lease meet Elsbeth Tascioni on the left, not to be confused with her lookalikes Spy (middle) and Avi.
She is a 2-year-old boxer. She is the most playful, silly, spunky, always-looking-for-the-next-adventure dog. Of course she would be the one who blew out her knee. It’s no surprise after watching her perform what looks like Cirque du Soleil inspired moves while chasing her sister Annika.
There was no “oh crap” moment that made me think her knee was blown- no cry, no wince, no immediate lameness. We noticed she was limping, but after a nap, she was fine. We thought perhaps she landed wrong or tweaked a muscle. We watched it. The limp would come back if she exerted herself and then would go away again. It was her left hindleg. This on and off again limp went on for a couple of weeks. It was enough to warrant a trip to the vet.
I have always been an advocate for quality of life and this limp clearly affected her. I made an appointment with my vet to get X-rays. With manipulation and x-rays it was not confirmed there was a tear in her knee. She was presenting all the signs there was one, but it was not definitive. We were sent home with meds and a decision to make; keep her convalescing with the hope what was causing the limp would heal itself over time or make an appointment for knee surgery betting on a cruciate tear, which is a ligament in the knee.
Knowing Elsbeth and her zest for life, I thought Cruciate, or TPLO, surgery would be the best option. What I didn’t want is for her to rest for weeks, think it is healed, and then the first time she does her acrobatic moves, she is back to square one with a sore leg. That would be a waste of time. Instead, I decided to use the spring months to have surgery and get her healed so that we can hit the hiking trails in the summer, one of Elsbeth’s favorite things.
Next, it was time to decide on where I would have the surgery. I talked to some people in the business to get opinions on the best facilities in the area. I also had to factor in how long I wanted to wait to have surgery. After careful consideration, I decided on Sentinel Vet Hospital in Missoula, MT. The clinic is a couple hours away, but it came highly recommended, and I wanted nothing but the best for my girl. We got our appointment, and I quickly went into overdrive preparing/nesting immediately. I had one week until her surgery.
The first thing I went searching for is a Barker Bed. This bed is epic! It is the thickest dog bed I know about. What I didn’t want is a poly-filled bed that won’t sink to the floor when your dog lays on it. I wanted a bed that would fully support her joints. Barker Beds are 7” thick with foam. That’s what I am talking about! They come at a hefty price, but I didn’t care. It comes with a 10-year guarantee it won’t squish. I can use it long after she needs it. The downside is I wouldn’t get it in time if I ordered one. Ugh.
I started frantic internet searches for orthopedic beds, especially on Amazon for fast shipping. I found a couple and bought them both. I needed one for the car trip back home and one for her crate. They weren’t Barker Beds but, hopefully they would work. If I needed to, I could cushion the beds more with foam, like camping mats or bed toppers.
Two beds were on the way but what was the harm of jumping onto Facebook marketplace to do a quick search for Barker Beds. I had done this before but the only ones that popped up were for sale on the other side of the state but not today! Today, a lovely human JUST posted a Barker Bed for sale, 10 minutes from me! It was exactly the couch style I wanted. It was bolstered on 3 sides so when riding in the van on the way home, directly after surgery, she wouldn’t slip off in her rummy haze. It’s like this one pictured.
I messaged the seller and cruised over to snag the golden bed! I was on cloud nine with this luck. It was in perfect condition, I had it immediately and got a little bit of a deal. SCORE! Now I have 3 beds for Elsbeth! I am not kidding; this bed is gold! Are three beds too many? NAH!
Then I ordered more waterproof covers/blankets. I remember when Elsbeth had her x-ray, she leaked urine quite a bit when she was coming out of anesthesia. She leaked all the way home. I feared she would have the same experience after her surgery. I wanted to keep her dry and be able to keep the beds dry on her long ride home. I also gathered disposable potty pads that I could quickly change as we were traveling. Check-check!
While I waited for my beds and covers to arrive, I went off to the store to buy some bones for bone broth. Bone broth naturally contains glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin. These are the trinity that strengthen and repair joints. Bone broth is also good for the gut. I knew Elsbeth would be on a lot of medications and so I wanted to fortify her tummy as much as I could beforehand.
I bought some beef bones from the store, covered with water and simmered low and slow. I didn’t add. . . ok, I will come clean. . . Warren didn’t add anything else to the pot. For anyone who doesn’t know, Warren is my longtime partner, and he used to be a chef. I, on the other hand, do very little in the kitchen. Moving on, Warren didn’t add anything else to the pot. Water and bones only. You can add things to make the broth a longevity topper, as described in the book, The Forever Dog, but I just wanted simple bone broth. It’s not fancy, but it’s oh so good for dogs.
I mention Warren because he taught me that when you make broth, you need to cool it immediately to keep it safe. I was instructed to take it off the heat and put the pot in ice and water in the sink or put it in a pan, NOT a jar. A shallow pan allows it to cool down quickly in the refrigerator. So, if you make beef broth, cool it down pronto! Afterwards you can put it in a jar or container of your choice.
I stored the broth in wide-mouth jars. When I was purchasing the jars, I noticed screw on lids with spouts!!!! GENIUS! I had never seen these before. Yes, I live under a rock. These lids work perfectly for pouring onto the dog’s food without spilling. I LOVE these lids!
I began pouring 1/3 cup over the top of her food 5 days prior to her surgery. Her tummy handled it and she loved it. All the dogs did. I also want to mention it’s great for dogs with heart issues like my Avi Mundavi. The broth has minerals such as magnesium, calcium, sulfur, silicon, and phosphorus which promote heart health. All my dogs can benefit, and all my dogs love it. Making your own is cheaper than buying in the store and when doing this, you can be sure there isn’t anything extra in it my dog doesn’t need. There are good brands that you can buy, just look at the labels and know what you are getting. Not all bone broth is created equally.
Next, Warren and I discussed what we were going to do with all the other pups while we were away 17 hours. We decided the easiest thing to do is load them all up and take them with us. They are all great travelers and after we dropped Elsbeth off at surgery, we would have the whole day to wait. Might as well take them for walks and whatever else we could think of. I knew they would be in the car lying around for a long time, so I dug out my TOPPLs and started filling and freezing them.
What’s a TOPPL? Ditch your Kong and go for these instead! I love these! I may have a few. You’ve probably seen them but if not, here ya go!
I made a TOPPL for each pup and had a cooler with ice packs to transport them until we needed them for surgery day. These are not just good for surgery, but great for all dogs when you need a little enrichment. I give them a 10/10. The large is best for most size dogs. The extra large is gigantic. The small one is great for small dogs but the extra large is just way too big for most dogs. Go with large if your dog is smaller than a Great Dane and a small if your dog is 20-25lbs or less.
Elsbeth was offered laser treatment when I was at the vet getting her x-rays done. It was offered because they had been manipulating her leg extensively and it might be sore. I declined the offer because she was stressed and sedated. I just wanted to get her home and resting comfortably. However, it did lead me down the rabbit hole of “at home” lasers. Boy that is a big rabbit hole! There is so much conflicting information even if you type in “best 2025 at home lasers”. There are many companies who have ranked lasers, but from one to the next the information is always different.
I decided to go with a brand that was on all the lists. I also ran it by a vet tech friend who works at Elsbeth’s clinic. Why the laser in the first place? Laser therapy is used for managing pain, inflammation (swelling), and wound healing. I weighed the pros and cons of going to the vet to have it done, as their machine is far superior to what I can buy, or I could buy my own for home use. I decided it would be more beneficial for Elsbeth to get treatment twice a day, every day, instead of once a week or every other week. The home laser will pay for itself in no time. Money isn’t everything, but it does need consideration. I purchased this brand to have it in time to use right when she got home from surgery. As a bonus, we could use it on ourselves too!
Lastly, I took an inventory of my essential oils. I use Doterra. I was specifically looking for ADAPTIV which is a calming blend and Balance, a grounding blend (both healthy for dogs and people). I knew Elsbeth was going to need to stay very quiet for the days immediately following the surgery. I also knew I needed to take care of the other dogs in the house. I want a calm environment for everyone, and I diffuse Doterra’s ADAPTIV and Balance in the house. When doing this, I make sure the pups can leave the room if they do not want it anymore. Fortunately, all my dogs like the two oils, but I still only diffuse in the main room of the house and let the pups choose if they want to leave or stay.
With all my beds, oils, broth, lasers, and mental enrichment, I was ready to drive to Montana for surgery. I hope this gives you some helpful ideas if your pups ever need to have surgery. We hope they don’t, but chances are good you will find yourself in my shoes someday.
Come back for Part 2: Surgery Day! My “momma bear” attitude comes out in this next story.
If you have questions about socializing or training your dog let me know. I'm happy to help!
Please email at Stephanie@pawsitiveconnectiondogtraining.com
Happy Training!
~ Stephanie
Wishing Elsbeth a successful surgery and smooth recovery. I remember Annika as a baby puppy and glad she is still happily running around. Thanks for this helpful information. Looking forward to the next update.
Love this information and love seeing how thorough you are when researching and making sure you are doing the best for your pups. You are a wonderful trainer and a wonderful dog mom! Thank you, Stephanie!