[Ms_P]

Koke has had surgery on her right back leg for Luxating Patella. She's going to have the left leg done this fall.
There used to be some information on this site about it, I don't know where it went.
Luxating Patellas are congenital.
On the outer side the ligaments get stretched from the knee cap popping out of place and on the in side the ligaments shrink from not having tension on them.
I've never heard of taking the knee cap out completly. Usually they will deepen the grove that the knee cap is suppose to sit in and shorten the outer ligament and lengthen the inner ligament. Sometimes the upper and lower ligaments need to be moved and the tibia tip has to be moved if it's in the wrong place.
Koke had her cast on for 2 weeks and has gone back for x-rays 2 times at 2 week intervals. It takes 2 to 3 months for them to start using the leg again, it's just easier for them to hike it up and hobble.

Here is a link if you want to read about it
http://www.workingdogs.com/vcpatlux.htm

Good Luck!

 

[Ms_P]

thanks so much for that info!!

your chi did okay with the surgery? i'm a little worried & am really praying for the best. but zoey is a trooper-- i bet she'll do great.

she also is going to have to have her other back leg done in the future. i guess her back right isn't as bad as her back left yet.

how much did the surgery cost you? :wave:

Yes, she did fine with the surgery.

Zoey will not be able to run or jump for about 12 weeks.
The first couple of days are the worst of coarse, and then the first couple of days after the cast comes off are a little bad.
I'm sure she'll be fine. And you will be spoiling her a lot more than normal LOL (I know I did)

So far it has cost me almost $2,000.00. That inclues all the followup x-rays and pain meds etc.

 

[Ms_P]

The estimate they gave me was $1200. Of coarse they always estimate low LOL.
Just be prepared for it to run more than the estimate.
They charged me $20 for an E collar that Koke wore home after the cast came off. As soon as I got home I took it off of her. She did well without it after she was spayed so I knew she would be ok. They take the stiches out when they take the cast off, so the E collar was just to keep her from licking the area where the sutures used to be.
If you already have an old one, it might save you a few dollars if you mention it to them.

It will take her a few days to learn how to get around with the cast on, so you might want to put her food and water and a potty pad close to where she'll be laying.

 

[Ms_P]

i wonder if zoey will need an e collar-- when she was spayed she never licked her stitches or anything. i dont think she'll tolerate one anyway...

ms_p, was the cast really huge? sorry to be asking so many questions. i just want to be totally prepared!

thanks again everybody

The cast was not "huge", but it went from her hip to her toes. They usually leave the toes out so you can check for swelling.
In order to keep it from sliding off my vet wrapped that big medical tape around her tummy and taped it to the cast. Eventually the sticky stuff comes off the tape and only a little bit of hair here and there was stuck to the tape and I think it pulls. So once it got to the point were most of the sticky was gone I reached in and unstuck her hair from it, because I think it was pulling her hair. But that was only around her tummy, NOT in the leg part. And she loved for me to stick my finger under the tape and scratch her around her tummy and back LOL.
She ended up learning to hold her leg straight out towards the front of her and hopping around like that.
They put the E collar on when they take the cast off, that's why I mentioned that if you have one, tell them and take it with you when it's time. I took Koke's off when we got in the truck to come home, she didn't need it, and I kept a real close eye on her incase she started licking it alot. But they might want you to have one just in case. Sometimes because the cast was on so long, they will start licking their leg to clean it and just cause the incision to get iritated which leads to more licking, which leads to more iritation, and around and around.
You never know how they are going to react, plus having the leg straight and supported for 2 weeks, then having no support and bending it will probably hurt again for a few days, which might cause her to lick more.