Luxating patellas

Choc Chip

Evening all.

I have a little dog with luxating patellas. It's not too bad, but he's relatively young and it's definitely progressing (I had him up Ben Nevis a couple of years ago and now he's bandy-legged after an hour's walk).

I've decided to opt for surgery. I'm already dreading crate rest as he will be a monster being rested. Any ideas on things to do while on rest are welcome - tricks to teach, things to put in a frozen kong etc.

Main Q of the day: what experience do people have of recovery? He's circa 10kg and he's started doing agility. I'd like to continue on doing it with him when I'm happy that he's fully recovered. Is it likely that this is possible? My vet is very optimistic, but I'd love to hear some personal experience of small dogs making miraculous recoveries and being better than new... please regale me.

aonb

Not a luxating patella, but I had a dog who had a torn cruciate ligament. Six weeks rest post op was daunting, but it was all pretty ok with my guy. Hes 11kg, so quite small. The biggest thing was to stop him jumping up/down on sofa/bed. I kept him contained in a corner of the family room - used a dismantled stove guard to pen him in a a 6ft square area. his bed, toys, bowls were in there. He could hobble about on 3 legs from day one. He was carried out to pee and poo to the garden several times/day, then allowed to hobble on his 3 legs. I brought him in the car a good bit just to get him out of the house and his 'prison'. Hes a bright little chap, so I would sit on the floor with him to read, or do laptop work. Got lots of raw bones, he would have a new one most days. Went to a charity shop, and collected bags of old stuffed toys that he likes to tear apart (50c/each) In the evenings he would be lifted onto the couches. Frozen kongs with peanut butter mashed up with banana were good, also stuffed with probiotic yogourt then frozen. We got some puzzles, that he enjoyed - the wooden ones, with slide and lift and remove bits. I saved loo and paper towel rolls, and would jam scrunched up newspapers with 1 piece of kibble in, for him to dismantle. I never used a plastic cone (think they;re more traumatic than the injury!!!) - took an old sweater, cut the sleeve off, stuffed the remains of the sweater into the sleeve, and tied that around his neck, preventing him bending back to lick his wound - less traumatic and not as noisy as the dreaded cone. After a couple of weeks we could start very short walks - 5 mins, building slowly up each week. On fine days, I would move his 'prison' cage out into the garden.

Choc Chip

aonb wrote: »

. I brought him in the car a good bit just to get him out of the house and his 'prison'. Hes a bright little chap, so I would sit on the floor with him to read, or do laptop work. Got lots of raw bones, he would have a new one most days. Went to a charity shop, and collected bags of old stuffed toys that he likes to tear apart (50c/each) In the evenings he would be lifted onto the couches. Frozen kongs with peanut butter mashed up with banana were good, also stuffed with probiotic yogourt then frozen. We got some puzzles, that he enjoyed - the wooden ones, with slide and lift and remove bits. I saved loo and paper towel rolls, and would jam scrunched up newspapers with 1 piece of kibble in, for him to dismantle. I never used a plastic cone (think they;re more traumatic than the injury!!!) - took an old sweater, cut the sleeve off, stuffed the remains of the sweater into the sleeve, and tied that around his neck, preventing him bending back to lick his wound - less traumatic and not as noisy as the dreaded cone. After a couple of weeks we could start very short walks - 5 mins, building slowly up each week. On fine days, I would move his 'prison' cage out into the garden.

Thanks so mich aonb!!! That's a savage list.

I'd decided I'd take him out in the car, and his favourite thing is tractor/lawnmower rides so he'll still be able to do that.

I'd put some ideas together but I'm adding the charity shop to my list and potentially different puzzle feeders - kongs are fine but he just tries to upend most puzzles. Sigh.

I'm feeling dreadful. I just want it done now!