Bella's MPL (luxating patella) surgery
 

I dropped Bella off at the animal hospital at 7:30 AM this morning for Bella's MPL surgery. I just called them up for an update, and she is in surgery right now. Her blood work and pre-surgery exam went perfectly, and the surgeon will call me after the surgery. I'm a little nervous, but they told me that everything was going well so far. I'll update as soon as I get some news. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay distracted at work. Prayers are always appreciated!

Good Luck with staying distracted. Praying for Sweet Bella!

Thoughts are with little, sweet Bella and you. I know she will do just fine but it's always harder on the humans. Hopefully won't be too much longer.

The surgeon just called me. The surgery went very well, and he was pleased with the results. He said that Bella is already awake and groggy. I will be able to pick her up tomorrow morning. She will have to be confined to her crate for two weeks when I cannot keep an eye on her. Leash walks are permitted during that time. She'll need an Elizabethan collar. She was given a long-lasting antibiotic, and she will be sent home with pain medicine (Metacam in pre-measured syringes to squirt into her mouth).

She has mild LP in her other knee as well, and I need to keep an eye on that. She may or may not need surgery on her other knee in the future. More updates later. Thanks for the prayers and well-wishes!

Yay for Miss Bella! Praying for a speedy and uneventful recovery!

Glad to hear surgery is over for her and you and it went well.

I am glad the surgery went well for Bella! Sending positive thoughts for a fast recovery for her :)

Happy to hear that all went well. Personally, I give more than Metacam for the first few days. The surgeon I use normally gives Metacam and either Tramadol or Torbutrol. You might want to ask about it and have it on hand if the Metacam does not keep her pain free. Hard to know though since they hide pain well. I automatically give it for the first 3 days.

I have to wonder if the vets who prescribe Metacam would take Motrin if they had knee surgery. :(

Barney also was given metacam and tramadol after CCL and LP surgery. He spent two nights in the hospital and they still sent us home with both.

I'll ask about the Tramadol as well. My biggest concern is that Bella will want to be too rambunctious after she gets home. I will have to crate her much more than I normally would, and it pains me to have to do that, but it's for her own good. If I didn't do that, she'd be jumping up and down off the furniture, running up and down the stairs, and chasing the cat. She just can't help herself :(.

Glad to hear that Bella is doing well!!

So happy she is doing well, it's always a relief to hear that the surgery is over. She is allowed to go on leash walks already? I'm surprised that's allowed so soon!

No leash walks at all in the traditional sense. They said to keep her on a leash when walking inside the house. No outdoor leash walks.

I called the vet back, and they will send Bella home with a second painkiller as well. I thought about visiting Bella at the hospital this afternoon, but thought better of it. I didn't want to excite her and then disappoint her when she couldn't come home with me. It's best that she rest peacefully.

I'm so glad Bella got through the surgery and will soon be home with you. Bless her sweet heart!

Happy to see Bella's surgery went well, great relief off your mind for sure.....Sending well wishes her way.

I bet your house was quiet last night wasn't it? Please post when you pick Bella up and let us know how she is doing.

I pick her up a little over an hour. It will probably take a little longer than that, because I have a lot of questions for the vet about her care.

Yes, the house was very quiet, and I missed the little things that Bella used to do. The cat was happy at all the attention she received though, LOL!

Bella is back at home now and I feel just awful seeing her in her sad state. She's lying down right now in her crate, looking absolutely miserable. She wouldn't eat or drink on her own. I gave her a small handful of kibbles, which she ate out of my hand. She will have to drink at some point soon. Her leg is still in a bandage. They took it off this morning but saw there was still a little bleeding and rebandaged it. The bandage comes off again tomorrow morning.

Glad to see Bella is home and starting her recuperating process.

She finally started eating food on her own--I had to restrict because she is quite hungry and I didn't want her to throw up. She's still not drinking water yet, but she did pee on her potty pad. I put her back in her crate because she wanted to stay with me and lick me, and now she's whining :-(

Aw! Bella looks pretty good! She's not drinking bc I'm sure they had her on IV throughout her surgery. Watch her food intake... pain meds can decrease the appetite and it's okay to hand feed if this happens. Small frequent meals are good.

Wishing you a speedy recovery Miss Bella!

She is adorable. Praying for a speedy recovery.

She drank 4 tablespoons of water out of a measuring spoon, and she pooped on her potty pad for the first time! It was on the dry side, but she didn't have to strain to get it out. She's eaten a half cup of food, and I think she'd keep on eating if I let her, but I don't want her to gorge herself and then throw up, so I'll keep on feeding her a little at a time. She's feeling a little better, and I think the reason she whines when I put her back in her crate is because she wants to be out and play with us.

The vet also sent me home with Acepromazine to calm her if necessary. I haven't given her any yet because she is fairly calm still. How do people feel about Acepromazine?

I am not crazy about Ace Pro...but have used it on occasion. I have found that most of the pups I have had to crate rest after surgery adjusted well to the crate. The one that I worried the most about was my Cookie, a very high energy pup. I put Cookie in a stroller for her recovery and she loved every minute of it! She traveled around the house with me all day...and at night, I put the stroller next to the bed. She was leashed in but I made it so that she could actually get out of it if she wanted and lie on the bed. She alternated between the two. I have had many, many surgical cases and have never had to medicate one to calm them down. I would try to avoid using the Ace Pro if you can. It really makes them loopy.

Another thing about the stroller....when she was feeling better, she would still walk over and want to get in it! I swore she thought she was special because she was in that thing. It was pretty funny.

Another thing....I don't always automatically use an E-collar. I have had pups that simply did not bother with their incision line. Of course I watched very closely to be sure and when they were not under my supervision, I did put one on to be safe.

Wow! That's great! Some pups don't poop for days after having a surgery.

Is she used to being clipped that short? Just thinking she may be chilly, esp till all the anesthesia is out of her system (3-5days). She may want to lay on you for your body heat. A T shirt (better with your scent on it), a blanket or a doggy shirt may help her to settle. Ace is good to have if she needs it, you don't want the surgery to get undone if she gets overactive.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Bella is used to her hair cut short on her body and long on her legs. She got a short cut at the groomer's a week ago. I was concerned about her being cold too, so I turned up the heat in the house. She is sleeping on thick blankets right now, including my Snuggie with my scent on it (that's the purple blanket in the photo). I will hold off on the Acepromazine for now since she seems to be sleeping okay without it. She hasn't been interested in trying to bite her bandages yet, but I'm keeping the E collar on for now, just in case.

Bella has been whining inconsolably every time I put her back in her crate. She prefers to be with me outside the crate, but when she is, she wants to lick me and trot around on her good leg, and I think that's too stressful for her right now. She finally laid down and I put another Snuggie on her and she's been resting/sleeping since.

I'm so glad the surgery part is behind Bella. Now I hope she recovers quickly and that she no longer experiences pain.