Luxating Patella??? Vet???

[lef062406]

Thank you so much for the article you sent. He supposedly was a board certified surgeon but I questioned several of his calls today just based on what I had read on Yorkietalk. I know I am a teacher and not a vet by no means but this is my baby. I have no children and this 5 pound little girl is my life. He acted like the surgery was no big deal but told me that it was a 4 month recovery. I asked what days he was available for surgery and he said well if I do it tomorrow...She will be my 5th surgery tomorrow. That concerned me as well. Sorry to vent but I just wasn't impressed at all.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by lef062406

Thank you so much for the article you sent. He supposedly was a board certified surgeon but I questioned several of his calls today just based on what I had read on Yorkietalk. I know I am a teacher and not a vet by no means but this is my baby. I have no children and this 5 pound little girl is my life. He acted like the surgery was no big deal but told me that it was a 4 month recovery. I asked what days he was available for surgery and he said well if I do it tomorrow...She will be my 5th surgery tomorrow. That concerned me as well. Sorry to vent but I just wasn't impressed at all.

Follow your gut instinct .... you have time to get a second opinion. You can look him up here to see if he is boarded. Did you see a certificate on his wall? Should be there! :

www.acvs.org

You also can find another surgeon on the above website and get a second opinion. I totally understand how you feel about her and she is fortunate to be so loved.

[Lovetodream88]

If it is an ACL tear I would get surgery but I think I would also get a second opinion from another bored certified orthopedic surgeon. Callie had ACL and LP surgery and recovery time was two months.

[gemy]

Questioning Canine Cruciate Ligament Surgery - Veterinary Practice News - November 2012


What I like about this article is the referenced research at the very bottom of it.


\I have access to another research paper /// behind a pay firewall - and quite frankly the risk of infection after surgery is anywhere around 5% +or- and the risk that the other ACL tears is upwards of 40%. There are very few studies that look at small or toy breed dogs comparing conservative medical management outcomes versus surgical outcomes over the long term. But what few studies are in place indicate that arthritic changes will occur even with the surgery.


The final decision is yours as the pet owner - and I do concur get a second opinion a second specialist opinion. And I can't fathom why Xrays were not taken........


This is not a black and white issue.

[ladyjane]

There is always a small risk of infection in ANY surgery...that is a given. That certainly would not make me avoid a surgery. It would make me search for a vet who had a good reputation....certainly any surgeon has a risk of infections in their surgeries, but some do have more. I believe in asking around...the surgeon I use and have been using since 2006 came highly recommended and I (knock wood) have never had any infections in any of the multiple surgeries he has done over the years on my pups.

As for your comments about arthritis, I would be extremely surprised to hear that arthritis is worse in surgical cases than in non surgical....but I will certainly be looking for that information to post here.

In my world this is a black and white issue having been through it more times than I can count and having seen pups go on to live happy, healthy and very active lives with no further issues with their knees.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by lef062406

The Dr seemed sure that it was a torn ACL but he didn't take x-rays which bothered me. The cost didn't bother me as bad as him telling me that the recovery time was 4 months. I was shocked by that. I had read on the forums here where most didn't seem to take that long. Thanks again for the support. I really appreciate it.

My dog had CCL repair done at age 11.5 and is now turning 15. Our surgeon did X-rays the day of the surgery. Recovery should have been 12 weeks, but my crazy dog pivoted on his knee and tore his repair so our recovery was atypical and longer. But he walks, runs, jumps, etc perfectly and we were very satisfied with our surgeon and our dog's outcome. We didn't have any other surgical complications.

My understanding of the arthritis issue is that the joint should be stabilized soon after the injury to minimize scar tissue leading to arthritis. Our dog had surgery about two weeks after his injury.

Good luck.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by lef062406

The Dr seemed sure that it was a torn ACL but he didn't take x-rays which bothered me. The cost didn't bother me as bad as him telling me that the recovery time was 4 months. I was shocked by that. I had read on the forums here where most didn't seem to take that long. Thanks again for the support. I really appreciate it.

When Wylie had his LP surgery, we were told (I think...?) a 3 month recovery...and honestly, that sounds way worse than it actually is - so I wouldn't let the recovery really scare you too much. They bounce back *so* fast that the "recovery" is more about keeping them safe from themselves, rather than being about, say, being immobile or something.

[Russpilot]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

They bounce back *so* fast that the "recovery" is more about keeping them safe from themselves, rather than being about, say, being immobile or something.

I will second that! Two days after surgery (for a liver, not a knee) I was having a hard time keeping Bella from running completely amok. These guys come back so fast it is amazing.