referral Center in St. Louis a specialist group that only focuses on surgery, oncology and other specialized canine treatments.  They got her in the three days later and we scheduled a surgery appointment for December 27^th…. tomorrow.

Now, back to the present…. Brinkley gets dropped off in the morning.  Since the tear I have dropped around 10lbs off of her (she is as skinny as I ever would want her to get now) in an effort to take some stress off the leg during recovery.  She was prescribed 150mg of Rimadyl 2 x per day and 150mg of Tramadol 3 x per day. For the first week and a half I gave it to her, but have since weaned her off as she really doesn’t seem to need it.  I have had her on Glucosamine/Chondroitin as well as Fish Oil supplements since she was a puppy also, something the vet was pleased to hear and said she should be on for the rest of her life to lubricate the joint. She limps much less now that when she initially tore it, making me wonder if it is only a partial tear.  Only the pre-op x-ray will tell though.

I weighed the pro’s and con’s of the surgery options and I’ll share with you how I decided on the surgery I did. There are four surgical options for dogs with CCL injuries; traditional Extracapsular Ligament Surgery (sometimes referred to as the fishing line surgery), Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) surgery, Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteomy (TPLO) and the Tightrope surgery. With a dog like Brinkley the only real options for surgery are the TPLO or the Tightrope.  The Extracapsular and the TTA surgery were out of the question.  That left me to choose between the TPLO and the Tightrope surgery. Below are the things I considered while trying to come to my decision.

TPLO Pro’s – (1) longest term option, once it’s done it never has to be done again, (2) veterinarian doing the surgery uses a new type of TPLO plate that screws into the bone, making less room for ‘wiggle’ while the bone heals (3) metal plate can be removed once the leg is 100% healed (http://www.tploanswers.com/Pages/default.aspx)

TPLO Con’s – (1) some people think the metal plate used to hold the bone together while it heals can cause cancer later in the dogs life, (2) the bone itself is cut and repositioned, making it a more intensive surgery and (3) a more intensive recovery time (4) if the surgery fails there is nothing else that can really be done.

Tightrope Pro’s – (1) no bone cutting, less intensive surgery resulting in (2) a less intensive recovery time and (3) if the surgery fails you can always go back and do the TPLO surgery at a later time.

Tightrope Con’s – (1) tape they use to ‘replace’ the ligament can give out overtime and the surgery will need to be repeated possibly resulting in (2) arthritis in the meantime, (3) the tape they use is also a wonderful place for bacteria to harbor and grow once the surgery is done, sometime making it necessary to remove the tape yielding the surgery as a failure, (4) the holes that are drilled through the bone that the tape runs through can wallow out over time making the surgery less effective and arthritis to proliferate faster.

As I said above, I decided on the TPLO surgery after reading MANY hours worth of personal stories about both procedures (success and failures) and by considering the recommendations and personal experiences of many other Mastiff owners who have gone through similar circumstances. I will have to say that I do LOVE the vet that I have chosen to do the surgery.  Orthopedic surgeries are her specialty and she not only attended the University and interned under Dr. Jimmy Cook (the inventor of the Tightrope surgery), she is also accredited by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. I hope we made the right choice. 

Here is a video of Brinkley Pre-TPLO.  You can see why she most likely isn't a good candidate for the Tightrope surgery.  Even injured she still is as rambunctious as ever.

 

Read about the rest of Brinkley's journey here:

Preparing the House For a Mastiff After TPLO Surgery

Coming Home From the TPLO Surgery Center

Day 2 Post TPLO Surgery

Day 3 Post TPLO Surgery

Day 7 Post TPLO Surgery

BrinkleyMastiff - Walking on Day 8, Post-TPLO Surgery

Makin'Mischief Mastiff Collar... Plus Brinkley Day 11 TPLO Update
PassiveRange of Motion Exercises in Post TPLO Mastiff

Feeding Your Mastiff Puppy

UPDATE: January 2016 - This post is several years old.  I have been feeding a raw diet for nearly 5 years now and it is in my opinion the best thing I could ever do for my dogs. If you are looking for advice or opinions on a specific brand of food please follow the protocol I set forth in the blog post Choosing a Top Quality Dry Food or visit dogfoodadvisor.com to find out the specific rating of a food. I have fed raw so long I can't comment on any one food other than what is outlined in my articles and at dogfoodadvisor.com

When it comes to feeing your puppy, try to feed them 3 to 4 times a day until your pup reaches 3-4 months of age, and then advance them to twice a day. Your puppy will indicate to you how much you should be feeding them. You can start with the guide below, but if your puppy eats the recommended amount of feed within a reasonable time, 20 minutes or so, then increase the feeding 1-cup at a time.

4-8 weeks of age         3-4 cups per day spread between 3-4 meals
8-12 weeks                  4-6 cups per day spread between 3-4 meals
12-16 weeks                6-8 cups per day spread between 3-4 meals
4 to 6 months             8-10 cups per day spread between 2-3 meals
6-18 months               8-12 cups per day spread between 2-3 meals

It is also important to remember how prone to bloat Mastiffs are.  I don’t feel comfortable feeding more than about 3 ½ cups in one sitting to help keep the risk to a minimum.  Also be sure to keep you puppy or dog from guzzling water after a meal.  A drink is fine, but don’t let them drain the dish, you don’t want all that dehydrated kibble expanding too quickly in their gut.

Make sure you puppy has access to fresh clean water at all times.  Water should NEVER be withheld to aid in potty training.  The only time my dogs or puppies do not have access to water is when they are crated, and for very young puppies this should be for short amounts of time only.

When choosing a food for your puppy, make sure to feed a quality kibble with no by-products or added chemicals.  It is also good to go ahead and start your puppy on adult food, not puppy food (your vet may argue with this, but they aren’t giant breed specialists, remember these aren’t large breed dogs, they are giant breed dogs).  Most puppy foods have protein levels that are too high for giant breeds that grow so rapidly.  You want your protein level to be right around 25% and absolutely no higher than 28%.  It is also important to keep  your calcium/phosphorus ratio right at 1:1.  Doing these things is a huge step in preventing conditions like HOD (Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy) or Panosteitis.  These are both painful conditions and can be crippling for life if not treated with a balanced diet.

Remember, the size of your Mastiff is genetic, not nutritional. You cannot hurt your puppy by keeping him lean and fit, but overfeeding a Mastiff puppy can ruin them orthopedically for life, causing a lot of pain and numerous vet bills over the life of your Mastiff.

Intl.Ch.Harvest Haze Griffin's On The Brink

Brinkley earned her International Championship the first weekend in November! Her overall comments from the judges were “very typey bitch, balanced, solid” and “great representative of breed”. I didn’t get a picture, but here is a picture of her I took this weekend.

And to top if off I got the results back on her hips and elbows.  That complete's her health testing.  She is the healthiest Mastiff she could be! 

*OFA Hips:Good (MF-8451G24F-VPI)
*OFA Elbows:Normal (MF-EL5025F24-VPI)
*Cardiac: Normal (MF-CA2414/16F/P-PI)
*Patellas: Normal (MF-PA2282/16F/P-PI)
*Thyroid: Normal (MF-TH1302/16F-VPI)
*CERF: Clear (MF-364503 - 2.18.2012)
*PRA: Clear (MF-PRA1246/16F-PI)
*DNA Cystinuria: Clear (1:1)
*CMR: Clear (MF-CMR12/15F-PI)
*von Willebrand's: Normal 140% (20199-12)
*Deg. Melopathy:Clear (MF-DM38/17F-VPI)
*Fluffy Gene: Clear N/N (Case# 37687)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Training Your Mastiff

Every dog should be taught at the minimum, basic obedience, however because they are destined to be VERY large dogs, it is necessary for Mastiffs. Most Mastiffs are very easy to train because of their willingness to please their owners.  They are a ‘soft’ breed, meaning they require little to no scolding.  A simple raised voice may have a reaction similar to that of a much worse punishment.  I can give my Mastiffs a look and point my finger and they act like I’ve punished them for days. Positive reinforcement training methods are really the only way to go with a Mastiff.  Praise and treats everytime they do something correct or you are happy with, they will learn quite quickly.

It is also very important that your Mastiff gets proper socialization as it is growing to ensure it’s attitude in public, around other dogs, people and children is positive.  A fearful or shy Mastiff can be quite hard to handle should a situation arise where they need to be taken out of their comfort zone and in some situations fear turns into aggression.  Something any dog owner wants to avoid at all costs.  A well socialized Mastiff is a stable Mastiff.

It is important to note that while you may want your Mastiff to grow into the guardian of the family, a Mastiff does not need protection training. A well socialized Mastiff has, in essence, been taught what a normal situation is and will be able to sense when something is wrong. It takes a loving bond with a family or person for a Mastiff to instinctually protect, not aggression training.

Please also remember that even if your dog is well socialized and friendly, NEVER under any circumstance leave any child unattended with ANY dog.  If a dog bites a child when a parent isn’t watching the parent is the one at fault, they were the negligent one.  In most situations the dog was just reacting when provoked or in pain from something the child probably did.  However, a 200lb dog can injure a child in a seconds time, so be responsible with your children and protect your dog.

The Backyard Breeder v.s. The Responsible Hobby Breeder

This is just a quick reference guide I put together to help you in your choice of a breeder.  Be sure to watch out for some of the key indicators you are working with a backyard breeder that should not be breeding.  Steer clear of these individuals that don't have the wellbeing of the dogs and puppies as a top priority.

1.) The Backyard Breeder...Is motivated to breed because it is "fun", "good for kids", "to make money," or "thinks it’s good for the dog." Doesn't screen buyers  or does minimal screening and seldom refuses to sell, even if buyer is unsuitable.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Is  dedicated to producing quality dogs as a serious avocation. Has so much invested in dogs that s/he struggles to break even, rarely making a "profit." Will sell pups only to approved buyers.
 

2.) The Backyard Breeder...Breeds family pet or breeding stock to any convenient dog of same breed just to have purebred pups "with papers." Has no  knowledge of: genetics, bloodlines, animal husbandry, or breed improvement.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Can explain how and why the breeding was planned, with emphasis on specific qualities through linebreeding or outcrossing. Will often use a stud from another area, state or even country to make sure it is the best possible fit between the breeding pair.

3.) The Backyard Breeder...Has little or no knowledge of breed specific health issues. Though pet may be well loved, it wasn't tested for heritable problems prior to breeding. May claim they “they have never had any issues.”

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Has breeding stock x-rayed to check for hip dysplasia and tests for other genetic faults. Can produce certification to prove claims. Or proof is documented with the OFFA.

4.) The Backyard Breeder...Offers no health guarantees beyond proof of shots, if that. Unqualified and/or unwilling to give help if problems develop.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Lifetime commitment to replace a dog with genetic faults or to help owner deal with problem.

5.) The Backyard Breeder...Seller has little knowledge of breed history or AKC "Standard." May claim that this doesn't matter for "just pets".

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Loves the breed and can talk at length about the breed's history, background, uses, and ideal type.

6.) The Backyard Breeder...Pups raised in makeshift accommodations, indicating lack of long-term investment in breeding or sometimes raised outside.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Has a serious investment in dog equipment such as puppy pens, crates and whelping boxes and numerous puppy socialization items.

7.) The Backyard Breeder...Even when selling "just pets", may display AKC "papers" or "championship pedigree" as proof of quality. Yet seller doesn't increase their own knowledge through participation in national or local breed clubs. Doesn't show their breeding stock in shows to "prove" quality, often feeling that dog shows are too expensive, to cliquey or that judges don't know anything. Has no knowledge of ancestors listed on the pedigree, much less their ownership, health status or whereabouts.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Belongs to and is actively involved with local or national dog clubs which indicates a love for the sport and welfare of dogs as a whole. Exhibits his/her own dogs at dog shows on a regular basis as an objective test of how their stock measures up to the standard. Can identify ownership and whereabouts of all dogs listed on pedigrees. If they don’t show then they at least have an objective person assess their dog against the breed standard, an AKC Judge, a handler, or someone who does show that particular breed.

8.) The Backyard Breeder...May be unwilling to show buyer entire litter or to introduce dam and/or sire of litter. Can't or won't compare/critique pups or pups' ancestors.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Shows litter and other family members in a sanitary environment, generally in the breeders home.  Can see the area where the pups were whelped and raised with no secrets.

9.) The Backyard Breeder...Prices puppies at low end of local range, since most want to move pups quickly at 8 weeks or often younger or they are “just pet quality.” May accept credit payments or have a “cart” on their website where you can purchase a puppy unforeseen through Paypal. 

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Prices will be at medium to high end of local range. Price won't reflect all that is invested in pups and the breeder will generally not accept credit or installments.  If buyer can’t afford a puppy upfront they most likely will not afford items like quality food, healthcare, or have money for unforeseen medical emergencies and vet bills.

10.) The Backyard Breeder...No concern for the future of individual pups or breed as a whole. Doesn't employ AKC's limited registration option nor ask for spay/neuter contract to guard against breeding of substandard pets. If you can't keep the pup, s/he tells you to take it to sell it. Doesn’t care if you chose to breed your puppy in the future.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...After purchase, will help with grooming or training problems. Will take back pup you can't keep rather than see it disposed of inappropriately. Sells companion quality puppies with spay/neuter agreement or limited AKC registration.  Will not sell a puppy with breeding rights without a specific contract outlining acceptable breeding mates, health testing conditions, and age and frequency of breeding the dog.

11.) The Backyard Breeder...May use puppy broker websites like puppyfind.com, nextdaypets.com, ebay, Facebook or even craigslist to try and find homes for puppies. Uses terms like “vet checked”, “full-blooded”, etc. in their sales pitch to convince buyers of puppies value.
 

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Generally has a list before the breeding even takes place of puppy buyers waiting on a puppy.  Puppies may be listed on breed specific websites, with pedigrees and full parental health testing listed along with the litter announcement

12.) The Backyard Breeder...Breeds a female for the sole purpose of making or selling the puppies.  If they do keep a puppy it’s usually just the last one left they couldn’t sell, not the pick puppy to carry on the best genetics in the bloodline.

The Responsible Hobby Breeder...Generally only breeds for their next keeper puppy.  Will not breed a litter just to sell the puppies. Will not breed more than a litter or two a year, and never breed a female twice in one year.