Bella's MPL (luxating patella) surgery

[windsantz]

I'm so glad Miss Bella is doing well and will be home soon. Prayers for your baby girl to heal quickly.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

There is nothing invasive at all about the surgery to remove the pins. I have had a couple that needed them removed and I was able to take them home the same day. Not a big deal at all. They usually have to be kept quiet for a week or two after.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! If Bella were your dog, would you have the pin removed at 8 weeks (which the surgeon said would be okay, but not necessary), or would you give it more time? And did you have the pins removed because they were beginning to come out on their own, and if so, had they pierced the skin, or come out only part way?

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by windsantz

I'm so glad Miss Bella is doing well and will be home soon. Prayers for your baby girl to heal quickly.

Bella is already home. She is completely unaware that she is even having any issues--I think I'm suffering more than she is! Thanks for the well wishes and prayers!

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by pstinard

Thank you, thank you, thank you! If Bella were your dog, would you have the pin removed at 8 weeks (which the surgeon said would be okay, but not necessary), or would you give it more time? And did you have the pins removed because they were beginning to come out on their own, and if so, had they pierced the skin, or come out only part way?

You said she is not walking the way you would expect. The pin could be bothering her. That is how I have found out in the past...the pup would start favoring the leg and/or limping. Xrays showed movement...and I had them removed.
I would say if she seems to be bothered by it, remove them. Not a huge deal!

[ladyjane]

Here is a link about one that had her pins removed. The thread is not about that, but the initial post discusses it.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...anocytoma.html

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

You said she is not walking the way you would expect. The pin could be bothering her. That is how I have found out in the past...the pup would start favoring the leg and/or limping. Xrays showed movement...and I had them removed.
I would say if she seems to be bothered by it, remove them. Not a huge deal!

Thanks! Bella had been improving rapidly, and now she is at a plateau--in fact, she was limping a *little* more than she had been, and that's why I took her back in to be seen right away. The surgeon said that her progress was good, and of course she walked perfectly well for the surgeon, the little malingerer! (Just kidding about her being a malingerer, but Bella always seems to behave better for other people than she does for us, LOL!) In other words, she is doing very well for 8 weeks post-surgery, and I'm afraid to mess up her progress by having the pin removed, but the surgeon said that it could be removed with no problem. I guess I'm a little paranoid, since this is my first experience with MPL surgery. I think I will give it one or two more weeks, max, make sure she doesn't get stressed by too much exertion, see how she's doing, and then go ahead and have the pin removed. Oh, the surgeon also said that her muscles were the same size on both sides now, so that is an excellent sign!

[ladyjane]

It really is a piece of cake having the pins removed. She would not suffer any setbacks...at least she shouldn't. I have had it done a couple of times and know others who also did. No problems at all!

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Here is a link about one that had her pins removed. The thread is not about that, but the initial post discusses it.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...anocytoma.html

Wow, three out of five pins had moved and had to be removed! So it's not that uncommon then. Our surgeon said it was not that unusual, happening about 20% of the time in his experience and not causing any permanent harm, but I still felt really bad about it. So after Heidi's pins were removed, did she suffer any setbacks from the pin removal [edit: I just reread your other post, and you said there were no setbacks], and how many weeks after her initial surgery were the pins removed? Thanks for any help and advice, because I'm a very worried Yorkie daddy.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by pstinard

Wow, three out of five pins had moved and had to be removed! So it's not that uncommon then. Our surgeon said it was not that unusual, happening about 20% of the time in his experience and not causing any permanent harm, but I still felt really bad about it. So after Heidi's pins were removed, did she suffer any setbacks from the pin removal [edit: I just reread your other post, and you said there were no setbacks], and how many weeks after her initial surgery were the pins removed? Thanks for any help and advice, because I'm a very worried Yorkie daddy.

She had no problems at all after! Her entire knee was basically reconstructed...her mom contacts me often and she is just fine! Her surgery was on July 14 and the pins were found to have moved on Oct. 19 .. so it was a few months.

I know someone on YT who just had this done. Let me ask her if she respond here.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

She had no problems at all after! Her entire knee was basically reconstructed...her mom contacts me often and she is just fine! Her surgery was on July 14 and the pins were found to have moved on Oct. 19 .. so it was a few months.

I know someone on YT who just had this done. Let me ask her if she respond here.

I'm looking forward to her input. I'm collecting as much information as possible before making my final decision, but I'm leaning towards having the pin removed before it sticks through her skin

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by pstinard

I'm looking forward to her input. I'm collecting as much information as possible before making my final decision, but I'm leaning towards having the pin removed before it sticks through her skin

Personally, I would have it removed. Once they are healed those pins serve no purpose. I did message her so hopefully she can post and give you some reassurance.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Personally, I would have it removed. Once they are healed those pins serve no purpose. I did message her so hopefully she can post and give you some reassurance.

Thanks, it's almost a done deal, now. I'll call the surgeon tomorrow and schedule removal of the pin.

[katy-yorkie]

Originally Posted by pstinard

Thank you, thank you, thank you! If Bella were your dog, would you have the pin removed at 8 weeks (which the surgeon said would be okay, but not necessary), or would you give it more time? And did you have the pins removed because they were beginning to come out on their own, and if so, had they pierced the skin, or come out only part way?

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.

[katy-yorkie]

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Buster's knee before last week. If Bella were my dog, I think I would have it removed. I never knew Buster had an infection until I saw him walking different. I did not want to take the chance of another infection.

[pstinard]

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!