October 2010 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Dog Surgery
So my dog has patellar luxation disorder and I have been told that she needs to have surgery. The leg doesn't bother her, she runs around like nothing is wrong. The Vet has told me that if I wait then she will more than likely get arthritis in her joint and I will have to have her on pain pills/cortizone shots etc. The surgery is $900. I am torn because it doesn't seem to bother her now, but it could down the road. WWYD??
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Re: Dog Surgery
I went through something similar with my dog when she was younger. She tore her ACL and the option was surgery, with a very good chance of having to do surgery on the other leg later, as she would overdo it on that leg and tear that ACL while the first was healing, or putting her on glucosamine and chondroitin to help.
We chose the latter, partly because we didn't want to worry about her tearing the other one, partly because we didn't want her to have to go through surgery, and partly because it didn't bother her all the time.
She's ten and a half now and it bothers her every once in a while, but not often. She's developed a different problem now (sciatic nerve issue). She has been on food with gluc/chon in it ever since she tore it when she was a puppy, and we give her these treats that she LOVES every day.
I'm not sure how similar your dog's condition is to my girl's injury, but I would ask if there are alternatives to surgery, and I would also get a second opinion (we loved our vet at the time but thought it was worth another opinion).
Megan & Chris
I second this! And sorry about your pup
Sorta similar.. my parents dog got hit by a car when he was 3. His leg recovered enough that he can stand on it, but when he runs it sorta windmills along.. and the vet told my parents that if they didn't do the corrective surgery Jake would have arthritis that will essentially ruin his life with pain and not being able to put weight on it. No surgery. Jake is now 9 and has no signs of slowing down, no arthritis, no favoring of that leg. It's a chance they were willing to take and it's worked out well.
How old is your dog?
Her ligaments aren't strong enough to hold her patella in place and the grooves on the back of the patella will continue to grind down the more it moves around and soon it won't stay in place at all. I have asked about other things since it doesn't bother her, both my vet and my aunt (who is a vet tech), said that either the surgery or just letting it go were my only options. I can let it go but then she will probably need to be on pain pills.
She is a rescue so we don't have an exact age, according to the age when I got her she would be 2 in August, but I think that she will be 3.
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TTC Since January 2011 - We have bad spermUgh. That's tough, because pain pills can ruin their organs. Would glucosamine and chondroitin not help "pad" the joints? If you can't tell, I'm a HUGE believer in the stuff...but I'm no MD!
If your aunt is a vet tech, I would go with what she thinks is best. It's nice that you have someone who knows what they're talking about who you trust to give you advice.
And like Kearstin said, it's just one of those things you have to take a chance on - one way or the other. If your dog is like your kid the way ours is, it makes it that much tougher!
Good luck! I hope you find something to guide you to the right choice.
Megan & Chris
$900 is a lot, especially considering it is something that isn't bothering her now, but I am willing to guess that doggy pain pills down the line can get pretty expensive too. If it were me, I'd probably go ahead and do the surgery, especially since your aunt, who you know isn't just trying to get money out of you, said she would need it or be in pain down the line. I'd rather my pet be in a little pain from surgery than have years of pain down the road.
I was originally thinking about trying gluc/chond because I have used that on horses with bad joints, but from what I am reading it isn't so much that there is no padding but that the bone won't stay in place, so that makes me wonder if gluc will help.
I am going to call my aunt again tonight and ask her what she things, but the last time we talked about it she said that surgery is my best option. I am going to ask her about chiropractic and about gluc/chond supplements.
I think that my biggest hurdle isn't the money, it is that it doesn't bother her what-so-ever. If she was clearly in pain I would do it in a heart beat but she just doesn't have a care in the world. It is like she was meant to run full speed on three legs.
If it were me, and I trusted my vet, I would do the surgery now. I would prefer he have the surgery and a short recovery time now if it meant he wouldn't have issues down the road. Especially considering how young your pup is, I would do it now rather than having him/her on a lifetime of meds and possible more complications down the road.
A second opinion isn't a bad idea either.
I'll say a prayer for you. Hope you find some clarity with all of this! <HUG>
est. 10/10/10
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What does your husband want to do? Do you have the money where you wouldn't be totally strapped? Do you 100% trust your vet (meaning are you sure they aren't just trying to get you to spend money)?
My husband is, for lack of a better work, unopinionated, he just says if you think we need to then go for it, he won't tell me his honest opinion. We do have the money and we can apply for Care Credit, which is basically an interest free loan for a determined time frame (9 months or 12 months). I do trust my vet, she has been telling me that this surgery is a possibility for over a year. I am going to go to a vet that my friend uses on Tuesday to get a 2nd opinion and I have been checking into chiropractic for dogs.
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Have an appointment for a 2nd opinion tomorrow with a vet in Moline at Oak Knoll. But I just got off the phone with my aunt (the vet tech) and she confirmed that we need to have the surgery done and it is better to do it now than to wait. Now I am trying to decide if I really need the 2nd opinion or if I should just go with my vet. I think I will still check out the other guy tomorrow and see what he has to say. Looks like we have a puppy surgery in our near future.
I also had to ask my aunt if Khloe would have issues with anesthesia because she has a heart murmur. My little rescue princess is being rather expensive!!
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I'm sorry you have to make this decision, but like I said before, it's nice that you have someone in the industry that you trust. I hope everything will be ok with the anesthesia...I'm sure they'll take all necessary precautions to ensure that.
Let us know when you schedule it so we can keep you and Khloe in our thoughts!
Megan & Chris
Thanks! You girls are so sweet! I should have everything figured out tomorrow. I am still considering canceling the other appt, I don't think that they will be any less expensive than my current vet. My aunt did tell me that the vet I am going to tomorrow is an amazing surgeon, I know my vet is also but I am torn. Ugh, I hate these types of situations!