Anybody have a dog that had surgery for a "luxating patella"?

Question

Have 2 yo beagle that will need surgery on hind leg.

Need to know how bad surgery was, recovery time, cost, any
pertinent info.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I had a dog done about 7-8 years ago now. Now where I live vet costs are high. One knee cost $1,200 the other $1,400. (More problems the second time around) She had one knee done at a time back then, but more and more I'm seeing it on my Chihuahua group where specialists do both at once if needed. It's amazing how well the dogs do.

First time I thought it would be impossible for the little guys, but it seems to make little difference. If both need doing you may want to look into this because it saves them going through surgery twice and of course going through 2 recovery times. It also works out cheaper to have both done at once as they only have to be put under once. Of course it's a huge chunk of change to come up with in one lot doing it that way. Only you and your vet could decide on that.

She had to be crated for the first 2 weeks and after that no running, jumping etc for another 4 weeks.

She did really well. The hardest part seemed to be the crating as she had never been crated before.

Once she was all healed she was 100% better. The cost seemed high untill I sawe just how much better she after the surgery.

Trust me whatever the cost your dog will thank you for having it done. Missy could run and play like a young pup again once it was done. Just seeing her playing pain free made it worth every cent and more.

Good luck to you and your dog. Trust me you won;t regret the surgery once you see the results.

Answer 2

I had a Newf that had it on both knees many years ago. One kneee at a time of course. He did well. Recovery was about 6-12 weeks. First few weeks were the worst. Cost varies greatly from vet to vet. One we had done at our local vet and it was about $600. The other was done by an orthopedic vet and was about twice that.
Smaller dogs do better, since they weigh less. Make sure the dog is not overweight! It is a faster recovery and outcome if they are not fat.

Answer 3

We had this done on both knees in a Siberian years ago. One knee at a time. He was a puppy, and it seemed like the recovery time was pretty fast. He ended up with pins in both knees, and other than walking a little stiffly, did fine for the rest of his life.

I wouldn't hesitate, if the vet says it's necessary. I can't give you any info on the cost -- this was in the early 90s, so it probably wouldn't be helpful, now, anyway!