Gracie is home from the hospital
 

I got a big kiss from Gracie when I picked her up at the vet. My heart is breaking watching this little one try to navigate between her crate and pee pad. All she wants to do is curl up on my chest and sleep, and she has done plenty of that since she got home. She ate very well. I made her some boiled chicken and rice and she scarfed that down. She is very tired, sleeping quietly right now.

Holly has finally figured out that her Sissy isn't feeling well, so she just snuggles up next to her (on top of me) and lets her sleep. I'm very happy to have her home. She is happy also! Here are some pics.

awww makes mr sad! Glad she is home and all went well.

Awww, bless her little heart! Poor thing, having to wear those darn casts. It's so hard not being able to explain anything to them. Looks like she's accepting it quite well. She's lucky to have a mommy that takes such good care of her, and she looks adorable. Poor baby girl.

Oh, poor little Gracie. Her little bum is naked, and must be cold. It is very cold in Seattle today. I didn't realize when I read yesterday that you and Gracie lived so close.

Sending healing thoughts for Gracie. Take good care. Warmly, Deborah

I'm glad she is home,but it makes me tear up looking at her in those cast. Poor girl! How long do they stay on?

oh the poor little thing. Did you cry when you saw her? she looks so sad in those casts.. how long are they on for?? when she is feeling better will she be able to walk in them??

argghhhh
 

If I offend I am sorry but it ticks me off to no end about the LP business.... I normally keep my mouth shut if I dont have something good to say but your baby having to go through this just upsets me at people because there are people still out their just breeding what ever has something in between their legs and not trying to better the breed.. im so saddened by this ..

bleu boy has lp grade 1 too and to see your babies pictures saddens me for her and for Bleu he just went through a heart wrenching surgery to know one day he will have to go through just what your baby has gone through just upsets me.. I would not trade my bleu for anything but I tell you one thing I will be educated before I buy my next yorkie...

yes I know lp is common but if people would breed to better the breed you will start seeing lp diminish...

you are such a wonderful mommy to be able to love and protect and care for your baby as you do and i commend you 100% unfortunately I will be going through this one day and it just has totally upset me.. Your pictures of your baby are cute but she did not deserve lp she did deserve the surgery to get better and i will be praying for her speedy recovery and your patience to endure... god knows i have to have patience with bleus situation and it is tiring but by march 22nd we should be out of the woods....

keep me posted cause i will follow this thread real close

hugs
vicki

Awww poor baby, hugs comming to you both. hope she heals soon.

oooh poor little Gracie, just breaks my heart seeing those sad little eyes in that third pic ! Please give her lots of hugs and kisses from us ! Praying for a speedy recovery !

Oh my goodness, bless her little heart!

aww what a sweet little babie she is.sending hugs her way;)

Oh, my sweet little girl! How sad she looks. At least she ate her dinner, though. xoxo

It is easy to get angry at breeders but truthfully I don't think LP is their fault. It happens in about 15% of toy breeds, less often in larger breeds. My vet said that it can be bred out of larger breeds, but it is nearly impossible to breed out of toy breeds. I purposely got little Holly from a reputable breeder here on YT. Holly also has bilateral LP, for now it looks like grade 1 which is nothing but an incidental finding. It will bear watching.

Thank You For Update And Thank You For Telling Me You Got Her From A Reputable Breeder... I Do Know That There Are Things That Can Not Be Helped And I Do Know Even The Healthiest Of Dogs Can Throw A Lp Pup It Still Saddens Me Though... What Im Thankful For Is Those Of Us That Have Gotten Lp Babies Are Doing Something About It... These Babies Have To Be Loved By Someone What Better People Than By Us


I Truly Hope Your Baby Heals Well And Is Back Up And Running Soon... Ill Keep Watching For Her Progress So I Know What To Expect When We Do This Surgery

Have A Great Night And Hugs And Smooch From Bleu And I

Update on Gracie
 

I have one more pic of Gracie but I am not sure if I want to post it, it is kind of graphic Yorkie porn. She was in such a silly pose but for some reason she seemed most comfortable that way. Think about how us ladies are positioned for a certain part of our physical examinations and you will get where I am going with this. Let me know if you want me to post the other pic. :confused:

Gracie had a really tough night last night, and so did I. She slept in bed with me but just could not get comfortable. She tossed and turned and moaned all night. I tried putting her on a pillow, just on the mattress, under the covers, on top of the covers, nothing was comfortable for her. Finally I put both girls in their rooms to potty at 6 am and went back to bed, alone, for what I thought would be an hour. I woke up two hours later. By then Gracie was in such pain that she was trembling. I fed her chicken and rice which she ate, then gave her pain pills. It was after 9 am by the time she was comfortable again. I talked to the vet and they said I could give her an extra dose of pain meds if she needs it. Surgery for dogs is like surgery for us. The third day after surgery is the worst, so I am hoping that Gracie will start to steadily feel better within a day or two.

I have been sharing my experiences here so those who are facing LP surgery for their babies will know what to expect. While the pictures will break your heart, living it day to day will tear you apart. I can tell you that since I brought Gracie home, she has been total care. She cannot get up, sit down, lay down, pee, eat, drink or get from point A to point B without help. I thought I anticipated her every need, and I pretty much did, but I was not prepared for two things. 1. The degree of assistance that she would need. and 2. How much hugging she requires. She has been attached to me like velcro. Don't take this diagnosis or the surgery lightly. It is major stuff. The surgeon says that Gracie's knee caps are securely where they should be and should not give her any further problems. That is the end goal.

I forgot to answer another question or two. Gracie gets her sutures out (and cast removed)in 10 days. I don't know if the casts will go back on then or not. She has to stay in strict confinement for a total of 4 weeks. Right now, she is not able to walk much at all. She can take a few steps, but can't lift her back legs up high enough to walk across a pee pad without pulling it behind her. When I have to do things, I put a soft cushy pillow in a file box and put her in that so I can move her from room to room. She is in her crate with the door shut if I have to leave her for more than a few minutes, mostly because I fear she will trip and fall trying to get out of it if I am not there to help her.

Feel free to ask questions. I will post updates as appropriate. I was feeling so alone today with YT down, I'm glad its back up. Your support is needed and appreciated more than words can say.

aww.....poor baby! Here's hoping she's feeling better very soon.

Neither Phoebi nor Chan came home with casts. But they did come home with a morphine patch to help ease their pain along with Rimadyl. I'm sorry she's so uncomfortable....she really shouldn't be. I hope the extra dose of pain medication helps her.

Do you know if they did the tibial transposition or just the deepening of the groove?

Oh, sweet little Gracie. I have had two hip replacements and can only imagine Gracie's pain. It is so difficult for us to watch them hurt, isn't it? Please show us all pictures of Gracie and describe her recovery process. She is the most beautiful pup and will you have to leave her during the week days?

Warmly, Deborah

Wow Not To Lessen Things At All But As You Know Bleu Just Went Through Major Life And Death Surgery And He Did Not Go Through Half Of What She Is Going Through My Heart Breaks For You And For Her.. Bleu Is Totally Dependant Upon Me But This Has Been No Easy Task Let Me Tell You I Too Have Him In A Crate When I Cant Hold Him 24/7 But He Wants Me So Of Course I Get Him .. Icant Get Anything Done And Had No Idea It Would Tie Me To Him 24/7 Im Enjoying It For The Most Part But It Is Stressful... Hubby Makes Food And I Do The Feeding But It Helps If Hubby Just Watches.. I Absolutely Dread This Surgery Gracie Just Endured And Hope We Can Escape It .... Lp Surgery Is Definitely Serious .. Your Baby Just Needs To Be As Comfy As Ever I Know Its Hard When She Cant Tell You But As Good As A Mommy That You Are You Will Be Able To Read Her...

I Pray For You To Have Good Rest Tonight And For Your Baby To Find A Position That Makes Her Most Comfortable While Recovering

Hugs
Vicki And Bleu

They did 3 procedures, the tibial transposition, deepening of the groove and tightening of the patellar ligaments. They gave her Rimadyl and Tramadol. She is doing better on every 6 hour dosing of Tramadol than she did on 8 hour dosing.

Thank you. I will post the other pic a bit later. My boss is being wonderful and is letting me work from home so I can be here to take care of her. I have a few appointments out but she won't be left alone for more than a couple of hours. Hopefully as her pain lessens she will be able to get around a bit easier.

I'm glad to hear the Tramadol is helping on a 6 hour schedule. That poor girl....please give her a kiss and a hug from us.

my heart broke.... Layla was pathetic after her spay... i can't imagine how sad Gracie must be... and in so much pain. How much time have you taken off for her??? (school or work :p ) I will be praying for a fast recovery... thanks so much for being honest with us about your expereince with LP.. like i said Layla is only stage one and i dread the day it progresses (WILL it progress or can she stay stage 1 forever??) but it is so nice to have peopel on here so willing to help. keep those pictures coming.. we want to see her get well :)

My heart breaks seeing her too....I pray she heals quickly and will be thinking of you both. It must be so hard for you to see her in pain ..hugs to you both.

Is it common to do both knees at once? I thought I had read somewhere that they usually will only do one.

good question!

Thank you for sharing Gracie's surgery and recovery. There are many of us that are facing this same surgery on our babies and it helps to know what to expect. Both my Magic & Sailor have LP that at this time are not effecting their daily life, but I know that is a matter of time.

You and Gracie are in my thoughts & prayers!

Poor thing, I can just imagine how awful 2 casts are. Our girl had LP surgery in August but she did not have a cast. Do most have a cast with LP surgery?

Wishing for a speedy recovery for your girl.

glad to hear gracie is doing well after surgery! it will get better every day, and once those bandages come off she will be walking better. we send our patients home without bandages and some are walking well two days after surgery!

I think that decision is made jointly by the vet, the surgeon and the owner. Gracie was a good candidate for bilateral surgery. While one at a time might have been easier on her functionally, it would have meant 8-12 weeks crate confinement rather than 4-6. I can work from home for one month, but not 2 or three. Also, doing both at once means one less surgery, so less risk with the repeated anesthesia etc. It is also a bit less expensive doing both at once.

Aww your little baby looks identical to my Chloe, makes me so sad seeing her :(