Emmanuella's Operation

[Marslet]

Well, you know Emmie popped one knee cap off playing with my daughter's dog in the backyard. This happened about a year ago. She didn't seem to have too much trouble, so we left it alone for a little while. I had noticed that it seemed to be bothering her a little more lately. Well to make a long story short, dang little speed demon went and knocked the kneecap off of the other leg. Screamed bloody murder. We took her to the emergency vet hospital at our regular vet, saw another vet who said she thought it was the tendon and that Emma had torn it. We opped to keep her crate restricted for 30 days to give it a chance to heal. But I didn't feel right about the whole thing, so when the time was up, I took her to see her regular vet. He disagreed with the first diagnosis, he said he felt that it was the kneecap the whole time. We sat down and had a good talk to him and he told us that he would recommend operating on both of Emma's knees at the same time. We had two choices, if we left it alone, then she would be crippled and nothing could be done about it. The other choice was the operation where they removed bone from both sides of the cradel where the kneecap rests so it rested deeper down and then tighten up on all connections so the kneecap would almost be impossible to knock off again. We didn't even have to think about it, so on August 4th Emmie was operated on. We brought her home 3 days later and did physical therapy on both legs for the next 14 days. It will be 3 weeks tomorrow and she is walking well, but is showing some favoritism to the left leg, which is the first one she did. He said it would be 7 weeks before he released her completely. We are going back to see him Sept 3rd before we start to Arkansas. Hopefully she will be much better. It is hard to keep her from jumping up on the furniture. We have suitcases placed all along the couch and in front of the two recliners. Talk about a messed up den.
She is flying with us in the cabin to go and see Candi in Seattle in November. They have bought a home there and we are gonna take Emmie with us. Wish us luck.

[VickieP]

Poor baby and such small knee caps! Hopefully she heals up completely and doesn't have any more problems. I'm just surprised that she walks at all, I thought you would carry her everywhere she wants to go.

[Redetotry]

Oh I'm so sorry to hear Emma's had to have surgery. I know that was it was hard also for you. Glad to hear she is on the mend and going with you on vacation.

[Marslet]

That is so funny because for the last 7 weeks she has been carried almost everywhere she goes. The only time she could be on her own feet was when she went to potty and then we have to have her on a leash so she doesn't break out in a run. Dad says she ought to be ashamed of herself spoiling her daddy so. I have the cutest pic on my phone where he took her out to potty and afterwards she just went a few steps and plopped down into the grass and laid on her side. She loves to lay in the sun. He is standing out in 101 degree temp, in the full sun holding her leash. I call the pic," Emmie Sunning her Daddy."

[carold]

Good news and glad you listened to your instincts. They say "you can't keep a good dog down ". I'm sure they were talking about Emma See y'all soon. carold

[retiredhappy]

Glad you listened to your instincts and happy she is on the mend.

[BirdbyBird]

So glad to hear that she has been responding to the intervention and rehab.. (....and that you still have money left for gas to AR... ) It is difficult to reason with the pups....they "feel" better but don't understand why they can't go do all their normal stuff. Sounds as if Emmie has two great nurses tending to her.

[AlmostThere]

I'd like to see the pic of her daddy holding the leash in the hot sun!! What we do for our fubabies!!
Hope the surgeries are exactly what Emma needed and she can be herself again soon.

[mitch5252]

Oh how awful, for both Emma and her folks!
I'm very glad she's feeling better.
Abby's looking forward to meeting her in a few weeks!

PS: I'd like to see that picture, too!!

[Marslet]

Gonna try to send pic.


here is a picture of her mohawk hair cut and her incisions.




If you can see the pic on the tshirt Jim has on, it has a picture of Emma on it with Our Emma written across the bottom. Are we crazy about that darling chi or not????

[dpf]

Our first Boston Munchkin had luxating patella also. Her left knee was the first to go when she was about a year old. We had plans to breed her but after the surgery the vet told us that it was a genetic trait that would be passed so we opted to have her spay. About six months later her right knee went out. It seems to be most common in miniature and toy breeds. I learned after the first go around to take any puppy to our vet to have him check before I bought. Luckily both Tink and Radar were given a thumbs up and I've never had to say no to one of those sweet faces. If anyone is buying a pup from a breeder it might be wise to ask them if their puppies have ever had trouble with luxating patella. Munch's mother was a family pet that they breed three times, none of her previous puppies had ever had a problem, but they had used a new stud for the litter that Munch was born...can't say litter...she was the only one and a chubby little toad!

[Marslet]

Emma's knees were not a genetic problem. We did take her to the vet when I got her. She weighed 1#10 oz. Her kneecaps were good and tight. That is one of the things I had him check for as well as the soft spot in her head. He couldn't move them at all. Said on a scale of 1-10 this puppy was an 11 !! She got a 100% on her check up with the vet. Both her little knees were caused by accidents , first her running full blast with my daughter's dog and Layla who is larger than her, leaned into her as they made a turn and Emma stepped into a hole where my husband had edged, and popped it off. The second one happened the same way except she was running full blast in the back yard by herself and as she ran to come back to us, she stumbled and stepped into another hole in the backyard. Needless to say, we are not gonna allow her to run full blast in the backyard until her dad can get a load of dirt and fill in the holes (this late fall or early winter)
It is heartbreaking to be watching her running and having a good time, see her stumble and step in the hole, then hear her screams of pain. I don't know which one of us was making the most noise.

[Nasoosie]

Awww, poor little Emmy, and poor Mommy, too!

Her surgery 'hair-do' is something else! She will want you to lose those pictures as quickly as possible!

[AlmostThere]

Oh, that picture of Emma with her Daddy is priceless!!!

My heart aches when I see her little legs all stitched up and her hair shaved. Poor little thing...

[VickieP]

I think for Christmas, Emma needs to get her Daddy a leash.