my dog needs to do a surgery!! =(?

Question

My dog is 1 yr old, and today my vet. found out that his back knees and joints are badly formed, and his hip-bone is just abnormal. The vet. said is quite serious and a surgery is a must.
However my dog is running fine and i dont see him in pain when he run around the house.
My vet. send my dog to see some specialist to find out more.

I just want to find out is there any side-effects after the back-knees surgery and how's yur dog's recovery?
I am so worry now, pls share yur experience.

Thanks.

Answer 1

I would get a 2nd opinion from another vet of your choosing, not your vet's. Second opinions almost always help resolve questions.

Answer 2

I worked with an orthopedic vet for a few years. I strongly suggest you make the appt and go see one. If your vet recommended a TPO or a TPLO you need to do it quick. After about 14 months of age the vet won't do the hip surgery that way. Your only option will be a femural head ostectomy which is when they cut the head of the leg bone off. Sounds like your dog has hip dysplasia. If so he may not show any pain now. But in time lots of calcium will build up making movement bone against bone. He will develop severe pain and will have to be on pain meds and meds to help build up the fluid in his joints but neither of them will get him totally out of pain. The surgery is very expensive I'll warn you now. If you have a vet teaching hospital within a hundred miles of you I suggest you give them a call after you see the specialist and see what they charge for the surgery your vet recommends. Bring pad and pen with you and take notes. The vet should spend a lot of time with you explaining any procedure he/she wants to do. Then go look it up on the internet. Be sure you are very informed going in. If you have good credit there is an organization that will pay the specialist and let you make payments. I think it's called care credit or something like that. The specialist should know about it. I hope this answers some of your questions. As to the knees I doubt it's the cruciate since that is usually an injury as opposed to something they are born with. If it is then that is correctable as well. I'm sorry this has happened to you. It's quite common in large breed dogs. I always try to tell people to pay more up front for their dogs so they can get a good bloodline. However I also advocate rescue and one never knows what can come of that. Good luck to you both, Denise

Answer 3

For the most part, vets don't like to do surgery unless it's absolutely necessary. With every surgery comes potential complications. If your dog has badly formed knees and joints and the severity of it can be detected now at such an early age, chances are your vet is just concerned with the long term effects these abnormalities will have on your dogs continued health. If you decide to go to the specialist they will be able to tell you the pros and cons to having a surgery done. Many developmental defects in animals can be detected early, so early sometimes you won't notice anything wrong with your dog. Performing corrective surgery on your pet now before your dog shows signs could very well result in a better standard of living than if the deformities were allowed to develop at their normal rate.
Also, sometimes surgery this early is less expensive and less complicated than a correct surgery years down the road would be. Younger animals tend to "bounce back" from surgery much better than older animals, and the physical therapy, if you will, will be far less so young.
I don't know what kind of dog you have, or what problems it has, or what surgery the vet was thinking of, but definitely do your research so you can help you dog out and give him the best care you can. The specialist will definitely be able to inform you of what they think is best, and work with you so you can decide what you want to do.

Answer 4

My dog is also 1 year old and has hip problems however my vet said to wait as joints do not stop growing until around 14 months. Did they do an x-ray. Is it hip dysplaysia or something else? If hip dysplasia then probably must have surgery. Maybe get a second opinion as to how to handle the problem if there are any alternatives etc. . In the mean time start giving your dog Glucosamine. Try Cosequin or Arthogen.

Answer 5

What is the actual diagnosis? Is it hip displasia? Also, where do you live?

My Newf has hip displasia. He had hip replacement surgery, which didn't work. Long story, the replacement had to be removed and a femoral neck excision (?) was done in its place. My Newf had trouble walking after all this because of the muscle atrophy. His recovery was not normal at all. Now, 3 years later, he walks with a limp, but he is truly amazing how he gets aroudn with 3 good legs. Dogs can rebound from surgery well, but know that there are always complications to any surgery. I am not saying it will happen, but I didn't realize it well my Newfie went under surgery.

Answer 6

See if your library can supply you with a copy of an old VHS tape called "DOG STEPS". It will take you through everything you need to know about how dogs' legs, hips and joints are supposed to work. Then find out the exact diagnosis of your dog's problem, and call a number of different vets, or if possible, a veterinary college, and ask what the risks, rewards, and post operative expectations are for that surgery.

Answer 7

If your vet recommends this, why not take the time to see a specialist? A lot of this type of surgery can only be done before a certain age. Otherwise, arthritis sets in and there's nothing that can be done. It's always good to get a second opinion! :) Good luck!

Answer 8

Ive had two dogs with recent serious surgury.

Domique - female...is young enough that we went ahead and paid major $$ to fix a problem she had... and she recovered nicely.

Gypsy - male - very old....had two surguries.
#1 was major - but external (eye related damage and is now blind in that eye).
#2 - was minor because the major version of the surgury would likely kill him.

Ultimately it depends on you.
1. How much u willing to spend... (I spent total of $1500.00)
2. How old is the animal.
3. Is he worth the expense..

My older one, is too old to spend a lot (of that total he was $600).
The major surgury would have been $2000.00
If he was younger I would have done the major.

Answer 9

get the opinion of one or two other vets. My cat broke her leg and the vet told us bad information and...she eventually had to get it amputated when if we'd done the right procedure in the first place, we could've saved the leg.

Answer 10

i dont got no experience or anything but i prayed for ur dog..i love dogs and i hope he goes thru with it all well!! =/ =)