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Originally Posted by yorkiesrock  TLC has been very helpful in answering all my questions (thanks again TLC). Kalina82, since you work for an ortho specialist and have seen so many LP surgeries have you ever seen a dog have this surgery done who isn't showing any symptoms? As I stated earlier it's so hard for me to say yes to surgery because if you see him you would never know he has knee problems. Just today I came back from the pet store with treats and once he smelled them he jumped so high he reached my waist and didn't cry out in pain. |
did you only decide to investigate his knees because you heard a clicking sound? there are no other signs? Does he ever hold his leg up, or seem to 'skip' a beat while running or walking? Does he have a hunched back or does it seem rounded towards the end? Do you notice a limp? If you were to answer no to all these questions, and your dog only had a grade 1 or 2 then i'd say no, wait it out and supplement him. However since its a grade 3 i'm a little reluctant to say wait it out.
I was fostering a chihuahua and she have severe grade 4 LPs. I knew it because she was very hunched over and she had a rounded back. Also when she walked her legs were splayed outwards. She never complained about it. Never limped or skipped. never held a leg up. however i noticed the other signs and when i asked my boss about it he palpated her knees and said they were grade 4, totally out of the socket. So we did surgery on both legs.
The decision is up to you. personally, i'd probably get it done. However, if the vet said that the other leg was only a grade one or two, i might possibly wait until they were both a little worse and showing signs so that i could get them both done at the same time. others may not agree and say that its wrong because the dog is in pain but that's how i feel.