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Grade 3/4 Luxating Pattela surgery - Okay to use a English Bulldog specialist vet?

ZacAndLeo

Member
Hello everyone,


My beloved little Cavi, Leo is just over 18 months old as has had LPs in both legs for about 8 months. It has gotten worse and worse but I think it is definitely now time to have surgery.

Here he is rocking cool shades:

167ntee.jpg


Two months ago in NYC the vet confirmed this and said he has some thickening of the bone which is very worrying and he estimates them to be:

Right leg - grade 2/3
Left - 3/4

I am looking online for a Vet in Chicago where I now live (originally from Blighty). I have found one that speciailzes in English Bulldogs and I have found success stories of him performing LP surgeries on the breed in forums etc.

Dr Navin - http://allpetsltd.com

He doesn't appear to be Board Certified, however. I am finding difficulty in locating Board certified surgeons in the Chicagoland area though.

I believe that Dr Navin has performed a great number of LP surgeries so I think he must be competent at the procedure. Does it make a substantial difference if these were mostly on English Bulldogs and not Cavaliers?

I have got a few estimates from various Vets and the prices have ranged significantly:

$700 to $300 per leg.

Dr Navin's office quoted $1000-1800 which is in my budget range. The $3000 quote came from http://www.vcahospitals.com/aurora and it's out of my means ($2k per leg I can stretch to).

Any advice whatsoever would be much appreciated.

Thank you kindly
 
My Cav was diagnosed with LP at age 18 months as well. I was very upset and worried. Price ranges in NY (Brooklyn) for the surgery was approx $2k per leg.

I visited a different vet, who is known for her holistic approach, and she suggested holding off on the surgery, as it is not always successful, and quite often dogs develop problems later on in life. She recommended exercise (hill walking) and chinese herbs and daily glucosime tablets. I decided I had nothing to lose, and would reevaluate later, in another 6 months, unless things got bad..

I also spoke with his breeder, who also suggested holding off on surgery, as he felt vets were quick to recommend surgery.

It's now 1 year later, and Bosco is doing great. We walk up steep hills daily, and the herb pills and glucosomine seem to be doing fine. There have been no painful yelps or problems with stairs since we started this regimen. I can't predict the future, but what I've seen over the past year has convinced me that he didn't need surgery. My concern at the time was having a young dog laid up while healing and getting no guarantees on long term health.

Bosco does not do agility, but does walk nicely, runs a bit, and manages to hop on the couch and my lap. His gait looks fine to me as well.

I'm certainly not telling you to not get the surgery. Just relating what I went through with my dog.

Best of luck. I'm sure a bulldog specialist can perform patella surgery on CKC successfully, and if he couldn't, I'm sure he would tell you.

Joan
 
Joan,


Thank you for kindly replying.

I really appreciate your comments and am very happy to hear Bosco is doing great. Unfortunately, in little Leo's case the grades are quite high and it has deteriorated over time. I think that the right leg surely needs surgery so reluctantly I am going to push through.

Thanks again
 
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