by Jeff
(Wilmington, NC)

Mickey after surgery

Mickey after surgery

Mickey after surgery

Our bill

Discharge / Rehab Instructions - Pg 1

Discharge / Rehab Instructions - Pg 2

We got Mickey, a 6 lb Yorkie-Poo, when he was about 9 months old. Everything was fine until about 3 months later when he started limping. He quickly stopped using his back left leg entirely over the course of just a few weeks.

We took him to the vet who performed an exam and took x-rays but could find nothing wrong. She thought it must just be a bruise or a sprain and said it should clear up.

We subsequently moved to Mexico for 3 months where the issue persisted. We took him back to the vet when we returned.

This time, the x-rays showed deterioration of the femoral head (the “ball” of the upper leg bone or femur that fits into the hip socket) which, according to the vet, was likely the result of a common issue in small dogs called Necrosis of the Femoral Head or Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease.

Basically, the “ball” of the joint (the femoral head) slowly dies as a result of no or little blood flow to the area.

The vet’s recommendation was surgery which supposedly has an excellent prognosis.

We considered holistic options such as those mentioned here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tricia-spencer/digger-dogs-holistic-triu_b_4268881.html

However, the vet said that the longer we wait to have surgery, the worse Mickey could get in terms of muscle atrophy and a permanent habit of not using the leg.

We moved forward with surgery and Mickey is now in recovery and doing well. We will start physical therapy tomorrow which sounds like it will last for at least 6 weeks in order to get Mickey back to normal.

Total surgery cost was $1,426 (see attached bill for breakout of fees). I have also attached the discharge and rehab instructions.

Wish us luck!
Jeff

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