Way OT - Luxating patella surgery for dogs

#1

Ok, I’m really upset… my dog’s been diagnosed with a medially luxating patella today. We have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on 2/13 for evaluation (not surgery yet). He’s just a baby, only 1 year old. He’s so active and everything. I’m scared he won’t be able to be as athletic after surgery.

Has anyone out there been through luxating patella correction surgery? The surgeon’s assistant told me today that recovery is 4 weeks and will be “hard but not horrible”. I’m trying to relax and not worry, but it’s so hard. He’s my baby!

But, I got a book from half.com today… The knitters encyclopedia, so I can make those little lamb things that MrTea makes. I guess that’s a bit of cheer today…

#2

:pray:
My thoughts and prayers. I have a dog, and I know what a vital member of the family pets are. I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about this condition, but I would think that being young and active will be very helpful in terms of recovery. Good luck.

#3

What kind of puppy do ou have?

Our 1st yorkie had that problem. He was about 7 years old when we got him and never had surgery for it. Fortunately, my husband was always able to reposition his knee whenever it dislocated. Most days Dusty was just fine and had no problem. He was plenty active…had been wandering for I don’t know how long when I found him. He lived to be about 14 years old.

Hope your dog recovers from surgery quickly and without complications.

Beverly

#4

Thanks Beverly and Kayeknit!

He’s a German Shepherd mix that we rescued from a shelter last summer. He’s our total baby and we love him to pieces!

The reason we are probably going to opt for surgery is that he is so young and so active. Surgery will most likely give him the best chance for a normal life, even though right now, he appears to be just fine. We just don’t want it to progress to be a crippling condition. Right now, he “dislocates” his kneecap a few times/day and it only lasts for a few seconds.

#5

Never had to get that proceedure for my dog, but I had to have it done on me, and I can say from experience that the recovery time will vary depending on how patient the patient is! :wink:

A young dog will obviously heal quicker than say, a thirtysomething gal (My ordeal was about 4.5 months start to finish). Also, correcting it early can even forstall/minimize the development of tendonitis or arthritis in that joint later on. The longer you wait, the more the joint is going to be able to grind itself down, opening that dog up to a life of chronic pain. Good to get it taken care of now.

A couple of my friends had their dogs go through this, one younger one older. Each came through it beautifully, though it was a struggle in both cases to get the dogs to rest. This is where crate training can be a real boon.

Best wishes to your sweetiedog for a full recovery!

#6

A shepherd is certainly going to be a MUCH larger dog than a 6lb. yorkie. He probably will benefit from the surgery. Don’t think my husband would have been able to manipulate the knee on an 80 lb or larger dog.

Our dogs are rescue dogs, also. They’re great! Real babies.

Beverly
Beverly

#7

I’m so glad to hear that other dogs have gone through this and come through beautifully! :smiley:

He only started limping a few weeks ago (very intermittently) and we took him to the vet right away. She wanted to wait 2 weeks to let it heal b/c she thought it was a sprain. She couldn’t make the kneecap luxate so she really thought it was a sprain, even though I was sure it was the patella. Luckily, she was really great and was willing to re-evaluate him and refer us to an excellent orthopedic surgeon.

He’s 65 lbs! When we got him, he was only 38. I don’t think he’ll get any bigger, but here’s a picture of our baby. His name is Colorado (we named him before we knew were moving to Colorado Springs :wink: )

#8

I was getting ready to post a reply to your post- about my sister’s dog- and when I scrolled down and saw your picture, I couldn’t believe it- they look so much alike!! Amazing!!

My sister’s dog did not have the same surgery that you are looking at, but he did have to have both legs operated on- the ACL? I think? He had one done, then a year later had the other side done. He was about 4 yrs old at the time. The hardest part was keeping him from being too active, especially since they also have another dog- a black lab- who is so active, and they couldn’t very well make her stay down too. Other than that, he recovered just fine, and is now into his 16th year.

Good luck- I hope your baby makes out okay! :heart:

#9

We’ve been through a luxating patella with our Jack Russel about 4 years ago. We went to an othropedic surgeon that our vet recommended and are very happy that we did! Sure, it may have been a bit expensive but we were concerned about the quality of life since she likes to play soccer. Her knee was stablized with two little kevlar pins (unfortunately one worked its way out). It was very hard keeping her “inactive for a few weeks” but after about 6 weeks, we were able to let her stroll our backyard without a leash (we have a fenced in backyard). She got “back in the saddle” in no time and plays soccer better than ever, never missing a beat to jump on furniture or the Border Collie. :roflhard: I always tell my friends with knee problems that I know a great Vet who can fix them up, although they may want to chase soccer balls. Our Jack Russell with be 10 in June and still going strong, and no pain meds either! I feel like your best friend is going to be fine. :smiley:

#10

What a cutie patootie!!! I don’t have a dog but I hope everything goes well for you and your sweet baby. :heart:

#11

Aw he is cute!! :heart:

I hope everything goes well for you :pray:

#12

He is just gorgous! I don’t know anything about knees, but i hope everything goes well - best of luck!

#13

What a beautiful dog. I am sure he will come out of it just fine! Trust your vet and vet techs. They know what they are talking about. Dogs have natural instincts about things and he will take it easy until he is better! Good luck to you and our prayers are with you. Here is my baby! His name is Fortune (dh named him because he is AKC and he said he would end up costing him a fortune :roflhard: ) He is the gentlest animal we have ever had. We have a cat named Butterscotch that my dh saved from certain death as a little kitten out where he works and this cat terrorizes our little dog. For one thing, he outweighs Fortune by about 12-14 lbs and loves to hide and jump out at him!

#14

Thanks, everyone, for the sweet replies!

Nonny, you have a such a beautiful little dog! What an absolute cutie!

Our baby is doing just fine right now. His knee still pops out of place every once in a while, but it doesn’t seem to be causing him any distress. He had his pre-op bloodword done and faxed over to the surgeon in case we do go with surgery (which is the likely scenario). I think he’ll be fine. It’s me who will be the basketcase! :wink: We’re going to see the surgeon on 2/13 and we’ll go from there. In the meantime, I’ll just keep knitting to keep my anxiety level down! :XX: