Small dog owners know that a luxating patella can be a problem. Our sweet Baby recently had surgery to correct her luxating patella, which had slipped out of place and was causing her a lot of problems walking. At 7 years old, there had a been a few times before when it seemed to slip out, but it always seemed to go back in. We were quiet surprised to find that she needed surgery.
She had her surgery on Tuesday morning, and came home on Wednesday morning. During the surgery the vet found that Baby didn’t have the groove that the patella rests in! He was amazed that she had done so well for so long without the groove to support the patella in place.
We are in the middle of helping her recover. The recovery time is 8 weeks, during which we have to keep her from running, standing on her back legs only/jumping. Right now she is pretty uncomfortable, and doesn’t seem to want to do much at all. Who can blame her though? Surgery is tough! Today she slept, but did have a moment of enjoyment with one of her favorite toys.
From the feedback we have received on Twitter (follow us if you like), the hardest part of the recovery comes when they start feeling better and want to run and jump but still aren’t supposed to! Right now we are looking forward to that day! 
Have any of your dogs had patella surgery or other surgery? What did you do to help them heal?
Yvette got fixed much later in life. I watched her like a hawk! In retrospect I wish I had just crated her. That would have helped when I couldn’t watch her. I also feed her peanut butter to help her feel better. Yes… I made my dog an emotional eater like myself!
My dog (a bichon/poodle mix) had this surgery when she was only 9 months old!
She is 2 1/2 yrs. old now. She had the exact same problem – no groove to keep the patella in place. Expensive surgery – and the vet said she’d probably need the other knee done one day – but he would only charge me for the anesthesia if she needed it done. And it is true that the hardest part is keeping them down once they start feeling better!! I took her out on a leash at all times to keep her from running, and in the house we blocked all stairs and areas she could jump onto, like the couch – just put things in front of it to block her way. And she was just a puppy – so she realllllly wanted to run, jump, and play! There’s no way to stop all the running and playing they want to do – but you just do the best you can! Good luck with your dog! She’s adorable!
Thank goodness the only surgery Spike and Dru have had is their neuter/spay and there was really no “healing’ as they bounced back to puppyhood in about 24 hours. On Sunday, our cat George had surgery to remove a mass on his back near his tail. Poor guy has been so sluggish and sore all week. Our main problem right now is keeping the other three cats (two in particular) from tormenting poor George. We haven’t reached the stage where he’s feeling well enough that we have to monitor his movements. Like you we look forward to that day.