Total new kneecap replacement?

[rottie40]

A friend of mine has a 7 year old Rottie bitch she had a cruciate repair approx. 5 years ago not TPLO just the ligament. She has been to see a specialist regarding a kneecap replacement.
Has anyone had one of these done on there dog? and if so, how long is the recovery and what does the post op care involve
Many thanx

[cleaningchick]

We had a double t.p.l.o done on our female when she was two years old. When going outside to potty we had to sling her for about 2 weeks. I would have her on a leash and my husband had a towel under her belly to hold her up. It was January here and we had to be careful of her slipping on ice. Then after the two weeks we would take her for short walks. She would pretty much tell us when she had enough.
She now runs plays and swims alot and has done very well.
I try to keep her weight down as it is easier on her knees.
Good luck!

[rottie40]

Thanks for that cleaningchick, this is a totally different op - they actually remove the kneecap and replace it with a man made one, it is not the cruciate at all. Her kneecap had actually slipped and cannot be manually put back and also too there is damage to the cartledge in the knee.
we wanted to know if anyone else had had this done as Liz is not sure whether to go ahead with the op?? She has learnt to cope with her knee as it is and we were wondering if the op is the right way to go, she is 7!
We are going to talk to the specialist on Monday

[rottie40]

Crumbs... what are we all like??? Making decisions for our beloved dogs doesnt seem to get any easier, does it? It is so difficult to do the right thing? Whichever decision we make we could still regret it?? Taking into account her age and how she can still get about we wonder whether to leave well alone - but then if it gets a lot worse we will regret that decision. If she has the operation and it takes 6 months to recover and then she gets more arthritis in the knee from the surgery etc. will we regret that decision?? I can only stand back and let Liz make that final decision and I dont know what I would do?? I know one thing I dont envy her on this one!!

[rottie40]

After seeing the specialist yesterday Liz has decided to go for the lesser op of re-aligning her own kneecap and cutting the groove in it deeper to accomadate the ligament a little better.
The vet said she can always have the kneecap replacement further down the line. He was very good and VERY thorough.