 Possible surgery for Tank
Tank is 1 year old next week and weighs 12 pounds! Yes, we named him Tank as a joke because his siblings from the first litter were small, his parents were small and we assumed he'd be little, too. Well, he grew into his name! He is not a big eater but he's like a bowling ball.....a conundrum on 4 legs.
The past few days he has been collapsing to the ground several times a day and I suspected luxating patella and took him to my vet. He recommended, because he doesn't do these surgeries often anymore, that I take Tank to a board certified surgeon. We go tomorrow and I will report after that.
My vet discussed the 4 possible issues with Tank's knee:
The tendon from the thigh muscle that connects it to the lower leg can be stretched from injury or genetics. This would cause it not to hold firm in the groove at the bottom of the femur as it slldes up and down with the bending of the leg.
The groove itself could be too shallow allowing the tendon to slip out sideways as well.
The horizontal tendons that stabilize the side to side movement could be stretched, destabilizing the kneecap.
And if he is bowlegged, the connection point of that tendon connecting the thigh muscle to the lower leg could be off kilter, making the tendon slide out of the groove.
So there are possibly several issues with Tank and different "fixes".
They can tighten the stretched tendons.
They can deepen the femur's groove.
They can reposition the insertion point of the tendon on the lower leg bone.
If you are interested I will continue posting the results as we move along. |