Luxating Patella Surgery

[Kayleen22]

I'm new to this forum but i've been here the past few days looking for more info on patellar luxation. Every person's experience has been helpful to me so I figure I would share my story for those who are like me and have to deal with this

Dee is a 7 year old yorkie. She was diagnosed with luxating patella (both knees) early on in her life. I'd say maybe 2-3 years old. She started showing symptoms about 3 years ago. She'd go through phases of limping for a few days, then she'd be fine. Or she'd limp a few steps and back to normal walking. It was about a year or two ago that she started not being able to walk very far. We'd get two blocks into our walk (half way) and she would just stop. She's never been one to jump on beds or couches. I bought a low bed specially for her so she could jump up easier..never happens. But she would run around fine (with a bunny hop though) and go up the stairs fine.

A week and a half ago she totally changed. She would lay around all day without moving much, and she'd lay in really weird spots too..almost like she was trying to hide. (I remember my gpa's dog doing this the day before she died..i was scared!) No appetite, wasn't playful at all. She was alert but that was about it. Took her to the vet and they gave me a quote for surgery ($1,800 for both knees) and gave her some pain meds to take home. As of today, pain meds don't seem to help. If they are helping i can't imagine what she'd be like without them. Anytime i pick her up, she whimpers. She doesn't eat, hardly drinks. She can barely walk. It's tough. I'm kicking myself for not doing this sooner...

I have surgery scheduled for Thursday at the vet clinic i normally go to. The founder of the clinic is board certified and specializes in orthopedic surgery. I know she is in good hands. As nervous as i am about it, I wish it was today. I can't stand to see her in such pain.

I will continue to update as the days go along. I know somewhere down the line this will help those out there who are faced with this same problem.

[yorkieusa]

I am sorry your little one has to go through that. I will keep her in my prayers. Dee is adorable.

[Patti]

I will keep Dee in my prayers for a safe and successful surgery and a speedy recovery. My Pixie had surgery a few years ago on 1 knee and did really well. That's a great price for both knees. Pixie's one knee was 2300.00 Please let us know how she is doing.

[ladyjane]

Usually a regular vet is not board certified. Maybe yours is, but to be sure about that, look for a certificate on his wall from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. The price they gave you sounds very cheap which is ok but could be a concern.

As for information about luxating patella, the ACVS site has quite a bit...also has a search engine for vet information.

American College of Veterinary Surgeons

You might also find this of interest:

Yorkie Haven Rescue - Patellar Luxation Info

Good luck with the surgery! Please keep us posted!

[Kayleen22]

Thanks for all the information. Dee broke her foot when she was really young and the same dr. had to do the very delicate surgery on her little foot and she's never had a problem. I feel comfortable going back to the same surgeon even though this one is more extensive. I was also told this clinic does luxating patella surgery almost every week.

[ladyjane]

Yes, many general vets do that surgery. Not something I would prefer, but if you are comfortable, that is all that matters.

Good luck to your little Dee. Let us know how it works out.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Yes, many general vets do that surgery. Not something I would prefer, but if you are comfortable, that is all that matters.

Good luck to your little Dee. Let us know how it works out.

Agree. I'd never let a non-boarded vet do ortho surgery on my dog.

[Wylie's Mom]

Le sigh....interesting you posted this, bc I'm in a bit of the same situation. Our Wylie has always had LP...but never, ever limped or showed a single symptom. He is almost 8.

Just recently, he has been limping occasionally...he'll limp for bit, then fine, then a day later...a bit of a limp, then better. It's only one leg right now. I need to take him in, and I really don't want to bc I'm scared they'll want him to have surgery, poor baby.

I sure hope it goes wonderfully for your kiddo, and I wish Dee all kinds of fast healing and good thoughts !

[TxVicki]

Prayers going out for Dee for her surgery Thursday.

[Ellie May]

Are they sure that this is just LP?

There are a lot of general vets that do this surgery. I'm thinking of a couple around here that I would never let touch my dogs' knees. i do know a non boarded ortho surgeon who is amazing and I would not hesitate to have them do surgery. Do what you are comfortable with.

[sganow]

I guess my only concern here would be that she was fine and then all of a sudden she's not. Did they do x-rays and other tests to verify that there isn't something else going on? If everything else is ruled out and it is verified that it is only the LP that is bothering her, then I'd go ahead with the surgery. You already stated the vet is board certified and specializes in orthopedic surgery, so she should be in good hands. Sounds like a very reasonable price for the surgery. I would just make sure there is nothing else wrong first. Good luck!

[Kayleen22]

She was dropped off this morning. They are doing blood work before hand, also testing for Lyme disease since i did find a tick on her a week and a half ago. The results will show whether or not there is something else going on.

They did do xrays. I forgot to mention that in my original post. The surgeon used those to make the decision to have surgery. The xrays also showed ligament damage. I only met with him for a short time but maybe it seemed so sudden because her ligaments finally gave way..who knows.

The past two days though she has been doing really well. They upped her dosage for pain meds to twice a day and it seems to be helping now. Eating and drinking just fine. Walking around more, but still with trouble.

She should be going into surgery in the next few hours..assuming all the tests came back normal !

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Sending good thoughts and prayers. My Hot Rod went thru surgery for this 3 years ago. He also progressed quickly. His ligament was off to the side which cause his little leg to bow out.

Please let us know how she does. The recouperation is a long process and I recommend that you follow your drs orders as it will help to aid in her recovery. Hugs.

[sganow]

Good luck with the surgery and recovery!

[Kayleen22]

Dee is home from surgery. I was able to bring her home instead of keeping her there overnight. She had both knees worked on, ACL repair in both, and a teeth cleaning. In total, she was in surgery for 3 hours. Dr. gave me a discount on the ACLs since they were already doing work on the knee.

She hasn't eaten much since being home, just the cheese i wrap her pills in. I will try to give her some chicken later in the day. She's been drinking a little bit more this morning than last night.
Last night she just slept on her pillow all night. Once we went to bed i had her sleep next to me..she seemed to do OK but every hour she was up trying to get comfortable. She started shivering too. So i put a blanket on her and that didn't help so i gave her the pain meds an hour before i was suppose to and the rest of the night she was fine.
I haven't been able to get her to go potty. She is able to stand but it's too awkward for her to walk so i'm out there holding her, trying to spread her legs down. Nothing. Then she sits with her legs out to the side and i don't think she is doing anything in that position either. She just started drinking this morning so maybe she's just been on empty?

She goes in for her first laser treatment on Saturday. I haven't seen anyone here mention laser treatments after surgery but I've done a fair amount of research and it's been shown to be effective.