help! what should I do when 2 vets tell me different things - YorkieTalk.com Forums

brigitte · 06-07-2008, 06:37 AM

I was all set to get my puppy the surgery for her luxating patella. The vet that I take her to was recommended by the breeder that we bought her from. My husband took her when we noticed she was limping and he said that he would not be surprised if she needed to get surgery within the next 9-12 months for her condition. Well i didn't understand why we should wait until it gets worse to get her the surgery so we took her to the ortho that the vet recommended and he said absolutely he would do the surgery asap. He said that her knee cap is out more than it is in. He was very surprised that it was only in one knee though. When my husband asked him if he thought she would be ok for recovery because he kept saying it was better for recovery if they did both knees, the vet actually said if I could make her knee cap on the other leg go out of place i would. WHat does that mean? WHy would you intentionally hurt the leg that isn't already hurt? He was trying on that leg for a while to get it out of place but I thought he was just checking. Then the xray that he showed us had the knee cap in place which he said was normal. So we were all ready to get her surgery because he is in ortho so he must know best even after his comment and he was recommended. Then my husband decided he wanted a second opinion because he really doesn't want to operate on her if she doesn't have to go through that pain because she is still running and jumping and playing. HE took her to the vet that he has been taking his dog to for 5 years and he loves him. This vet also does the patella surgery and has been doing it for years. He also does surgery on the hips. This vet said that he would absolutely not do the surgery and he was shocked that the ortho said that her knee was out more than it was in. He said she might very well need surgery eventually if it gets worse, but he would definitely not do the surgery now. What do I do now? Who am i supposed to believe? I definitely don't want to put her through the pain of surgery if she doesn't need it.

Woogie Man · 06-07-2008, 08:55 AM

Wow....that is a pickle. You would think that the ortho guy would be the one to listen to. But, if the x-ray showed one knee normal, I don't understand the need for surgery on it. From what I know, LP is when the groove that the tendon that holds the knee in place rides in is too shallow. The surgery involves deepening the groove to hold the knee in place. Since this isn't a life threatening condition, and you are getting conflicting opinions, maybe holding off for a bit would be the best thing. If the x-ray of the bad knee shows a shallow groove, then the LP wasn't caused by injury and the breeder should be willing to help with this situation. Have you spoken to them about this? If you decide to hold off on the surgery, just make sure to limit her jumping and such to avoid aggravating the condition. Good luck with your little girl.

YorkieRose · 06-07-2008, 09:02 AM

Surgeons cut, that is what they do...and some are quick to cut...I would wait a bit and allow it to rest..keep her weight down and jumping to a min..good luck

brigitte · 06-07-2008, 09:10 AM

my husband said the same thing about surgeons wanting to cut and so did his vet. the xray showed that the knee that the ortho wants to do surgery on looked fine. the knee was where it was supposed to be and her tendons which he thought would be more curved or tight i think he said looked fine on the xray. the ortho said that the tendons looked good too. i feel bad waiting if it is something that i need to do but i also don't want to cause her any unnecessary pain. princess seems happy and content right now and it doesn't seem to be affecting her so i guess waiting would be a good idea.

YorkieRose · 06-07-2008, 09:20 AM

She is running, jumping and playing...so I would say she is in little or no pain...maybe just a minor twinge now and then..dogs in pain react and she would be laying down more...Kate was limping for a week when she came home from staying with a friend..I found out she had been jumping off the back of the couch several dozen times a day...got her home and gave her a good scolding when she got on the back of the couch..she stopped limping with a week of no jumping...

06-07-2008, 06:37 AM	#1
brigitte Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 25 Blog Entries: 1	help! what should I do when 2 vets tell me different things I was all set to get my puppy the surgery for her luxating patella. The vet that I take her to was recommended by the breeder that we bought her from. My husband took her when we noticed she was limping and he said that he would not be surprised if she needed to get surgery within the next 9-12 months for her condition. Well i didn't understand why we should wait until it gets worse to get her the surgery so we took her to the ortho that the vet recommended and he said absolutely he would do the surgery asap. He said that her knee cap is out more than it is in. He was very surprised that it was only in one knee though. When my husband asked him if he thought she would be ok for recovery because he kept saying it was better for recovery if they did both knees, the vet actually said if I could make her knee cap on the other leg go out of place i would. WHat does that mean? WHy would you intentionally hurt the leg that isn't already hurt? He was trying on that leg for a while to get it out of place but I thought he was just checking. Then the xray that he showed us had the knee cap in place which he said was normal. So we were all ready to get her surgery because he is in ortho so he must know best even after his comment and he was recommended. Then my husband decided he wanted a second opinion because he really doesn't want to operate on her if she doesn't have to go through that pain because she is still running and jumping and playing. HE took her to the vet that he has been taking his dog to for 5 years and he loves him. This vet also does the patella surgery and has been doing it for years. He also does surgery on the hips. This vet said that he would absolutely not do the surgery and he was shocked that the ortho said that her knee was out more than it was in. He said she might very well need surgery eventually if it gets worse, but he would definitely not do the surgery now. What do I do now? Who am i supposed to believe? I definitely don't want to put her through the pain of surgery if she doesn't need it.

06-07-2008, 09:02 AM	#3
YorkieRose No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 8,577	vets Surgeons cut, that is what they do...and some are quick to cut...I would wait a bit and allow it to rest..keep her weight down and jumping to a min..good luck

06-07-2008, 09:20 AM	#5
YorkieRose No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 8,577	leg She is running, jumping and playing...so I would say she is in little or no pain...maybe just a minor twinge now and then..dogs in pain react and she would be laying down more...Kate was limping for a week when she came home from staying with a friend..I found out she had been jumping off the back of the couch several dozen times a day...got her home and gave her a good scolding when she got on the back of the couch..she stopped limping with a week of no jumping... Last edited by YorkieRose; 06-07-2008 at 09:21 AM.

06-07-2008, 08:55 AM	#2
Woogie Man Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,564	Wow....that is a pickle. You would think that the ortho guy would be the one to listen to. But, if the x-ray showed one knee normal, I don't understand the need for surgery on it. From what I know, LP is when the groove that the tendon that holds the knee in place rides in is too shallow. The surgery involves deepening the groove to hold the knee in place. Since this isn't a life threatening condition, and you are getting conflicting opinions, maybe holding off for a bit would be the best thing. If the x-ray of the bad knee shows a shallow groove, then the LP wasn't caused by injury and the breeder should be willing to help with this situation. Have you spoken to them about this? If you decide to hold off on the surgery, just make sure to limit her jumping and such to avoid aggravating the condition. Good luck with your little girl.

06-07-2008, 09:10 AM	#4
brigitte Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 25 Blog Entries: 1	my husband said the same thing about surgeons wanting to cut and so did his vet. the xray showed that the knee that the ortho wants to do surgery on looked fine. the knee was where it was supposed to be and her tendons which he thought would be more curved or tight i think he said looked fine on the xray. the ortho said that the tendons looked good too. i feel bad waiting if it is something that i need to do but i also don't want to cause her any unnecessary pain. princess seems happy and content right now and it doesn't seem to be affecting her so i guess waiting would be a good idea.