Fish-line surgery

Has anyone had any problems with the fish line surgery? This is the surgery the vet recomends for brh Sammie's back legs. He said the TPLO surgery is more for large dogs and would be a bit of and overkill for Sammie. Any inputs?

Also since Sammie has to get surgery on both legs we are struggling to pay. Please spread the word or donate to help us out. Her donations page is.

http://www.corgipals.org/Fundraisers/HelpingPaws/Sammie.aspx

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on February 28, 2013 at 1:22pm

Hi Elizabeth, both surgeries are equally effective - with suitable candidate, it is best to get a second opinion from a licensed orthopaedic surgeon, who is medically trained to assess your pet properly.

In my opinion, TPLO is not an overkill for a corgi, we have several members who went with this route with great success.

Here's something for you to consider: Your dog "may" need a "second surgery" on the other leg from possible tear within the next year after this surgery, I know owners who've opted to have both done at the same time, so that the dog only go through one recovery process.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Throneberry on February 28, 2013 at 5:44pm

Ya I've gotten four opinions and they just all don't want to do TPLO. :(

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Throneberry on February 28, 2013 at 5:56pm

Also she tore both legs but luckily her left leg is not as bad as her right. :/ she can use it a little.

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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on February 28, 2013 at 5:30pm

Snicker's vet and surgeon decided on the fishline and she recovered very well. It has been about 6 months and she is walking and playing fine on it. Of course it will be years before we know if it will hold and if there will be arthritis problems.

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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on February 28, 2013 at 5:41pm

I posted a plea for help on my tumblr blog snickmom.tumbr.com. I don't have a lot of followers, but hopefully you will get a few more donations. I know CorgiPals doesn't sponsor someone unless they genuinely need help. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Throneberry on February 28, 2013 at 5:45pm

Thank you so much ya we have to go through all the qualifications to be able to do corgipals. But luckily we made it.

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Permalink Reply by Marcie on February 28, 2013 at 6:55pm

I had a cat who had the fish line surgery. Zuchini was a large cat, about 15 lbs. He was 10 when he had the surgery and already had arthritis in the opposite leg. He healed well, but was never as agile after. He became an indoor cat after surgery and only went outside on a harness. Sammie is young, what are the long term outlooks of each?

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 28, 2013 at 7:09pm

My parents have a 75 pound Chesapeake Bay Retriever who had the surgery when she was maybe 3 or so. She's now 11, and she's still very athletic. She hunts, hikes miles, swims and is never sore.

The key to the fishline is the skill of the surgeon + the diligence of the owner in following post-op care instructions. SInce the fishline provides a base for scar tissue to form and provide stability, you must follow the instructions on rest, followed by gradually increased exercise, to the letter.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on February 28, 2013 at 7:48pm

The fishline is fine--especially if Sammie is under 30 lbs. The surgeon that did both of Seanna's legs said he won't do the TPLO because he's seen too many complications when it's done on corgis. Said their bone structure is not made for it. Go the cheaper route...it will work fine as long as you follow the post-op therapy schedule.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on March 1, 2013 at 9:30am

My cousin has a ~70 lb lab who had the fish-line surgery done and she is fine, even goes jogging with them. If it's cheaper and can be done sooner I would go for it. The longer she can't walk the more her muscles may atrophy and make recovery more difficult I would think.