Client Instructions:

If the conservative therapy is chosen:

Bonnie has ruptured her cranial cruciate ligament.  This is a ligament which helps hold her knee together.  In order for her leg to heal properly, Bonnie needs to be kept under close confinement for the next four to eight weeks.  This means that she should be kept in a crate or one room while you are not home and only taken outside on a leash to use the bathroom.  We are sending Bonnie home with some pain medication called phenylbutazone.  Please follow the instructions on the bottle.  However, if the medication seems to make Bonnie feel too good, and she is too active, please give us a call so we can adjust her dosage.  We would really like to reevaluate Bonnie in 6-8 weeks to check on her progress.  Please set up an appointment with Chloe, the receptionist, before you leave this afternoon.

Also, Bonnie is severely overweight.  If Bonnie is going to get better, she MUST lose weight.  We are sending you home with some samples of weight reducing diets.  If you find one that Bonnie likes, you may start purchasing it at your regular veterinarian.  (These are prescription diets, so they are not available at the grocery store or even at pet stores.)  Please remember to mix her current food with her new food for a week to avoid any diarrhea or upset stomachs.  Please, no table scraps, but the raisin snacks are just fine.  We would like to aim for a loss of 1-2 lbs a week.  Please feel free to come use our scales to monitor her progress.  


If surgery is chosen:

Bonnie has ruptured her cranial cruciate ligament.  This is a ligament which helps hold her knee together.  Our surgeons have replaced the ligament to allow proper healing.  There will be very little strength in this joint for about six weeks.  Bonnie needs to be kept in a crate or confined to one room while you are not home and only taken outside on a leash to use the bathroom for 14 days.  After this, Bonnie needs to begin a controlled exercise program.  She may be leash walked for progressively longer periods of time, and she may be taken swimming.  WetDogs, located on West Sun Blvd., has several whirlpools and charges on an hourly basis.  She should be taken swimming three times a week if possible, for about 20-25 minutes a session.  She should be walked for about the same amount of time on the days that she doesn't swim.  We would like Bonnie to come visit us in 12 weeks.  At that time, we will decide if she has made enough progress to resume normal activities.  We also need to see her in 6 months to remove the screw our surgeons placed in her knee.  Both appointments can be made with Chloe, the receptionist. We are sending Bonnie home with some pain medication called phenylbutazone.  Please follow the instructions on the bottle.  However, if the medication seems to make Bonnie feel too good, and she is too active, please give us a call so we can adjust her dosage.

Since Bonnie stayed here overnight, she can have normal amounts of food and water tonight.  General anesthesia can cause a temporary stasis of the intestinal tract, so just keep an eye on Bonnie and make sure she is going to the bathroom normally over the next couple of days.  Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any questions.

Also, Bonnie is severely overweight.  If Bonnie is going to get better, she MUST lose weight.  We are sending you home with some samples of weight reducing diets.  If you find one that Bonnie likes, you may start purchasing it at your regular veterinarian.  (These are prescription diets, so they are not available at the grocery store or even at pet stores.)  Please remember to mix her current food with her new food for a week to avoid any diarrhea or upset stomachs.  Please, no table scraps, but the raisin snacks are just fine.  We would like to shoot for a loss of 1-2 lbs a week.  Please feel free to come use our scales to monitor her progress.  




Thank you for bringing Bonnie to Happy Hollow Referral Clinic.  We really enjoyed meeting you and Bonnie.