Does Your Dog Need Knee Surgery? What You Need to Know Before Making a Decision

Dear Val,

My little Annie was diagnosed with luxating patella on her back right leg. They have suggested operating. I am not wanting to go that route as she is so hyper that I do not think I can keep her calm etc for 6 weeks. Am going to get her cartilage shots for a month and see if that helps. Wondering what is the best decision? -- Sheila

Dear Sheila,

Thanks for your question and concern about your dear doggie friend, Annie. I’ve worked with many dogs in similar situations with good results. In fact, your story reminds me of another dog named Zena with this same problem that I wrote an article on. You can read about that here: http://www.valheart.com/freearticles/Dogs_behaving_badly.html

With problems like this, it’s wise to seek a vet’s opinion, which you have already done.

The next thing is talk to your Annie. She needs to know what you’re thinking. And, you need to know how she’s actually feeling.

Many people get in trouble with their animals, even endanger their lives, by not communicating with them directly before making any decision on their behalf.

We need to know many things that only she can tell us. For instance:

Is this really a problem for her?
Does it hurt, and if so, how bad does it hurt and what does it feel like?
Are there other areas of pain or discomfort?
What makes it worse?
Does she want to have the surgery to fix it? Or is this more of a non-issue for her?
Many dogs have similar problems but live good lives without having the surgery done. And, doing surgery on her may in fact cause other problems or make things worse for her in some ways.

One dog I worked with had several vets and specialists insist that he had to have major surgery including hip replacement! It turns out that the real problem wasn’t in his hips. The weakness in his hind end was due to a cracked vertebrae in his withers that no one had noticed before! Once that was addressed, his hips were fine. No surgery was needed. Had his owner gone ahead with the surgery she most likely would have had a paralyzed dog. Very scary.

I’m glad you are not entering into this without questioning and considering it very carefully.

Depending on what Annie says, you’ll know what decision to make. If she wants to do the surgery, then she needs to understand that she has to be calm afterward and for how long. She needs to know why that’s important and what could happen if she doesn’t take proper care of herself. She needs to know how it would feel and look to do the surgery, and what to expect.

Also depending on what Annie tells us, you will need to know how to best help her, and what is working for her or not. For instance, we can ask her about the cartilage shots – are they helping or hurting? Does she know what they’re for, what they are designed to do for her? And also important, can she tell if they are actually helping?

We also need to know if she feels strong enough to survive the surgery, and if there is anything you need to know before committing her to that course of action. There are other alternatives to surgery that may be equally successful, including many alternative healing therapies.

If Annie was my special friend, I’d want to invite her help in making this kind of decision.

Do you have a question for me? Go to www.valheart.com and let me know what’s on your mind.