I didn't post this morning about Lulu going in for her spay b/c I've been a nervous wreck. But the vet just called & said everything went great and she's recovering now. They are keeping her on IV fluids until later this afternoon but she will come home tonight (as I requested). Surprisingly, she did not have any retained baby teeth that needed extracting.
Now to update our LP situation. I saw a new vet Friday regarding Lulu's LP. Our previous vet graded both at grade 3 & immediately said surgery (he was going to do it himself & only deepen the groove...I wasn't comfortable at all with him). Second opinion still graded right rear as a 3, but her left rear as a 2. I knew Lulu had LP, so my second opinion was really regarding treatment options and not necissarily the diagnosis. Anyway, I love the new vet. She spent about an hour and a half with us. Her recommendation is crate rest & Metacam for 2 weeks. She also recommended glucosamine & omega 3 supplements. Re-evaluate the situation in 2 weeks & go from there. She will refer us to a board certified surgeon if she believes surgery is our best option. However, she is hesitant to recommend surgery without trying the crate rest & anti-inflammatories first. She said many small dogs can live their entire lives with LP & not need surgery. But she still prepared us for the possibility of surgery.
So for now we are in a wait and see. I am very happy with the new vet & switched over completely after our LP second opinion visit. Lulu's spay was done here as well & not my old vet as I wasn't comfortable with them. The hard part is going to be the crate rest. It was very hard the past few days (we began the crate rest immediately after our visit Friday). Lulu isn't used to being crated so she cried a lot. I still allow her to sleep in her playpen at night, but she jumps up in it during the day so it's the crate only during the day. So far, she is still lifting her right rear leg occassionally when she is out to potty or to eat.
That's it for now. Lulu will be recovering from her spay surgery & continue crate rest for at least the next 1.5 weeks.