Luxating Patella surgery
 

Hello, I'm new to YorkieTalk and hope I'm posting this in the right place.

My one year old Yorkie is in need of surgery. There is a split of the patella bone on her right hind leg, so that will need pinning, and she suggested that whomever I choose to do the surgery will examine my Yorkie to let me know if the luxating patellas on both hind legs need surgery, but she categorized both legs between level 3 and 4, so believes the Vet(s) will probably diagnose the need for both legs to be surgically repaired.

My general practitioner Veterinarian gave us 3 referrals:
Two of those referrals are board certified orthopedic surgeons, the third Vet is a general practitioner who my Vet says has done this procedure many times, and she said if my Yorkie was hers, she would feel comfortable using him.

My problem is deciding between driving 70 miles to one of the two clinics with board certified orthopedic surgeons, or using the doctor referred to in my own city who according to my Vet "has done many of these surgeries and most people she referred to him are quite happy with the outcome." I worry that I would have to drive my Yorkie to surgery that far away and then have to drive her back the same miles home, post-op. On the other hand, I want the best surgery done to pin that bone and diagnose surgeries on the luxating patellas.

I read often that many at this site have only used board certified vets to do the surgery. Has anyone had this surgery done by a regular vet who had experience with this surgery and if so, were you satisfied with the surgery and post-op recovery? Of course, my doctor is expecting me to make the decision, and I feel torn about the importance of a veterinarian being board certified.

Thank you for your consideration about my dilemma concerning a choice for doctors.

At the risk of getting hit in the head with a brick, yes, my Bella had luxating patella surgery done by my regular vet, and yes, I was satisfied with the surgery and post-op recovery. HOWEVER, my vet is a teaching professor at a major university veterinary college, so he may be the exception rather than the rule. Not knowing anything about the regular vet recommended by your vet, I would recommend going with one of the board-certified orthopedic surgeons.

Especially using pins, I would go with the board certified surgeon. I personally will not use a general vet for orthopedic surgeries. Sadly, I have seen many botch jobs in my time spent at the specialists. I foster and am often there and meet a lot of people.

The surgeon I use does recommend repairs on pups as young as yours, but not for older ones. The reason for that is the wear and tear on the cruciate ligament...if you repair at a young age, the risk of tearing the ligament is greatly decreased. At an older age, the ligament is already worn and they can repair the LP and end up having to repair the ligament a few months later. He said that often happens and then the pup goes through a lot and it costs so much more to do.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Moved this to its own thread to try and get you more answers.

Oh thank you to all for responding. I'm confused about how to use the site, obviously! I have decided to travel to the other city to get consultation from the board certified vets for Cella. I'm so dreading all of this. Get a new pup and she has knee problems and one bone that didn't set right with growth from a pup, so it needs to be pinned, and luxating patella in both knees? It is so disappointing!

So sorry for all your troubles with this puppy! I'm not in your situation but do pray the best for you and your baby.:animal-pa:aimeeyork

Thank you so very much. It's wonderful to find support here at YorkieTalk!

It is a disappointment for sure. Have you spoken with the breeder about this?

No, I haven't. She was a single parent woman with many children who had a male and female Yorkie. She didn't get them fixed and of course the dam got pregnant. [I usually only get rescue/pound dogs] An acquaintance offered that there were Yorkie pups in need of a home, so I visited the woman and the 5 all-female pups and I took one. They were already 3 mos. old and I admonished the woman that she should have had her own dogs fixed, and that the pups should have had all their shots, which she didn't bother doing, either! I took the pup to give her a home and I love her, but as I said, it is disappointing because you really hate to see a dog go through surgeries.

Thank you for you for responding.

Not that it matters, but Cella's name is Graeco-Roman, pronounced "Chella" ...

She is lucky she ended up with you! :) While the surgery might be difficult, not having it would be worse' and sadly that happens to many and they suffer for much longer. I have a 3 year olf foster who just went through extensive surgery on a leg because someone ignored her needs when she was a puppy. :(

I don't have the experience of Ladyjane (who I would definitely listen to BTW). I had one pup with LP. Had it fixed by a board certified doc and she did great!

Wishing you the best of luck and care. You Are so good to take such good care of this little girl:D

Thank you so much. I hope all goes well with your little one, too. They are helpless and at the mercy of caring people who take their health issues seriously.

Thank you for your advice, LadyJane! I am seeing a board certified. I just wish he were in my own city! My general practitioner Vet said about the same thing you said about doing it while she is young. I have no choice but to get in ASAP for the Tibial Tuberosity Avulsion that requires pinning. I needed to get her in for re-diagnosis, x-rays and then the surgical pinning of the bone. The Luxating Patella may or may not be done on that same knee at the same time as the TTA, and when to do the other knee for the LT will be decided as well, when he sees the x-rays.

hahaha. Too funny. I drive a Mini Cooper, too. :D
Yes, Ladyjane and all of you have given me good advice. Now I just follow through with the consultations and make sure I feel secure with the surgeon's advice. One-day-at-a-time!

I understand your dilemma and not wanting to put your pup through a long drive post-op. It's difficult enough on Cella AND you going through these surgeries without having additional worries. My Jezebel had TPLO and patella stabilization at a board certified surgeon, but the surgeon was 15 - 20 miles away. Do you have someone that could go with you to pick her up and to the first follow-up? That would be helpful no matter which surgeon you choose, but much more needed if you choose the one that is farther away.

Thank you! It is disconcerting to have to drive 70+ miles back and forth. I felt embarrassed that I was making any ado over that travel to the board certified vet, but I've decided I have to. I'll manage alone, everyone I know is working and can't take time off. I'm hoping the vet will take this into consideration when setting up surgical times which they usually ask you to go at the crack of dawn (she said, exaggerating ) and post-op appointments. We shall see.

70 miles is definitely a trek. Where I go, it is a 45 minute drive and some days it is taxing because it is in Houston and the traffic can be a bear and that 45 minutes is often much longer. They work with me on appointments so that I can avoid rush hour ...and sometimes, when a pup needs surgery, I drop the day before so I can avoid that early morning drive. I really hate doing it but the pups are fine.

Hopefully, if you speak with the vet he/she will work with you.

Luxating Patella
 

I have a 3 year old Yorkie and he needs LP surgery. I have an appt with the Ortho doc tomorrow morning and possibly leave my Sammy for Surgery. I just dont know what to do? I dont know if I am equipped to help him afterwards. How will I know what to do if he is in pain? How they go to the bathroom. I was actually thinking of cancelling the appt . My dog does not do crate but I do work at home. I am so confused. I have had such anxiety for the past two weeks that Ive lost weight. He can go for walks but I do notice he does not put full weight on it sometimes and he sits with the leg out.

It sounds like it could possibly be a torn cruciate ligament. If this is a specialist, they will rule that out.
After care is not all that bad, but you must restrict activity for up to 8 weeks after.

Oh dear! You sound full of anxiety about this as I was and my Yorkie did the same thing for about 2 weeks -- she lifted her leg when walking, or seemed to favor the leg after running around the house. I finally decided to take her to my regular Vet and she manipulated her knees and confirmed she was in stage 3 LP for both knees. It is this LP that probably caused her to only walk a short distance, about a quarter of a mile, before lying down and not wanting to move, so I would have to pick her up to walk the rest of the way home. I thought it odd because she's been doing this since she was about 6 mos. old. She's an early LP.

Let me just tell you that I had both back legs surgically repaired at the same time for Cella, last Friday. My Vet kept Cella (pron. Chella) from Thursday afternoon (pre-op) so she could be sedated in the night and calm and ready for surgery, Friday the next morning. The Vet asked that they keep her through the weekend until Monday afternoon when I could pick her up, because he believes it better for the dog to have constant monitoring for a few days and get the dog ready to go home, walking on both legs. She was very happy to see me, sleepy and weak, but already walking very gingerly on her back legs and able to potty. She is not to leave her crate except to walk outside to potty, always on a leash, for very, very short periods of time. No running or jumping around, just better to carry her outside, sit her on the ground, and let her walk until she potties. If she doesn't seem to want to go, take her back inside to the crate. The Vet's assistants had already taken her out each day to potty by the time I was able to bring her home.

It will be 6-10 weeks before she can leave the crate, unless my Vet decides she can leave the crate earlier, or needs to remain longer. I have actually moved to another room to put her crate on the bed with me (I know, silly me), and she doesn't seem to mind since I'm in bed near her, but many dogs learn to crate quickly and your Vet will crate your dog anyway while at the clinic, so they become accustomed to being there.

It's only been a week since her surgery and she's already perked up and wanting to move around more in her crate, and walking better each day. Her back left leg had been held up ever so often when she walked, but my Vet said this is not abnormal, and I noted today she is now putting both legs down. The Vet kept reiterating to me that the most important part of this LP fix for the knees goes beyond the surgery, and keeping her off her legs as much as possible is important so they can mend, so I'm thinking the crate makes sense. He said he's had pet owners disregard this post-op crating and had to reconstruct surgically because the pet owner didn't listen to him and allowed the dog to walk around.

She is eating her usual food well. She has had one night of vomiting because of one of the meds, but Cella has always had a sensitive stomach, and the Vet is switching to another med. Your Vet will explain medications to you.

Just follow the instructions of your vet. He/she will give you a post-op list of instructions and should tell you everything you need to be aware of to make sure your Yorkie is healing properly (sutures, any swelling, etc.). I, too, was very anxious about the whole procedure, but I am lucky that my Vet is very informative, has spent much time showing me pre-op x-rays and post-op x-rays, with time to ask questions and he told me to call any time I am concerned about anything.

I was quite worried about putting Cella through this operation on both legs, but now I understand why doing both legs at the same time makes sense. It is a longer process if each leg is done, one at a time. Now she is over the surgery and already getting stronger after a week. Vet told me by New Year's it will be as if she never had any surgery at all, she will be able to run around like she did before the knee problems started showing up, and since animals have short memories, will have forgotten the trauma of being at the Vet, through surgery, and the mending time.

If your doggy has LP, it is better to fix now than later, because they can end up with pain and arthritis.

I hope my general comments have helped. You can always get a second opinion. I got 2 Vets to diagnose and advise.

If you work at home you can put the crate near your work space and keep him company while he is on the mend. Yes, I wish it didn't take as long as it does to fully mend, but better than having a lame dog in pain.

I am very happy that my Vet used internal stitches, rather than the staples. It looks like a seamstress did the sutures. Very neat and healing nicely, already. She did not come home with wrappings on her legs either. My Vet didn't believe in bandaging the dog any longer than necessary, and he didn't insist she wear a cone on her head. She has only tried to lick one knee suture a couple of times, because I think it itched, but hasn't continued licking, and she doesn't seem at all bothered by her stitches.

Best of luck with your decision, and best wishes for your little dog! I'm sorry I didn't get your message until tonight. :(

I have truly appreciated all the posts here at Yorkie Talk about LP experiences other pet owners have gone through. It's a relief to share with others. My thanks to everyone who responded to my concerns!

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Very nice and helpful post.

So happy to hear that all has gone well with Cella's surgery! Her time in the crate will go faster than you think and all be worth it for her in the end. :)

Thank you! It is sad these critters are born with LP problems, but thankfully we have orthopedic surgeon vets there to provide help and healing.

She is still weaker on her left back leg and still holding it up ever so often, but the orthopedic vet reiterated that the legs don't always heal the same, so to give it time. I'm watching her closely. She is very antsy about being in the crate. She's perky and happy, but becoming frustrated with the crate, so I take her out to hold her often to make her feel things are normal. It's a process and everyone has to be patient.

:aimeeyork:animal-pa:p

If you have a pet stroller you might want to try that. Just make sure she cannot jump out of it.
It makes it so much easier when you can just push them from room to room. :)

Yes, Yes, Yes a stroller is the way to go! Keeping them still for so long is very difficult and poor babies they get so bored. Hannah continues to enjoy her stroller 2 yrs. after her LCPD surgery. Wishing you and your baby the best and a very speedy recovery!

I like that idea. I guess I should look for a pet stroller online. I have been keeping her in the crate while I walk to and fro around the house, or holding her in my arms.

Thanks for the tip.

The one I use (I have been using the same one for years....same design that is. I have different colors.) is on Ebay. They are usually around $50 and that includes shipping, but I have seen higher prices lately.

Here is a link to one......

New BestPet Large Pink Plaid 4 Wheels Pet Dog Cat Stroller Cage w Rain Cover | eBay


It is roomy inside...and I much prefer the four wheeled one. If you want to find others like it in different colors search for:
pet stroller rain

Rain singles that one out because there is a rain cover. :)

LOL! That is some pet stroller! Thanks! :)

I like it because I can put 3 or 4 pups in it. For recovery purposes it is super roomy for them to lie down and be comfortable. As you can see, my Cookie loved it! :D This was after her surgery for a torn cruciate ligament. It looks like she has not so much room, but she was all stretched out and there are blankets in there. Plus she is 11 pounds. She is a wild child and I never thought I would be able to keep her calm and happy after surgery...this thing was perfect. Even after she was set free, she still would stand by the stroller waiting for me to put her in it.

Attachment 407840

Sammy had his surgery yesterday and is coming home today. I am very nervous. Sammy is not crate trained and has never been in a crate for very long but I have two and I got a stroller (thanks Ladyjane). He sleeps with me... on the floor since injury so I hope we can still do that but I am really hoping he just wants to stay in the crate. The vet said I can secure him in a room or playpen. I am super nervous. If anything I will move my computer to the floor to keep him in crate while i am working. I hope he surprises me and just lays down in crate. So much anxiety. I find these threads so helpful and everyone advice is super appreciated. Thank you.