Surgery or no surgery?

Dodge is 6 months old and recently has been limping, sometimes worse then other times. I took him to the vet and they are really pushing surgery, but 1500 is pretty steep for me so I took him to another vet for a second opinion.

Basically one of the bones in his front right leg is growing faster than the other, which is causing the other bone to be pushing into his elbow. They want to put an extension pin in.

The other vet didn't think surgery was necessary as arthritis will most likely occur either way. Has anyone else had this problem and have any advice for me?

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on January 16, 2012 at 6:11pm

Sorry I can't help but I think I've seen something like this on here before. Take your time and get some awnsers 1st. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on January 16, 2012 at 6:43pm

Hi Casey, here you go :)

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on January 16, 2012 at 8:06pm

I guess it just depends on what is causing the issue, if it is elbow dysplasia then that isn't going to go away on its own and if they can fix it now that'd be great and save your pup a lot of pain and suffering. If it is something like panosteitis (which is very common in large breed puppies) then it will probably be something that will resolve on its own with a switch to an adult diet and some anti-inflammatories. I know you have already gotten 2 opinions, but perhaps you should get another from an orthopedic surgeon? They are the ones that know bones inside and out and would be the best bet to tell you if surgery is necessary or not. Also, if you can find somebody familiar with corgis, all the better. They look funny on x-ray and their bones, and internal features often look "weird" to those not familiar with looking at a dwarf breed.

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Permalink Reply by Casey Rae Johnson on January 17, 2012 at 1:49pm

Thank you all for the advice and concern. The past few days he is not limping as much. Another option the second vet recommended was to splint it to keep him from using it and causing pain. This may allow him the time to grow out of it or at least keep him from pain and more damage. I think we'll try that before surgery. The first vet said we have a few months time to make our decision. I'm just really worried to send a little puppy into surgery for something he could possibly grow out of. Please leave additional advice if you come across anything.

Again I thank you all for wanting to help out! I'll keep you updated. ~ Casey and Dodge

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Permalink Reply by Courtney Linton Murkland on September 30, 2015 at 1:54pm

Hi,

I am curious as to how all this turned out for you. I have a 9 month old corgi with a similar issue and we're being told that she needs surgery. I'm hesitant since she is clearly not finished growing. Also runs like crazy and doesnt seem like she has any real pain, more discomfort after resting. Did you end up getting the surgery?

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Permalink Reply by Casey Rae Johnson on October 9, 2015 at 8:54am

We actually opted out of surgery. Our vet told us either way within time he would end up with arthritis regadless. Dodge is super active. When the weather changes he's a little slow getting up in the morning, but still trots off to the front door.
I have been concidering soe joint supplements for him, but for now he's doing great. One thing we don't let him do is jumpout of the vehicles or off the couch if we can help it. He's learned to just wait for us to help.
I wish you the best, I hope this helps. Every situation is different, of course.