Murphy came home today and it is so sad to see him back at his starting point at the beginning of Summer. The surgeon said the surgery went well and as soon as he popped the knee back in place the TTA repair realigned itself immediately. Originally he was going to replace the device (since it was cracked), but decided to leave it in. Apparently there was enough good bone growth around it that he believes it will continue to properly heal now that the luxated patella is back in place. The scar is only about half the size of the TTA, but he is not bearing any weight at all on it. With the TTA surgeries he was bearing weight immediately. Does anyone know if this is normal? His appetite is gone again so he is getting hand fed -- which he loves. Everytime I walk down the stairs I can hear his tail thumping on the wall. I think this is a good sign.
Hoping the Third time is the Charm!
- Thread starter TinaM
- Start date
Liisa
New member
My Khabo had surgery to correct a luxating patella. I had to write up a description of his recovery for the Tibetan Mastiff Gazette. PM me with an e-mail address and I can foward it to you if you would like (it is on my work computer - so I have to wait until I'm in work tomorrow).
But Khabo did not put any weight on his leg for almost 2 weeks. Then he would test it with little tip toe steps, very very gradually increasing the pressure. He became very good at hopping on three legs.
But Khabo did not put any weight on his leg for almost 2 weeks. Then he would test it with little tip toe steps, very very gradually increasing the pressure. He became very good at hopping on three legs.
That is exactly what he is doing - hopping. It is really hard to look at -- I really hope this doesn't go on for two weeks. I will PM you because I would love to read the article. Thank you.
Sound Bay Newfs
Active member
They say "the third time is the charm", so I am sure this will work this time. Sending good thoughts.
4ondafloor
New member
Give Murphy a great big hug :grouphug:and kiss for me. :bear
lant it right in his snozzle. (Did I get that right Nessa?)
lant it right in his snozzle. (Did I get that right Nessa?)
Liisa
New member
Well... I figured I might as well post my little article in case anyone else might find it useful. Here it is (be kind, I'm no journalist!) :blush:
Khabo is my wild child and lover of everyone he meets. We adopted him from Tibetan Mastiff Rescue after our first Tibetan, Yeti, passed away. For the first six months, he was a typical, energetic puppy. He would randomly attack his “sister” Pari and zoom wildly around the house and yard with “puppy crazies”. It was during one of these crazy moments, that he misjudged and his rear leg met up with a door frame. He hopped on three legs for less than a minute and then took off running again. I don’t know if this is significant, but it stands out in my mind….
After that, he would randomly have moments where he would lift his rear left leg and hop around on three legs. The second vet we brought him to diagnosed him with a Grade 2 luxating patella. What would happen is that his knee cap would slip out of its groove causing his leg to lock up. We could get it back into place by gently stretching out his leg or easing him into a sit.
The difficulty with a luxating patella is that it continuously gets worse. As the patella moves out of place, it wears down the groove that it sits within. As the groove is worn down, the patella more easily slips out of place.
After a few months, we made an appointment with an orthopedic vet and scheduled surgery to correct this issue. We did explain the run-in that Khabo had with the door frame, but neither vet made too much out of this.
On the day of surgery, we dropped Khabo off with a lot of anxiety and worry for his well being. The doctor called us after the surgery to let us know that everything went really well. The pre-surgery x-rays showed that Khabo had a curved femur. The femur was curved at a 14 degree angle, just above where they typically straighten the femur. However, the orthopedic surgeon felt that Khabo wasn’t an ideal candidate for this additional procedure and he believed that he could fix the patella without having to straighten the femur. He told us to call back the next day and they could tell us what time we could pick him up.
The next day, we picked him up in the afternoon. Khabo was sent home with a Fentanyl patch, Metacam and Cephalexin. His leg was wrapped from hip to toe in a huge blue bandage. This made it awkward for him to sit or lay down as his leg stuck straight out. The first night was the worst as he couldn’t get comfortable and he cried frequently. The vet did warn us of this, but it breaks your heart to not be able to fix them. As I mentioned, the first 24 hours was by far the worst. Each day after this seemed to get a little better.
His leg bandage came off at the end of the first week. His stitches came out at the end of the second week. Up until this point, Khabo got around by hopping on three legs. He did not even try to put weight on the injured leg. He would get tired easily and we always had a towel on hand to wrap around his mid-section to support him if he needed help. The rehabilitation for this surgery is supposed to be active and we would take him on short walks. Starting with a few times a day and building up the frequency over the weeks that followed. It wasn’t until the third week that Khabo began to test the injured leg and would do little hopping steps on it. If he wanted to go fast, he would hop on three legs and became quite adept at this. In order to build up the strength in the injured leg, we would walk him very slowly during his sessions which encouraged him to put weight on the injured leg. We all slept on the floor in the family room with Khabo during his rehab. He wasn’t able to tackle the stairs until almost a month after surgery. I think he and Pari enjoyed this “camping out” with mom and dad!
The entire rehab took four months before he was allowed off leash. It was difficult to keep a 1 and ½ year old constrained for that long, but the results have been worth it.
It has been six months since the surgery and we are so glad we had it done. Khabo’s knee has healed nicely. Every once in a while he’ll “tweak” it when he is clowning around and he’ll limp slightly. When this happens, we keep him controlled for a day or two and he’s back to normal. His patella has not slipped at all since surgery. He is able to play and run and be himself without having his leg lock up. The long road to recovery was well worth it.
Khabo’s Luxating Patella Surgery
After that, he would randomly have moments where he would lift his rear left leg and hop around on three legs. The second vet we brought him to diagnosed him with a Grade 2 luxating patella. What would happen is that his knee cap would slip out of its groove causing his leg to lock up. We could get it back into place by gently stretching out his leg or easing him into a sit.
The difficulty with a luxating patella is that it continuously gets worse. As the patella moves out of place, it wears down the groove that it sits within. As the groove is worn down, the patella more easily slips out of place.
After a few months, we made an appointment with an orthopedic vet and scheduled surgery to correct this issue. We did explain the run-in that Khabo had with the door frame, but neither vet made too much out of this.
On the day of surgery, we dropped Khabo off with a lot of anxiety and worry for his well being. The doctor called us after the surgery to let us know that everything went really well. The pre-surgery x-rays showed that Khabo had a curved femur. The femur was curved at a 14 degree angle, just above where they typically straighten the femur. However, the orthopedic surgeon felt that Khabo wasn’t an ideal candidate for this additional procedure and he believed that he could fix the patella without having to straighten the femur. He told us to call back the next day and they could tell us what time we could pick him up.
The next day, we picked him up in the afternoon. Khabo was sent home with a Fentanyl patch, Metacam and Cephalexin. His leg was wrapped from hip to toe in a huge blue bandage. This made it awkward for him to sit or lay down as his leg stuck straight out. The first night was the worst as he couldn’t get comfortable and he cried frequently. The vet did warn us of this, but it breaks your heart to not be able to fix them. As I mentioned, the first 24 hours was by far the worst. Each day after this seemed to get a little better.
His leg bandage came off at the end of the first week. His stitches came out at the end of the second week. Up until this point, Khabo got around by hopping on three legs. He did not even try to put weight on the injured leg. He would get tired easily and we always had a towel on hand to wrap around his mid-section to support him if he needed help. The rehabilitation for this surgery is supposed to be active and we would take him on short walks. Starting with a few times a day and building up the frequency over the weeks that followed. It wasn’t until the third week that Khabo began to test the injured leg and would do little hopping steps on it. If he wanted to go fast, he would hop on three legs and became quite adept at this. In order to build up the strength in the injured leg, we would walk him very slowly during his sessions which encouraged him to put weight on the injured leg. We all slept on the floor in the family room with Khabo during his rehab. He wasn’t able to tackle the stairs until almost a month after surgery. I think he and Pari enjoyed this “camping out” with mom and dad!
The entire rehab took four months before he was allowed off leash. It was difficult to keep a 1 and ½ year old constrained for that long, but the results have been worth it.
It has been six months since the surgery and we are so glad we had it done. Khabo’s knee has healed nicely. Every once in a while he’ll “tweak” it when he is clowning around and he’ll limp slightly. When this happens, we keep him controlled for a day or two and he’s back to normal. His patella has not slipped at all since surgery. He is able to play and run and be himself without having his leg lock up. The long road to recovery was well worth it.
victoria1140
Active member
best wish's and rapid healing
jumpinnewf
New member
Just some thoughts from what I learned from Bristles. Had ACL surgery last year at this time and recovery went well but all of sudden this September she wasn't putting weight on the leg. Fear that she had somehow torn it again abounded but it turn out to be inflamation only. So one would of thought the recovery would have been quicker. No took almost 2 months for her to really use the leg fully. Lesson. Dogs don't need 4 legs, they do very well on 3. Bristles realized she could move quicker on 3 legs because she had to move slower with the inflamation and slow is not a speed she understands. So three was the way to go.
Lesson 2. Hand feeding. Don't assume that Murphy appetite is a little down. After surgery Bristles spend the night in the emergency clinic for observation. Must have been a slow night as the chart read likes to be fed baby food by hand. That is all it took plus my vet encouraging me that now was the time to spoil her. They learn quickly. I think that having you close when they are not feeling a 100% gives them comfort. So Mom hand feed me. They are after all master trainers.
We are sending good thoughts and prayers your way.
Lesson 2. Hand feeding. Don't assume that Murphy appetite is a little down. After surgery Bristles spend the night in the emergency clinic for observation. Must have been a slow night as the chart read likes to be fed baby food by hand. That is all it took plus my vet encouraging me that now was the time to spoil her. They learn quickly. I think that having you close when they are not feeling a 100% gives them comfort. So Mom hand feed me. They are after all master trainers.
We are sending good thoughts and prayers your way.