I have a serious question and would love your input

[anneclaire]

I am elderly, I live on only SS. I was given as a gift my little yorkie Spice a year ago as a gift. I am very much in love with her and will happily go without to make sure she is taken care of.
My ? is this. She needs both back legs done for LP , one is worse than the other. I took her today for her yearly shots etc and my vet ,whom love as does my little girl,said it would be about 4,000 to do them both.
I came on here and shared this all with you when it first happened. I had all but decided to just wait as she seemed fine. Well after seeing the vet today I think it is something I need to try to get done.
Now to my ? What do you all think of me getting a go fund me deal????It seems like people are always doing it and I cant think of any other way to do it. Even if I got half of what I need it would be a God send.
Do you have any ideas??? I appreciate them all.
I am the type that will do about anything before I ask others for money but for my little girl I will do whatever it takes.

[dottiesyrky]

So sorry that your baby Spice needs LP surgery and that it costs so much.
Why not do the GoFundMe? As you say it has worked for many. If you write a good case and if possible post a picture of your sweet girl, you should do well.
Anyway, prayers for Spice and hope she can get healed somehow. Good Luck.

[mybellababy]

Sorry for what you are going through Did the Vet say what grade it was ? I would get a second opinion on it My Bella has a grade of 1 and may be 2 in her knees and is doing fine. If it were a 3 or 4 and she was have trouble with it going in and out then I would shop around for a better price that seams a bit high for the US. thats more like what we pay here in Canada I may be wrong just a thought.

[gemy]

Ditto on the second opinion and i would go to an orthopaedic surgeon for one.

Gofundme seems like an option and also if you go to the stickey on help for vet care I am pretty sure there is an organization that helps out seniors and or disabled folks.

Then I would seriously look at getting pet health insurance that can work well when on a fixed income.

[anneclaire]

gemy would this be considered a preexisting condition?? It is not that bad yet ,she didnt give me a grade but from what she said if the scale goes 1 to 5 then Spice would be a 1 in one and a 2 in the other.
I will try anything before doing the go fund me thing. THANK YOU so much again!!!

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by anneclaire

gemy would this be considered a preexisting condition?? It is not that bad yet ,she didnt give me a grade but from what she said if the scale goes 1 to 5 then Spice would be a 1 in one and a 2 in the other.
I will try anything before doing the go fund me thing. THANK YOU so much again!!!

Yes, this would be pre-existing and would not be covered.

Did you apply for all the funding options outlined in the ER section?

[gemy]

Originally Posted by anneclaire

gemy would this be considered a preexisting condition?? It is not that bad yet ,she didnt give me a grade but from what she said if the scale goes 1 to 5 then Spice would be a 1 in one and a 2 in the other.
I will try anything before doing the go fund me thing. THANK YOU so much again!!!

Yes a pre existing condition how-ever that would only be one exclusion. Much more could go wrong in other organ systems over her lifetime.

I do not know why a Grade one or Two need surgery right now. I would investigate other options or opinions and seriously look at home health care - exercise and supplements designed to support those joints.

[LunarBerry]

My girl has LP and she was graded 1-2, vet told me she doesn't have to have surgery and most yorkies do fine, it's when it's 3-4 when it's more concerning because a possible torn AC or the other main issue is very bad arthritis when she gets older.
I was considering surgery since there was a mention that she may have 3 on one leg but I waited to see and keep her on joint supplements that the vet gave and they did wonders. Granted she hops and hobbles sometimes depending on what she walks on, but she's been moving around much better. She can even run some But she's mostly lazy lol
So yea second opinion and some side options in the mean time like joint supplements.

[anneclaire]

I knew I could depend on you all for great advice due to your experience!!! My only problem on the second opinion is there is only 1 vet within 80 miles and it is very hard for me to go that far. However my son could take her next time he comes to visit!
Gemy I wll be checking on insurance.
I will defiantly be looking into joint supplements today! Any particular brand???

[gemy]

Originally Posted by anneclaire

I knew I could depend on you all for great advice due to your experience!!! My only problem on the second opinion is there is only 1 vet within 80 miles and it is very hard for me to go that far. However my son could take her next time he comes to visit!
Gemy I wll be checking on insurance.
I will defiantly be looking into joint supplements today! Any particular brand???

Dasuquin has a good reputation check in with your vet to see what they might recommend

[Yorkiemom1]

There are several responses above that I agree with completely....I do not know how to get them all copied into one response, so I will just give my opinion!
1) Vets seem to love to do surgery on these LP's....as someone said above, I would trreat medically until it hits a four, then have surgery.
2) I started some of my seniors that started getting "stove up" with joint issues....I started them on Cosequin, open a cap and sprinkle it on pups food...it must taste pretty good, because I have never had a pup refuse its meal with the med added to the food.....this worked well for several years. I increased the dose to 2 caps, one morning and repeat at night, as these darlings aged and became more "stove up"....that dosing worked great for another year or so....then I switched to Glyco-Flex III....my vet recommended it and it was well received from people on here that have used it....it worked great.....I crumble up the little pill and put it in the food....but it is tasty enough that I think a lot of dogs would take it with no problem, almost like a treat.....this stuff works super.....now, with no teeth, my senior, senior little man that really feels the cold in his joints during these winter days, I have some of a liquid prescription med left over from surgical procedures that have been done (c-sections and teeth work and spay/neutering)over the last several years....I give him a tiny dose, just 0.02/cc and it helps him splendidly....my vet is on vacay....I called my vet to see if this would be allright, she OK'd it, and I will use this until I need to take him in and then I will get something else if she thinks it needs to be changed. It works so well, takes so very little a dose, and he does so well with that, I like it.
3) I cant get insurance for my dogs as I am a breeder....I wish I could get it!
4) I would go ahead and get the insurance....even if it is too late to cover the LP, there may be expenses you are going to run into in the future, that you want help paying for.... Your vet wont even consider letting you do a monthly pay plan? They are USUALLY much more compassionate with their senior citizen clientel....I guess since he is the only vet within 80 miles, he knows he has you by the nose hairs and wont cut you any slack.....
5) I just got a TON of help from GoFundMe for my dental work....there is CareCredit also!

[anneclaire]

WOW !!! So many great responses !!! I cant thank you enough!
I havent looked into any of the help on the ER page as to be honest I didnt know about it or forgot it was there! LOL But I think I will go with the supplements for now as since the one time when she jumped off the bed and landed wrong she has not had any problems at all. She is now almost 18 mo old.
There are vets closer than 80 miles but I wouldnt take an ole rat to!!!!! My vet I feel is good and I have taken all my pets to her ( I hate using the word -pet- as they have all been family) for the past 20 some years. She dont give a senior discount but if it were her doing the surgery I am sure she would do a pymt plan but she dont do that at the clinic, I would need to take Spice to the clinic 80 mi away and they are all strangers to me.
I know I am whining but I want what is best for my little girl as she is so young and we will have so many happy years ahead.
So here is what I think I am gong to do. Buy supplements for now and check into the insurance companies this group have suggested in the past.
I am going to call my vet right now and see what she says.
You girls and this forum have been a God send to me and Spice♥♥♥

[LunarBerry]

Originally Posted by gemy

Dasuquin has a good reputation check in with your vet to see what they might recommend

I second the Dasuquin, as I mentioned before I used supplements and this was the exact thing I have been using. After awhile, I don't have to give it to her every single day but it has worked wonders for her

[DvlshAngel985]

I would get a second or third opinion. I went through this when I first got Kaji. I went to see 4 vets without telling the others what I already knew in hopes of getting a bluntly honest opinion. Only one wanted to do surgery immediately. The others suggested we keep an eye on it, to take note if he was in any pain, and gave me recommendations of things I can do at home to keep his knees healthy. I went to the extreme of changing all my bedroom furniture so it's low enough for him to hop in without jumping up high. I obssess over his weight. He's healthy and lean. We've been living with LP for 6 years now. Kaji has yet to complain.

[Mer4ever]

Hi there,

I had a Yorkie with grade two in one leg and she lived a great life (almost 16 years) on supplements and without surgery. The vet was quite specific about keeping her off cobblestones, sand, and some other surfaces, giving her appropriate amounts of activity, and keeping her weight in a healthy range. I also tried to limit her jumping, especially off/on high objects and onto hard surfaces.

A couple of times the patella did get out of alignment and I just massaged her leg until it went back in. She also had a little "skip" in her walk sometimes, due to the condition. One time (and one time only) she jumped off the couch and it must have gone out of alignment in a painful way, because she was crying and clearly in great pain. It lasted only a couple of minutes but was horrible to witness. If this had happened again, I think I would have considered more invasive measures.

The vet said that one of my current pups has it in both legs, but he is on supplements and we are going to re-evaluate when he is 18 months old. Fingers crossed that we will not have to do surgery on him!

I would suggest getting a 2nd opinion if you can. I understand that it will not be easy, but it will hopefully give you peace of mind, if nothing else.

Good luck!