Luxating Patella

tk123

OK this is when you need to be very very careful - he testing out the leg and think's he's fine but you know he's not. You need to step in and make sure he doesn't start over doing it. The 3 loo breaks are fine imo but don't get lax about it thinking he's healing faster than expected etc - make sure he's calm and relaxed and doesn't try to jump or run and end up hurting himself.
They're experts in hiding their pain - my dog strolled out of Gilabbey 5 hours after having his leg basically cut in 2 and put back together with pins and a plate!
Once you're done with the crate rest and out walking again don't walk him where you're going meet other dogs if possible - especially off lead dogs!! That's what happened with us after the first operation - an off lead dog tried to jump up on him 3 times - I had to hold my guy with one hand and try to pull the other one off by it's collar while it's owner stood there not able to call him back - €170 in xrays and the 2 weeks of worry (SG was on holidays so had to wait for him to check the xrays my vet took) was terrible - like is his leg broken beyond repair, will he have to have the whole thing done again or have to be pts etc
Treat that leg like it's made of glass until you're finished the recovery in a few months - tell everyone his leg is broken so they keep their dogs away, put a yellow ribbon on his lead etc.

StompToWork

Thanks for the feedback. At the moment, Deefor has his lead put on before he leaves the crate. He hasn't been free of the crate without a lead on since tuesday, and we are making sure he is not running or exerting himself in anyway. I'm still lifting him up onto any steps like up to the footpath or over the door jam.

lisij

hey, was wondering, how much did it costed you for whole surgery? and can anyone recommend a good surgeon that will be 100% sure dog need an operation before he actually do it

StompToWork

lisij wrote: »

hey, was wondering, how much did it costed you for whole surgery? and can anyone recommend a good surgeon that will be 100% sure dog need an operation before he actually do it

In our case, the claim that went into the insurance was around €2200 for the first one, which included all the pre-op scans and x-rays and post-op pain meds and anti-inflammatories. The second surgery on the other knee was about €1800. Not too sure why it was a little cheaper, keep meaning to ask.

If you are anywhere near Cork, (or even if you aren't, to be honest), I must highly recommend Gilabbey Veterinary Hospital in Vicars Road, Cork. Shane Guerin there is probably the best Vererinary Ortho surgeon in the country. He'll set you right. He takes more time to explain the situation to you than I've experienced with most people doctors!!

As for whether or not your dog will really need surgery, I'm afraid to say that, in my experience, once a luxated patella is diagnosed, the only real solution is surgery. From a diagnostic point of view, I believe it is a pretty definitive to diagnose. My local vet diagnosed it after a 5 minute physical examination, which was backed up by subsequent x-rays. He knew, despite Deefor not being a breed which is prone to this condition, AND being quite young at the time.

lisij

StompToWork wrote: »

In our case, the claim that went into the insurance was around €2200 for the first one, which included all the pre-op scans and x-rays and post-op pain meds and anti-inflammatories. The second surgery on the other knee was about €1800. Not too sure why it was a little cheaper, keep meaning to ask.

If you are anywhere near Cork, (or even if you aren't, to be honest), I must highly recommend Gilabbey Veterinary Hospital in Vicars Road, Cork. Shane Guerin there is probably the best Vererinary Ortho surgeon in the country. He'll set you right. He takes more time to explain the situation to you than I've experienced with most people doctors!!

As for whether or not your dog will really need surgery, I'm afraid to say that, in my experience, once a luxated patella is diagnosed, the only real solution is surgery. From a diagnostic point of view, I believe it is a pretty definitive to diagnose. My local vet diagnosed it after a 5 minute physical examination, which was backed up by subsequent x-rays. He knew, despite Deefor not being a breed which is prone to this condition, AND being quite young at the time.

oh boy, 2200, how long should you have to be with insurance company to get a cover for that sum? and if u dont mind me asking, how much you payed after insurance covered you, or did they covered it all? anyways, i love my dog so much, either way, ill pay no mather what, but just hope i can get her insured and got covered just to ease a bit to the pocket

StompToWork

lisij wrote: »

oh boy, 2200, how long should you have to be with insurance company to get a cover for that sum? and if u dont mind me asking, how much you payed after insurance covered you, or did they covered it all? anyways, i love my dog so much, either way, ill pay no mather what, but just hope i can get her insured and got covered just to ease a bit to the pocket

We insured Deefor as soon as we got him. His condition came up about 6 months after that. We are with 123.ie, and there is a €60 excess so that's all we really had to pay (apart from the follow ups with the surgeon 4 weeks after the surgery.) That said, my cover was €2500 per condition per year, so the first claim was very close to the limit. The second claim happened after the first year of cover had expired and I had renewed (with a pretty well loaded premium, but worth it)

As for getting cover, just be aware that you will probably be specifically be asked to declare that your dog has no pre-existing conditions before cover starts.

Finally, note that while I recommend Gilabbey, they are at the higher end of the price-scale. There are other places out there that will probably be cheaper and which will address the issue properly. If you don't have cover, there is no harm in "shopping around".

lisij

StompToWork wrote: »

We insured Deefor as soon as we got him. His condition came up about 6 months after that. We are with 123.ie, and there is a €60 excess so that's all we really had to pay (apart from the follow ups with the surgeon 4 weeks after the surgery.) That said, my cover was €2500 per condition per year, so the first claim was very close to the limit. The second claim happened after the first year of cover had expired and I had renewed (with a pretty well loaded premium, but worth it)

As for getting cover, just be aware that you will probably be specifically be asked to declare that your dog has no pre-existing conditions before cover starts.

Finally, note that while I recommend Gilabbey, they are at the higher end of the price-scale. There are other places out there that will probably be cheaper and which will address the issue properly. If you don't have cover, there is no harm in "shopping around".

thank you so much for your answers, ill better of looking for an insurance company

Cherry Blossom

Unless you are already insured, insurance won't cover it as it's pre-existing.

lisij

yeah but they dont know that dont they, dont think that insurance company comes and test my pet before insuring me

SillyMangoX

lisij wrote: »

yeah but they dont know that dont they, dont think that insurance company comes and test my pet before insuring me

They will ask for previous vet records to look for pre existing conditions and make sure vaccines are up to date. If you don't disclose this information you are essentially committing fraud and they will cancel the policy.

https://www.allianz.ie/Pet-Insurance/Claims/Pet_Insurance_Policy_Document_0610.pdf

sive1281

This operation is usually quite successful, however, as everyone else has said, recovery and crate rest is crucial. The other issue is that he will now start to bear most of his weight on his 'good leg' and in a lot of cases this is usually the the next problem is that this Patella will now begin to be affected by the weight that he is going to be bearing on it while he is lame and sore. Best to speak to your vet for advice on it, something that can't really be avoided but I've come across alot of dogs who have had this problem only in one patella and the other patella ended up needing to be operated on as a result of the over compensation during recovery.

Hope it all goes well for you.

StompToWork

lisij wrote: »

yeah but they dont know that dont they, dont think that insurance company comes and test my pet before insuring me

Please be careful with this. Insurance Fraud is just as serious with Pet insurance as it is with car or home insurance.

Maybe you might want to talk to your vet, and let him/her know that you do not have insurance. <snip>

Bullseye1

My girl had the operation and had to be restrained for 8 weeks. It's tough going especially when her favourite part of the day was walking. But they generally cope better than we do as owners. The last thing you should do is feel sorry for them (in front of them).

The vet made the claim directly through the insurance company (alliance). I think we paid a small excess and for x-Ray. Now all we have to do is watch her weight so as to not put too much pressure on her joints as it's likely she will have arthritis in the future. Best of luck with your mutts operation.