Todays post is an update on Harriet & how she's coped with her first knee surgery. The pictures were taken the day after she was home. As I've mentioned before, Harriet has unfortunately got a hereditary condition with her hind knees called 'Patella Luxation'. This is where her bones haven't formed a deep ridge where the knee cap (patella) is meant to sit & glide on whilst walking. In Harriet's case, her knee cap slides from side to side and dislocates when she moves causing lameness & problems with early arthritis. I announced this when she was diagnosed at 5 months old. She was due to have surgery on both legs by Davies Veterinary Specialists in Bedfordshire this month.
She successfully had her first knee operation on the 9th of January. In this surgery they made the groove in her knee a lot deeper so the patella would sit and glide without dislocating. They also removed a bit of deformed piece of bone on the front of her leg bone and created a new part. They put a small pin in to keep this stable until it heals in roughly 6 weeks time. - by then she will have another consult & will get the pin removed under light sedation. It has been over a week now since she had the operation & she has done really well since being home! She is fully walking on her leg now which is truly amazing and doesn't seem to have any discomfort (she is on pain relief). She has been a bit whiny but that is more than understandable considering how painful it is, I myself know how painful it is since I had pins and plates put in both sides of my ankle when I broke it over a year ago. Most of the time she has to wear her cone, however after speaking to another owner of a Pom that has recently had the same surgery she recommended romper suits which stops Hattie licking her wounds. I had to steal the idea! :)
She usually sleeps with me but unfortunately can't as she has to be crated for 6 weeks other than taking her out for toileting and cuddles on the sofa. The rules are that she is not allowed to run, jump, play or climb stairs. Keeping a 9 month old Pomeranian calm and still is mission impossible! She is already using her operated leg to walk on lightly as well which is what the surgeon wanted. I am extremely proud of her & how brave she's been. All of this hard work on Harriet's part will mean that she'll be able to be a normal doggie. She's going to absolutely adore romping with other dogs & going for longer walks without having gammy knees. After this first surgery, shortly after she will have her second operation. Hopefully this will be slightly easier as her other leg will be much stronger having had the op. Fingers crossed it all keeps going in the right direction & Harriet is perfectly fit after :)
P.s. Don't tell her yet, but hopefully (if all things go to plan & Harriet is fully fit) in December this year or early next year Harriet might have a Bichon Frise brother to keep her company and play with. I'm currently on a KC breeders waiting list & can't wait to surprise Hattie with a friend, especially after all the operations she'll have been through.
Your girl is so so cute and I'm glad her recovery [at least on the one leg] is going well. TPLOs can be difficult for dogs to recover from [though most I've seen manage it pretty well] and so I hope her second surgery goes well too.
ReplyDeleteI have a little Chihuahua/Min Pin mix girl who has one Luxating Patella as well [her back left] though luckily hers is a pretty low grade - enough to pop out once in a while [you can tell it happens because she'll suddenly hop a step] but not enough to have to deal with the surgery [I've been told at most she'll have arthritis in the joint when she gets older] -small dogs, especially toy breeds tend to have some genetic issues due to how they are bred, hopefully your girl's new [secret!] friend will fair well in the knee department when they come home ^^