worst day in a while

[yarrowpyxie]

today started off ok. i had to take mimi to get vaccinations and have her checked cuz i thought she might have pigmentary keritis. before we left i gave her a benedryl just in case. so we got there and weighed her (19.3lbs) checked for pk and the doc said she didnt have it. gave her distemper shot and bordatella vacc up the nose. the vet noticed a

Comments

[frail_entity]

Is Mimi overweight? Most dogs that are of normal weight who have a luxating patella can live pain free for quite some time. Surgery is typically only necessary when limping is involved and the dog refuses to put weight on the affected leg. Considering the discrepancy in muscle mass, perhaps Mimi was already doing this. However, I would definitely shop around and even ask a few other vets for their opinion.

[yarrowpyxie]

she was for a while but i got the extra lbs off her a while ago. i personally don't notice a limp and she walks around, climbs stairs and runs around like any normal dog would. and they held up her left leg at the vet and she would put weight on the right leg,which was weaker but she just wasn't too happy about it. i have never seen her act like she's in pain, so either it really doesn't bother her or she's had it for so long that she's used to it. we have the family friend who's a vet still in amherst so we will be going to see him next week.

has tara had her new litter yet?

[frail_entity]

I looked into luxating patellas a while back to see if I need to screen for them in breeding; they are most common in small dogs (like yours) and the pain associated with them is typically temporary and I would think you would know because most sites state that the dog will yelp and lift the leg up and refuse to put pressure on it.

This is just one site, but it's pretty informative: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2084&aid=457

You seem to know Mimi well, so if she was in pain (or more specifically) the sharp pain caused by a luxating patella, you would know!

Don't worry too much just yet, keep her weight normal/to low normal for her breed and when you talk to your vet ask him what he thinks about holding off on the surgery until she displays a greater need.

As for Tara, no puppies yet - but she could pop at any time! She's gone off her food and is looking very uncomfortable. I think I'm being more impatient than she is!

[yarrowpyxie]

yea mimi has never had any yelping or refusal to put any weight on her right side so i think we are ok for now.

at least this isn't your first litter.you know what could happen, what's normal and what isn't and you know tara is a good mommy.how many are you expecting this time?

[frail_entity]

Well, that's good! It's just sad that luxating patellas are so common in pugs.

This is Tara's third litter, so I'm pretty confident everything will go smoothly... to me, it just seems like she's taking forever to actually whelp the pups!

[yarrowpyxie]

well if she's looking uncomfortable and refusing food it can't be too long now. hope all goes well during the delivery and all the pups will be healthy

[frail_entity]

Tara had seven puppies today (well, technically yesterday).

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s125/westwoodaussies/April122009/_IMG_1190.jpg

All healthy.