Quote:
Originally Posted by ec140466
Hi there, I have a 4 year old pom/sheltie mix who is at the grade 3 stage and is now at the point of requiring surgery. I have a few questions for you... I would like to get her the surgery but am very concerned about it. how long was the recovery time? and is there anything else you could tell me about it? I would greatly appreciate any thoughts. As for supplements, we have been giving her recovery SA since she was a year old and it has kept her joints strong up until this past winter when unfortunately she gained too much weight putting too much stress on the joints. Although she has now lost the extra weight her knees are still suffering  The one your store recommended sounds good, EVA works great for any joint injuries and it can even help to restore coat health. As for the shark cartilage recommendation I would advise not to use it. If you are wondering why; watch the movie "sharkwater" its a real eye opener! Look forward to hear from you. Thanks! |
Ok, I'm back.
Sorry about that! I found the original thread from when Belle had her surgery. If you read through it, I updated it through her first few days after surgery and included pics:
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....=Belle+surgery
I posted this thread 8 weeks after her surgery and you can hardly tell she had any surgery at all:
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....=Belle+surgery
Belle's surgery was with Dr. Kramek at the U of MN. She's an orthapedic surgeon, and I highly recommend going with an Orthrapedic surgeon instead of your normal vet. I also post on a Boston Terrier forum and have seen threads on dozens of LP surgeries as it's very common for the breed. There is a marked difference in the quality of the surgery, the surgical methods, and the recovery time from those that used a specialist vs their regular vet. From the surgeries I've seen from regular vets, they use what the surgeon told me were old school methods, including the way the surgery is done (leg on table instead of elevated in the air and leg casted vs left open, etc) Belle was walking the day after surgery and running three days after surgery. She definitely had pain for the first few days and would shake when it was close for her next dose of medicine. But she never cried and acted pretty much normal the entire time. I was completely dreading it, but it wasn't any more traumatic really than a spay. The first day or two can be a little rough, but then after that, they want to run and play, but can't. The hardest part, as I mentioned before, is having to keep them still for two months. That is a very long 60 days, and I have to admit, I was way more lax with that after the first month than I should have been. Within a month, I started letting her off leash and within 8 weeks, you could hardly tell she had surgery at all. Now we joke and say she has bionic knees as she is a very high jumper and fast runner. The surgery was a complete success. I do fly with my dogs so had to get a letter from the surgeon certifying she has pins in her knees. But luckily, she hasn't set off any airport alarms yet. : ) But I always keep the letter with me just in case! It's a scary process, the day of surgery, and can be a little rough the first day or two, but after that, it's not bad and you just need to find your new routine of keeping her on leash or crated for a whole two months and get creative with ways to keep them occupied during that time. It's a really annoying process and honestly, I dread the thought of having to go through it again possibly with Jelly now, but it's definitely worth it in the long run and for the quality of life it restores.