MetaChat - She Went One Way, Her Knee Went Another

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11 February 2007

She Went One Way, Her Knee Went Another - Kaylee is in surgery at the moment.→[More:]We were at an off-leash park yesterday and Kaylee went racing after another dog. She kinda did a quick u-turn and, basically, dislocated her left-rear kneecap.

We had just gotten to the park but we loaded everyone (my oldest bro and his dog, Mugsy, were visiting this weekend) back into the Jeep and drove to our local vet clinic. The vet took x-rays, explained to us what was wrong and told us that our only real option was surgery and to bring her back in the morning for it.

The vet is supposed to call after surgery to let us know how it went. And he said we can take her home after 3:30 p.m.

Please keep her in your thoughts. She was one sad, limping puppy.

All told this is going to cost about $1000. I'm really, really glad we have the money. I don't know what we'd do otherwise.

post by: deborah at: 14:58 | 29 comments

Yikes! Here's to a safe and happy recovery. Hugs to y'all!

posted by fluffy battle kitten 11 February | 15:06

Lots of hope to you Kaylee. Be well.

posted by arse_hat 11 February | 15:07

Aww, poor pretty puppy!
poor pretty debbie!
i'm glad you have the money, too.
phew.
Load up on the doggie treats and painkillers.
That's awful.

posted by ethylene 11 February | 15:07

You and Kaylee are in my thoughts. Poor puppy!

posted by occhiblu 11 February | 15:11

Poor puppy... lots of love to your furry one.

posted by scody 11 February | 15:12

awww, man! poor pup. poor tiny little kneecap.

you're a great animal companion. you need pet insurance!

posted by shane 11 February | 15:15

My parents had two dogs, one was a retired racing greyhound who was getting on in years. My dad was taking them out for a walk and Blur (said dog) started running and then, somehow, one of his back legs broke. He was obviously in a lot of pain and frightened. Luckily my parents live right next to the park, so my dad rushed home and got the wheelbarrow (he was a big dog), plonked him in that and wheeled him home. Sad times.

I hope Kaylee gets better soon and the surgery goes well.

posted by TheDonF 11 February | 15:18

Oh no! I hope she recovers quickly.

posted by cmonkey 11 February | 15:34

*sending healing rays*

posted by hojoki 11 February | 15:34

Poor Kaylee! Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

posted by BoringPostcards 11 February | 15:43

Ouch! Poor Kaylee. I hope the surgery goes well.

posted by me3dia 11 February | 15:46

Awww, so cute! Healing, calming thoughts to Kaylee (and you too, Deborah!).

posted by initapplette 11 February | 15:48

Good healing vibes going out to Kaylee. She is a cutie!

posted by sisterhavana 11 February | 16:15

Thanks, y'all. It really means a lot to me and the mister that other people care.

Still no call from the vet but I'm sure everything went fine. It seems to be a "normal" thing to happen to a small dog.

The mister is busy making a stair for her to be able to get up onto our bed. I'm more worried with how she'll do going potty. I guess we'll figure it out.

posted by deborah 11 February | 16:16

Oh man! Silver and I are thinking of Kaylee. As far as the potty and all that. Dogs are amazingly adaptable and figure stuff out pretty quick in spite of all your own best intentions. LOL

posted by eekacat 11 February | 16:31

i think you carry her? Ask the vet.
If she's weirded out after the surgery, don't worry. The anesthetic they use can be hallucenigenic, just let her rest up and love her lots.
The vet may have a special diet for her too so she doesn't have to waste energy or strain.
It's adorable the mister is making a stair.
You take care now.

posted by ethylene 11 February | 16:34

Poor girl! Hope she gets well quickly!

≡ Click to see image ≡
(What I thought of when people talked about healing rays.)

posted by knave 11 February | 16:49

Boston Terriers are susceptible to these sort of knee issues so I am always worried about just this sort of thing. I have Kaylee in my thoughts.

posted by terrapin 11 February | 17:15

Poor Kaylee. She's so cute and sweet. I'll send positive thoughts her (and your) way.

posted by smich 11 February | 17:46

Best luck, & much love to the pup.

posted by Wolfdog 11 February | 19:38

My dog has had both ACL's worked on. 2K each. That, or have a lame youngish dog. There was no question that we would do it, though. Sort of part of the agreement when one signs onto these things.

posted by danf 11 February | 21:54

I totally agree with you, dan. Taking care of a pet to the last is something one has to do when you take on a pet. I was just thinking back to when we didn't have any money (just about literally*). But one of the reasons we didn't have pets at that time in our lives was the lack of money - it was hard enough to support ourselves. It was only when the mister got a good job that we were able to start having a few luxuries such as pets.

Also, I wonder why such a big difference between the surgery for your dog and Kaylee's surgery. Maybe it's just the difference between the U.S. and Canada.

Anyway.

Kaylee's back from the vet. She's hobbled about a bit and we'll have to see about the potty-bit because she hasn't gone yet. I hope she figures that out soon.

She has a turquoise-ish coloured cast on and I'll have to take some photos before she gets it off in a week.

And again, thank you all for your well wishes. It really means a lot and helped to know others cared.

*At one point it was me supporting us both on a $15 an hour temp job (the mister's cushy contract ended; he's a systems admin). My job ended and I didn't get any more assignments and we had to move out of our apartment, back into the trailer and almost lost my Jeep to the repo man (my mum finished paying off the Jeep which was a really good thing as it was, and is, our only good vehicle). A few weeks later the mister was supporting us both on $10 an hour help-desk job, then I got hired for a $10 an hour help-desk job. We were living in the RV in a rinky-dink RV park next to the highway, the mister had to file for bankruptcy and I had a breakdown and have been unable to work since.

Life has gotten much better since then. :^)

posted by deborah 11 February | 22:30

poor kaylee! Deborah, did the vet have anything to say about how likely this is to happen again? Sort of scary that just ordinary playing/running could cause this in a young dog. But maybe it was just a bizarro, unlikely thing? Shane's idea of pet insurance sounds good, though, if it isn't too expensive.

posted by taz 12 February | 00:19

He said that it wasn't likely to happen again in her left knee. It may or may not happen in her right knee. Although, with danf's comment above and comments the mister has heard from people, it does seem to happen to the other knee fairly frequently.

And yeah, I think we'll be looking into pet insurance. Having her and the cats, and possibly future animals, it's not a bad idea.

posted by deborah 12 February | 00:26

Deborah, I send you and Kaylee (what a sweetie!) the best. Here's to s speedy recovery. I know how stressful something like this can be. PS. Please send happy thoughts to the gliders, because we've got some problems.

Blessings and whuffles!

posted by Specklet 12 February | 01:03

Oh no, Specklet! What's wrong with the gliders? Sending happy/healing thoughts to the gliders and whuffles to you.

posted by deborah 12 February | 11:49

Kaylee's a beauty, and by her coat she looks very loved. Here's to a speedy recovery!

posted by Feisty 12 February | 15:17

Glad to hear everything went well with the surgery! I hope she bounces back very quickly.

Specklet, I'm so sorry to hear there are problems with the gliders. I hope it's nothing serious.

Big, good, and healthy wishes to both of you and your pets.

posted by redvixen 12 February | 19:48

Glad the surgery is over and Kaylee's all wrapped up in turquoise! Hope she's all healed up and running around soon.

posted by tangerine 12 February | 20:13

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