Quote:
Originally Posted by katy-yorkie  I had the "hardware" in Buster's leg removed. The hardware had been in his knee since last September. The surgeon said there was no need to remove it until it started causing problems. A few weeks ago I noticed he was walking funny and took him in, he had a staph infection. When I took him back for a recheck, I asked the surgeon if he recommended that the hardware be taken out and he said if Buster were his pup, he would take them out. At that point, they were doing nothing for his knee. His skin is so thin and his leg so skinny that he would probably get another infection. The hardware (that's what the surgeon calls it) was removed almost two weeks ago. Buster is actually walking much better, he seems like he feels better. There is a pin that is in the bone that can't be removed but the chances of that causing an infection are very slim if at all. He still has the pins in his right leg, he has had them since 2011 with no issue as of yet. Buster didn't just have pins, he had a massive amount of "hardware". I wish I could figure out a way to post a picture of his xrays. The knee is healed all that it's going to heal by eight weeks. It's a difficult call on having the pins removed. |
Since Bella has only one pin in her leg, her situation is slightly different, but I can tell that it is uncomfortable for her since it started backing out of the bone--there is fluid accumulation over the pin, with resulting swelling. I did some googling for "pin removal MPL surgery," and found plenty of articles on vet clinic websites saying that pins coming out is quite common, and that removal is easy and provides relief. The earliest I read about pin removal being done is 8 weeks, and it is now 8 weeks since Bella's MPL surgery. I'll call the vet soon and let you all know when she is scheduled for pin removal surgery!