Inca Has Cruciate Ligament Repair Op On Wednesday :-(

[Andrea s]

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Thought i would post a pic of Inca's little chicken leg.

 

[Strix]

Ooooo, that looks unpleasant

It's a very neat job though

How's she doing?

 

[Andrea s]

Not too bad Strix, she is'nt too happy about putting much weight through it, she will have a few little steps then hops, Im hoping the vet says on Tuesday that we can do some physio on it, as soon as her stitches are out i can get her to hydro, there is an amazing therapist near us. She is a little fed up when crated but were letting her do little trips out to stretch her legs, I've been reading up on recovery rates and successes , moderate exercise etc v's crate rest, seems its prudent to get the leg working under supervision sooner rather than later.

 

[Strix]

It sounds like you're really looking after her

Brude's biggest aid to recovery was his own determination, and if she does have beagle in her, Inca should be the same

Brude still has a leg that isn't 100%, due to a complication and consequent muscle wastage which can never be cured, but we were expecting that leg to remain pretty much wooden, so the fact that he can still take rosettes home from qualified judges at companion dog shows against dogs preparing for their KC career makes me so proud of how far he's come

With you doing your homework and being so determined, she should recover well

 

[Northolm]

It really does look like a chicken leg! I hope she is well and improves every day.

Px

 

[Andrea s]

Not good new to report today, I thought i was imagining it yesterday when i heard a faint clunk coming from Inca's leg, tried to listen again as she was walking back to the house and couldn't hear it so was just mindful of her and tried to keep her cooped up , today though i have heard it again , faint but it was there , a dull clunk and she is not putting any weight on her leg at all now rather she has resumed bunny hopping on 3 legs :rant:

Apparently using the method the vets have used to repair the knee the wire or synthetic fibre can come unhinged as such , we have been so careful that she does as we have been instructed so am a little concerned as to this turn of events.

I had an appointment tomorrow for her, so called to ask if it was prudent to take her in starved incase they needed to examine her under sedation, our vet called back to ask if i can take her in on Wednesday as the orthopaedic surgeon who came to assist in her surgery last week will be in and so Emma our vet can have the luxury of a second opinion.

Im so sad for her , she is such a lovely girl i just want her to be back to normal ( or as normal as possible ).

 

[eingana]

Oh dear, that sounds rather worrying, doesn't it?

I've got my fingers crossed that no major damage has been done, but there's no alternative apart from going to get a vet's opinion.

 

[Strix]

Oh Andrea your poor dog

I know that sickening feeling all too well... every time I hear Brude's nails scrape as he walks. My ears are fine tuned to it

I really hope it turns out to be nothing, or at the very least that they can patch her up with no setbacks

 

[Andrea s]

Thanks guys, were keeping our fingers crossed too. :thumbsup:

 

[Northolm]

Paws and fingers crossed xx

 

[Andrea s]

Ive not long got back from our vets, I dropped Inca off this morning for them to be able to examine her under sedation again, they have taken x rays and its not good news !!

In a nut shell where the synthetic line is attached to the back of her knee there are two spurs of bone which act as an anchor point for the threads, one of these bones has detached its self which has compromised the operation, its made the knee unstable again, not as bad as pre op but enough to warrant further surgery.

Our vet has recommended she is refered to a specialist orthopaedic surgeon, she needs a TPLO operation which requires the femur to be cut at an angle which alters the line that weight is distributed down through the leg putting less strain on the knee joint this is then held in place with metal plates.

We will hear from our vet tomorrow after she has called them for a quote, i feel awful that she is going to have to go back to square one again and that the additional cost of this because its a referal means we will only have £1000 from our insurance to put towards it :sweating: .

poor Inca , on the pluss side though she is as bright as a button , sat on my lap enjoying a cuddle.

 

[eingana]

Oh poor Inca

The further operation sounds like such a huge one- I'm so sorry that things didn't work out like they were meant to.

 

[Strix]

Ouch!

Poor Inca Give her a skritch from us Andrea

It's a shame it didn't go right first time, but if she's being referred on, she'll be in good hands (time for a 0% credit card? )

Brude wasn't insured for his back injury... so I never had an engagement ring. He's soooo worth that and the 18 months it took to teach him to walk again though

 

[Andrea s]

We have a referral appt for this Monday, she will have her op and come home the same day, its about a 40 minute drive for us to the centre. Spoke at length to them today, they have been very accommodating regarding the bill and said we could give them post dated cheques if it helped, the bill will be an impressive £1,600 flat fee no hidden extras and no further charge if further x rays are needed as follow up in the weeks to come.

I must say im pleased with them so far , not a ridiculous amount like The Willows who for the same op was quoting 4-5 k plus vat

Also my mom has offered to lend us the money so i can re pay her at our leisure, thank god for parents eh !!!

 

[Strix]

is there a 'jaw-drop' smiley on here?

4-5k?

Where is she actually going if you don't mind me asking? They seem incredibly reasonable

 

[Andrea s]

Here http://www.wm-referrals.com/about-us/

 

[Strix]

They sound amazing. Thanks for sharing that info

How's Inca?

and how are you coping?

It's so worrying when you can't make everything better for them, isn't it?

 

[Andrea s]

Eventful few days, took Inca over to see the specialist Monday morning , lovely guy really helpful and informative.

we came to the decision that she isnt going to have the next op till 27th Dec , the vet was concerned that she would stand a higher chance of infection as she was only a short while from having her last surgery especially as they were going to have to implant metal work , we also discovered that due to her last op she has a luxating patella ( knee cap wobbling about ) , the op will now be to improve the knee cap so it doesn't wobble about and to cut the femur bone and re set it with maccano ,a much more complicated op.

The vet was pleased with her wound and took her stitches out but said internally she would still be healing and therefore waiting another two weeks would be better for her, ive ordered her some non slip boots to wear in the house as she has a tendancy to slip a little, she is oblivious to her predicament, wants to play and is as happy go lucky as she always is , she is still on anti inflammatory meds so is comfortable at least.

To cap it all off on the journey home we discovered our rear brakes on the car had gone, what started as a faint noise when we braked by the time we got home sounded like driving a sherpa tank , metal on metal >_<

Took it straight up to kwik fit who did a full brake check front and back, they called us with the news that the back disks and pads needed doing and that the front were not far behind and that if we had the lot done it would cost us over £700 :rant: to which i asked if any discounts applied, "oh yes we can do it for £600 and throw in a free brake fluid change " i would have fell off my stool had i been sitting on one! called a local independent garage who promptly said they could do the lot for £435 including VAT, then my friend who works at a local college called on seeing my Facebook status and said that the college garage dept could do it, its a propper garage the do MOT's etc and the guy said its the cost of parts and no labour so what started as £700 has now gone down to £270 for all the brakes and pads and fluid, i tell you whati will never use Kwik fit again, robbin barstewards

 

[Strix]

Why do all these things happen at once?

Most dogs aren't keen on boots and will flap about trying to get them off. There is a gunge that some show people use on their dogs' paws to stop them slipping (sorry I don't know what it's called). I put body lotion on Brude's occasionally to moisturise his for more grip

 

[Gembabes]

Hi,

My terrier cross did this about 3 years ago and he was really active. I was devestated when it happened as I read all sorts of horror stories about it. Well he is the grand old age of 15 now and he still runs after his ball, and still sneaks up on the bed when he gets the chance! It's was tough going to start with and he was in a lot of pain but he has made a amazing recovery and doesn't have any arthritis in it. I hope you get on ok with your pooch and she makes as much of an amazing recovery as Bob

Gems