Kryten has Elbow Dysplasia

[dpenning]

Daisy did a similar thing with Tramadol, quit eating and wouldn't take the meds and I couldn't make her. It has to be some seriously nasty stuff. When I did force it down her throat she foamed at the mouth. Did that twice then decided she just didn't need it that bad!

This past week has been a tough one. Kryten developed a new personality which came as an unpleasant surprise. His response to anything was 'You can't make me'. This made everything from bathroom trips to meal times difficult because at his size you really can't make him do anything without his cooperation. We were having to hand feed him to get him to eat otherwise his vet was going to have to force feed him. I truly believe that most of the behavioral issues stemmed from him being on Tramadol. His last dose was yesterday and today he is himself again. He actually ate 4.5c (normal is 6c) whereas we were fighting to get 2c into him all week.

 

[Smokeycat]

He has passed the first milestone post surgery, the stitches are out. This was his first vet visit, regular vet, since the surgery (I had talked to both clinics a few times during that first week however) and the vet was very impressed with how he is healing. Incisions closed neatly and the joint seems stable with light manipulation. His short walks can now go outside of the yard and he no longer requires the evil cone. He does have an infection in his ears which doesn't surprise me since I stopped cleaning his ears because it tends to make him jump around shaking his head and the smaller amount of liquid in the drops is less irritating.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Glad to hear he's healing well!

about his ears

 

[Smokeycat]

Yeah but I can't say I was surprised. About halfway thru his antibiotics after surgery I could tell that his right ear was starting to bug him so I was wiping down what I could but I really didn't want to put the acv/water mix into his ears so I wasn't able to head it off. The drops (anti-bacterial/anti-fungal) I got from the vet don't seem to bother him the same way so they definitely are the better choice while I need to control his activity level. I'll go back to the acv after he has healed completely.

 

[Smokeycat]

I discovered last night he really likes it if I rub on the sides of his elbow. He kept giving me his paw every time I stopped. I think I spent close to an hour just massaging his elbow but if it makes him feel better I'll do it. He is off almost all his pain meds now and there are times when you can tell that it is bothering him, only inside the house however outside the limp is much less significant. I have started him on a herbal remedy Trumell(sp?) that is supposed to not only relieve pain and inflammation but also speed healing.

 

[Lukasdad]

Healing thoughts and love are being sent your way all across the water

 

[Smokeycat]

Possible setback. Late Thursday night he somehow tripped walking across the lawn. His limp returned on Friday so I made a vet appointment on Saturday. Due to the long weekend the covering vet (regulars were both off 1 on holidays the other had the day off) wasn't able to really do anything except refill all his prescriptions. So now he is back on the full dose of all pain meds and has an appointment for X-rays on Tuesday to check and see if he bent/broke the screws. I'm hoping he just jarred/jammed his elbow so it is just a soft tissue injury. If he did damage the screws I'm hoping that there has been sufficient healing already to hold things in place. He was 3.5 weeks post-op at the time of the trip. This boy is seriously stressing me out. He is SO lucky I love him.

 

[cayeesmom]

Oh I'm crossing my fingers it is only soft tissue!

 

[Smokeycat]

I took him to his local vet for the X-rays rather than subject him to 6 hours in the car. We're still waiting to hear the surgeons opinions on the X-rays. Turns out that this is the first osteotomy that she has ever seen so she isn't sure that what she is seeing is normal or not. His screws look good but there is a significant gap in his ulna. There is also evidence that the ulna is healing as well.

 

[Smokeycat]

In case anyone is interested in a pictorial sequence.
Pre-surgery

Immediately Post-Op

4 weeks Post-Op (today)

 

[Smokeycat]

Turns out he 'broke' his leg now. The osteotomy has opened up.

 

[Iymala]

Oh no! I'm so sorry for both of you.

 

[ruthcatrin]

oh shit

 

[cayeesmom]

Oh no, what happens now?

 

[Smokeycat]

Oh no, what happens now?

Basically it just set his recovery back 4 weeks. Since the ulna is the non weight bearing bone and the radius is intact if works like an internal splint there's no need for a cast. The only use a bandage would even be other than to annoy Kryten would be to reduce inflammation of which there is only a little so not worth it.

 

[cayeesmom]

Well I guess the only way to see it, is, it could have been worse. Walk carefully Kryten!

 

[Smokeycat]

It's been a while since I updated this thread. Kryten is recovering well and if his brain is occupied now stands with his weight evenly on all 4 legs. If his brain is not engaged he stands on 3 only. The main problems that I can tell are that he has lost almost all of his bicep on the surgical leg and the carpal joint on the other fore leg seems to be starting to hyperextend. He goes in for X-rays to check for bone healing next Thursday. Right now I am almost grateful for the set back otherwise he would likely be 1-2 weeks post on his second surgery and that would make the construction work outside much more concerning and risky for a good recovery.

 

[musicdeb]

Good update report for Kryten!

 

[Kelly]

how were his xrays?

 

[Smokeycat]

how were his xrays?

I don't know yet. The vet said she thinks it looks like a nice callus formed but was unwilling to make the actual appraisal. She sent them to his surgeon but she is on holidays until next week so I likely won't hear anything from her until at least Monday. I was supposed to get a copy of the X-rays but they ran out of disks so they are going to have to mail them out.