Ahi's Shoulder - Should we do surgery this time?
Well, Ahi has hurt her shoulder again. Do you think we should put her through the surgery to fix it this time or try the "natural route" again?
Obviously, the "natural route" will probably mean this is a reoccurring injury as that seems to be what is happening this time.
The surgical option might not make this issue reoccurring, but it would require more recovery time for her and yet another surgery (she's already had 4 surgeries in her life).
I guess my question is, do you guys think there has been enough of a break from her last 3 surgeries to do another one? I just can't make up my mind on it. I hate that she is injured like this again.
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Obviously, the "natural route" will probably mean this is a reoccurring injury as that seems to be what is happening this time.
The surgical option might not make this issue reoccurring, but it would require more recovery time for her and yet another surgery (she's already had 4 surgeries in her life).
I guess my question is, do you guys think there has been enough of a break from her last 3 surgeries to do another one? I just can't make up my mind on it. I hate that she is injured like this again.
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Due to how hard the knee surgery recoveries were on her, we didn't want her to have to go through another surgery, so we went the "natural route" - you may recall her "fancy pants" (basically a hobble) that she wore for 6+ months. She healed and has been fine until a week or so ago, out of nowhere, she started limping again.
So now we are faced with the same choice - surgery or natural.
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However, since this is not the first time she has had this injury, I would look very seriously at the surgical route. If an orthopedic surgeon (or whatever type of surgeon you choose to go with) feels very strongly that they can fix the problem permanently, then I would go that way.
Other than this, Ahi has been healthy for over a year, correct? If she is otherwise healthy and the surgery will correct the problem (instead of a temporary fix), then choose the surgery. She is a tough gal and will be okay through recovery and rehabilitation.
Hope this has helped... This is the approach I would take with either of my dogs and even with myself. Good luck, and give Ahi some hugs from us here in VA!
What a tough call. If it is medial shoulder instability and she snapped a piece of elbow you don’t want that rolling around under ligaments shredding them. However, if she merely has strained herself then going in for arthroscopic surgery is going to be a large cost to only explore where the irritation is. What did the doc say the last time around? What are the abduction angles at this point vs. last time after rehab was finished?
You probably can order a second set of the hobbles from the company and get her in them now and see how it goes along with getting some radio freq treatments.. It will take 16 to 24 wks either way. Overall the recovery from surgery is pretty good if done with laser and they remove the loose chip, if that is actually the issue.
Those bold active dogs often require a lot of managing to keep them from over extending themselves. We were told that continued range of motion exercises are a must in preventing recurring of muscle strain and to keep full rotation flowing. Usually there will be crepitus inside the joint after surgery regardless. If they hear popping and clicking now when you take her in, know that it she is building up some calcification and maybe there that has been something going on for sometime. The range of motion and determining how restricted she with abduction measure may help you come to a better conclusion.
Snf
I wouldn't wait if the muscle holds the bone in place. One of my friends recently tore a muscle that actually holds your shoulder straight in the socket. Without it, the bone has moved sideways in his socket, limited motion, and is quite painful. He needs surgery to correct it because nothing else will. If Ahi's case is as serious as this, then I would do surgery right away.
Boy I have a knack for rambling.
Mostly, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, and I hope she's ok.
Either way, I think seeing an orthopedic vet would be the best bet right now to determine if it is the same injury. If it is a different muscle (or other connective tissue) that is damaged, then maybe waiting to see if she can heal on her own would be best.
There are so many different situations, it is really hard to say what the best course of action will be.
Either way, I hope she is feeling better and will bounce back quickly, no matter which course you guys decide to take.
Obviously, we will get her to the ortho vet and get an official diagnosis before making a final decision...
I was just curious what everyone thought about her having yet another round of surgery.
Ahi is young, only 4 years old (turned 4 last week), so she has lots of time left. Sarah ( @TeamLaika ) gave me a call yesterday and we discussed things. She made a point I had not considered: Ahi is probably using her front-end more to offset any discomfort that is caused by her knees (and she mos def has discomfort back there) - which makes her front-end a bit more important in the long run and therefore makes me think a surgical option, assuming it has a good result rate, is something to really consider.
I really appreciate all the input, this is exactly what I wanted: a brain dump from all of you on what you would do. There is always an aspect that I miss when I look at the situation since I'm so close to her situation. Thanks all! Keep the thoughts coming!
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Answers to your questions...
Other than this, Ahi has been healthy for over a year, correct?
>> Yes, she has been healthy for over a year save for the random cracked toenail or bruised pad (which is an everyday thing for our dogs here).
Are you sure this is the same injury as before?
>> No, we are not, but all signs seem to point that way (like nothing on xray to point a different direction)
What was the cause of her shoulder instability last time and what did they find on the x-ray?
>> A torn muscle in her shoulder, that was diagnosed by sedating Ahi and doing a range of motion test which concluded that Ahi's right leg could be moved outward further than her left - which says the muscle was either torn or stretched.
As Dave asks are you sure it is the same thing and on the same side?
>> Not, not sure, but pretty sure.
What did the doc say the last time around?
>> We had the option to do surgery or let it heal naturally. We let it heal naturally tho I am not sure it ever healed 100%... and now it seems to have come back.
What are the abduction angles at this point vs. last time after rehab was finished?
>> LOL... Doing a test like that on Ahi is not easy. She'll have to be sedated when we take her to the ortho vet. With Ahi, you test to see if she growls at you more when you do "x", if so then that may be the area she hurts. LMAO
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I see it as better to stop for (for example) 6 months once than 3 months for 3 or 4 times, one / one and a half years apart.
I think the compensation thing is a good thought too.
Well, after a week of that she is no longer limping. I'm not convinced she is completely better, but maybe there is hope that, with added rest, she will improve even more.
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As soon as Miko's limping lasted longer than two day I scheduled an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon that I am so fond of. He took numerous xrays and actually saw the spur on one of them. The issue really was that Miko had a soft tissue injury that left her muscle tissue inflamed and it was rubbing against the spur. Once we got the inflammation down, she was fine. We did however limit her activity for a number of weeks.
Maybe she strained the other leg because she was favoring the injured one? I know I've done that in the past with a sprained ankle causing some soreness in my good leg.