My Edward had 3 & 4 Grade Patellas and he was diagnosed with a collapsed trachea however his CT does not require daily medication. Edward's patellas became so bad that they would lock up and he could not correct it which left him in severe pain. What you described closely resembles Edward's condition. My vet did the surgery; he does laser surgery which may be common today. He had a second vet attend to monitor the anesthesia and vitals because of the CT.
What a horrible position to be in. Not doing the patella surgery may leave your dog in pain and doing it may be fatal. There is a treatment that some vets do on CT. They insert an instrument into the trachea to stretch it but I have heard mixed reviews on that. As far as the patellas, I do not know of anything other than walking the dog to strengthen the muscles around the patella. However, that is not a cure or permanent solution. If you have to do the surgery I would make sure there is an attending second vet. Other than that the options seem few. I will check with some of my friends and my vet to see if there is another solution. |