TINY TIM'S FIRST SURGERY 28 DECEMBER 2009

Violetta writes: Tiny Tim's first surgery went well. My vet just finished it at 8 p.m. He repaired the luxating patella and also found a torn cruciate ligament, which he repaired. He said that Tiny Tim's bones were so thin that it was very easy to drill on them and that the lost bone density is probably due to him not using that leg very much because it was too painful. He may need to go on a calcium supplement. He sent the sample in for a biopsy to make sure there is no bone sarcoma. He keeps his LP patients overnight to observe them the next day and see how they walk, so I'll pick up Tiny Tim after work tomorrow and will find out just how bad the bill is! I groomed Tiny Tim last night since I figured that he looked waaayy scruffy and I wasn't sure if I would be able to groom him after the surgery. He had tons of mats which I cut, and I also fixed his scruffy-looking tail and trimmed his ears & face. He got a little unhappy when I did his ears so I had to muzzle him, but he looked very handsome at the end. He also had the bushiest paws I have ever seen so I trimmed the hair in his paws, too. This morning when the vet tech took him inside, he absolutely refused to walk or move. He probably thought that he was going back to the shelter because of the collar they put on the dogs - one of those blue ones that shelters also use to take dogs in and out of their cages. He started walking only after I started walking in the same direction and talked to him. My vet says it's 100% genetics - i.e. bad genes. Tiny Tim has had it all his life and should have gotten it repaired a few years ago, but it is an expensive procedure. They actually carve a groove in the leg bone, so the muscle won't continue to slide off and sometimes will put a tiny pin in it too. Tiny Tim did not need the pin. An untreated LP will often leads to a tear of the CL, so dogs with an LP that has gone untreated for many years will also have a torn CL in the same leg and repairing that makes the LP surgery even more expensive - the CL repair by itself is usually $1200 to $1500. Many vets also won't do their own orthopedic surgeries and will have an orthopedic surgeon come in once a month or twice a month to do them and that adds to the cost too. My vet is passionate about his work and actually spends several of his vacations at vet seminars where all they do is orthopedic and other complex surgeries. Tim is actually very mellow and switches from one bed to the other and only gets up to eat, stretch and to go potty. He will usually walk in the yard after he potties. Too bad we no longer have the snow maze, as all the dogs really liked it, including Tim. Not sure if his mellowness will change with the surgery, although I would think that the pain in the right leg would still keep him acting mellow. SUE LOSINGER: Vi, Thank you for taking this little guy into our family (and yours). Take good care of him and give him lots of extra kisses and loving and hopefully he will be up and RUNNING before you can say GO. BETTE BOYERS: Hope he does well. Breaks my heart about him going into the vet and not wanting to walk. He totally thought he was going back to hell. PERLA CHIAFFITELLA: That poor little soul must be in such pain; I cannot wait to see his picture after his grooming. Tell Violetta to give him lots of licks from Kelsey, Dugan and CRUSA Rescue Logan . . . . HEATHER SHEA: I don't blame TT for getting a bit cranky with grooming; he has gone through so much, he is allowed a bit of crankiness. He will feel so much better once his legs start to heal and get strong again. Good luck keeping him quiet. I am so glad he found CRUSA. KATHY WALKER: Gracie, my six-year-old CRUSA cairn, had her ACL surgery on 20 July. She is running like the wind now and you would never know . . . I just worry she's gonna tear something else! I hope that Tim has speedy recoveries through all his surgeries, and I hope he will soon be doing wind sprints in the yard just like Gracie Magoo!

TINY TIM ENDS HIS YEAR HERE