Pain Medication
Your dog will go home on medications for the post-operative period to help control pain and inflammation.
Metacam ® (meloxicam) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication given to help control pain and inflammation. One dose is usually given to your dog as they are recovering from surgery as an injection, and 4 oral doses are sent home. The dosing frequency for this medication is once every 24 hours. If your dog seems painful after this medication is finished, please call the clinic to speak with a veterinarian.
Tramadol is an opioid-like medication that is used to treat pain. It works synergistically with Metacam ® to provide a higher level of pain control. It comes as a tablet and can be dosed every 8-12 hours depending on the level of pain/discomfort. A common side effect associated with this drug is sedation.
Gabapentin is a medication sometimes used to treat neuropathic (nerve) pain, and can work synergistically with Metacam or other NSAIDs to help provide post-operative pain relief.
Plan for very limited activity the first two weeks.
While Irie had surgical staples in place (and a cone around the clock), we did very little other than potty stops.
Brace yourself for the staples; I am a wimp about all things surgical so they were a bit of a shock at first.
The first thing I did was to take the photo above so I’d know if there were any changes that I needed to be concerned about; this gave me something to compare to if we thought we might see changes.
Once I got over the initial jolt, though, the staples really proved to be no issue at all. Irie couldn’t access them due to the cone.
And speaking of the cone, know that there are other models besides the one that is sent home with your dog after surgery. Irie wore a cone for two weeks as well. While we have some great soft post-surgery collars, we had to use a rigid collar per our discharge instructions; they were afraid Irie would be able to get through a soft collar.
We bought a clear Cardinal brand cone or e-collar so that Irie could have better peripheral vision. She seemed to really like this cone, with its padded neck, better than the one she was wearing at discharge.
How long does it take for a dog to stop limping after ACL surgery?
It’s normal to see a dog limping after ACL surgery, especially in the first few days after surgery. While recovery times vary from dog to dog, it can take six to eight weeks for your dog to be back to normal after knee surgery. There’s no rush. The important thing is to work with your veterinarian in the weeks to come.