Surgery for Binky

I’ll be taking Binky in for Surgery next Tuesday. I forgot what the condition is called but here’s the long version.

A couple of months ago Binky started limping on her right leg. In the beginning it was on and off. I took her to the vet and they reckon it was a sliding knee cap. It is especially common for small dogs because their legs are bowed outwards and the knee cap has the tendency to slide inwards. When this happens the joint will hurt and the dog cannot use it. Apparently there are 4 stages or levels for this condition. Stage 1 is when the knee cap is very loose but it is not exactly sliding out of place. For this stage you observe the leg to make sure it doesn’t develop to anything more. Stage 2 is when the knee cap slides in and out (initial diagnosis for Binky). At this stage, the knee cap can slide out and the joint may or may not hurt. You actually have to force the knee cap in or out. Stage 3 is when the knee-cap is sliding in and out on its own. i.e. slightly worse than stage 2. Stage 4 is when it is out all of the time and the dog permanently has to carry the leg.

The problem is no x-rays were taken during that time. The vet prescribed some anti-inflammatory in the hope it will heal itself. The vet did suggest surgery as the solution but I thought I’d wait as surgery is a bit drastic and not to mention money!

Two months later, Binky seem to have started carrying her leg more and more so I decided to contact the vet and schedule for surgery. Initially the estimate was $900-$1500 for the operation and I have the option of going to a vet or going to a specialist. The specialist will of course cost more around $1500-$1800. So I thought well if the normal vet can do the same job then why not go for the cheaper option. Binky was scheduled for surgery last Monday. However, in the weekend I spoke to the vet and I was told that the normal vet have increased the price to the same as the specialist. That is when I was convinced to go to the specialist instead. Difference of course is the specialists do these things everyday while the vet is like a GP and probably do not have a lot of surgery experience.

So went to the vet on Tuesday and took x-rays. Later that afternoon I found out that Binky doesn’t have a sliding knee cap. In fact her legs are perfectly straight and the knee cap is smacked right in the middle of the knee. The problem is the bone on the right femur stopped growing about 2 months ago possibly due to an injury and loss of blood supply. It has since recovered but due to that incident, the “ball” that normally fits on the hip socket is smaller and is not as mobile as the normal bone.

Normally this is remedied by HRT or hip replacement therapy but the smallest hip replacement they make are for Border Collies. So the only solution for Binky is FHO or femoral head ostectomy.

I had several questions including will she be able to walk again and the answer is yes. Apparently a Jack Russell this specialist operated on started chasing rats after 6 months.

Binky will need bed rest for a minimum of 2 months with no running and jumping in the first 2 weeks. The rest of the time we’ll try to make her use the right leg again.