Need advice on Gracie's Weight and her leg
 

For those of you who do not know, Gracie is the mother of my other two yorkies and we got her a few weeks ago from the breeder. We have had a few issues - fleas and flea allergy - toilet training - cowering when we come near her etc. She acts like a rescue.

Anyway, when Gracie was under a year old the breeder came home and found her with a broken rear leg. The vet that worked on it didn't know it it would work well after he put pins in but she is doing fine. The issue is her weight. She is really skinny and the breeder claims that the vet told her to keep her that way so to avoid stressing the pins.
I could count every vertebra and rib without touching her so I have put on a few ounces ad she is looking better but still very thin.
The breeder called last night and I told her that OUR vet said she could stand to gain a few ounces and it would be fine. She had taken X-rays of her leg and everything is in place and looks good. The breeder got a bit offended and told me that I would be sorry if she gains weight because her leg will break again and if that happens she may need an amputation because it was difficult to put in in the first place. If you can understand my ramblings I would appreciate feedback on the issue. My gut tells me to follow MY vet's advice rather than the hearsay from another vet.
What do y'all think?

If the broken leg was fixed properly then being a normal weight should not aggravate the repair. Being overweight will certainly cause a problem but not being of normal weight. If she had serious joint problems then i can see why the vet would want her to be on the skinny side but from what you say, this is not the case.

I used to work for board certified vet orthopedic surgeons. They did fracture repairs almost every day, sometimes multiple ones a day. They never told owners to keep their dogs so skinny that you can see bones. If a dog was overweight they told them to loss weight but never to the point of being unhealthy.

I'd go with your own vet's advice and put a few ounces on her.

The pins may migrate but it will not be a result of being a healthy weight. Sometimes these things just happen and the pins will need to be taken out. But that may never happen at all.

Thanks for your reply. I guess I need a backbone to stand up to her. She is very outspoken and opinionated. But she let Gracie get in bad shape and I just don't trust her anymore. I am going to get photos of the little sweetie to show you what I mean. Will post on Monday (I hope.)
I could have sworn the breeder told me her knee was fractured and pinned but the X-ray shows the pins below the knee. That tends to make me think the breeder has a faulty memory and maybe the vet she saw told her not to let Gracie gain weight until she healed. :confused:

hmm, are you sure Gracie didn't have a luxating patella? This surgery can sometimes require pins as well. In this case it goes effect her joint. Tho i still wouldn't let her be as skinny as you describe. many yorkies here have had this surgery and are of normal weight. the pins for this surgery appear at the top of the tibia (lower leg bone). there are usually two of them.

were the pins in the same location of this x-ray? http://www.acvs.org/UploadedImages/H...s/MPL_FIG5.jpg

I only saw the film for a brief minute but their were three pins and a verticle rod clearly below the patella. The X-ray was taken from the side and the front and the side view was the best view.

Here is another observation. Sometimes for no apparent reason she will lift that leg the same way a male would when urinating but she will lift it even higher than that. It is almost like she is stretching her upper leg muscles.

hmm, the vertical rod does suggest a fracture. maybe a tibial crest avulsion along with a luxating patella. can't really say.

Has your current vet seen her x-rays? i'd still stick with him and get her to a normal healthy weight.

You can always call the vet who did the surgery to ask what exactly was fixed and what the surgery was called. Was it the breeders regular vet that did it, or did an orthopedic surgeon do it?

Since you said she came with fleas, have you had her stool checked for tapeworms? They get them from fleas and they can make a dog very skinny.

I know you said your breeder tried to keep her skinny, but if she has tapeworms, you'll have trouble putting weight on her.

Yes, our new ver (LOVE her) took the X-rays - those are the ones I saw. And it was an orthopedic surgeon that did the surgery. The vet said that everything looked good.

We had her checked for Everything. This vet is used to getting in rescues and really knows her stuff..... And Gracie has picked up enough weight now that you can't see her ribs and backbone. She really only has a couple more ounces to make her look normal! She eats like a little pig LOL.

If her extra weight is bothering her it sure doesn't show!

Good and Good! stick with what your vet thinks is best. a healthy weight with no ribs sticking out isn't going to hurt her. As she's gaining weight always keep an eye on it to make sure she doesn't cross the line to a little overweight. i'd stay on the small side of normal.

Kellie,
Thank you so much for your advice. You are always so helpful to the rest of us. It is so greatly appreciated...I can't tell you!

your very welcome. i wish i could tell you more about the leg but you can always call the surgeon. he'd be able to tell you whatever you want to know.