Hello....Just wanted to let you know that Maybrie will be in surgery all Friday morning.  She  has a very unfortunate/uniquely rare situation that the 4 vets I consulted with have NEVER seen.  There is also no literature on both procedures being performed at one time.  She will undergo, at the same time, on her right leg, an FHO (hip related), and a TPLO (knee limgament related) surgery.    Out of the 4 vets I spoke with, 3 of ortho specialists  recommended doing the entire  procedure at one time.   I also had the breeder, and two others with me who have  both dealt with both of these types of procedures before..... and the general consensus was to perform the surgeries ALL at one time.   One vet even told me, "Please don't think of this as two surgeries just because two different joints are involved, it's still ONE leg, and the entire leg is affected, BOTH incisions really need to be made, and to put her through TWO separate surgeries back to back is just not called for.  That was the last vet...another ortho speciallist that I spoke with tonight, who agreed with the vet doing the surgery.  It is very hard for me to think of it as ONE surgery, (the regular vet has issues with it as well) simply because  usually a pet only injures one or the other, not both at the same time....also, rehab for each is completely opposite! .....one is rest, the other is up and active within 7-14 days.   However, I was assured by the 3 ortho specialists that this breed is the best breed to come out of something like this with great success because they are naturaly motivated to RUN like lightning.  Maybrie is super stoic and this injury has gone on WAY too long despite two vet visits with full xrays and an exam.   And until 2 weeks ago, her issue was not very noticeable (look back at the tree climbing video!)  She has had a long standing intermittent hip issues since injuring herself as a puppy.  The breeder and I both took her in, and she was misdiagnosed twice due to super poor quality xrays. PLEASE find a vet that has DIGITAL xrays, it's the ONLY way to be absolutely sure, especially in Maybrie's case of what the true issue is.  By digital xray, you can clearly tell the CCL was torn and that it is NOT new. By digital xray, as well as clinical exam, they believe that the meniscus and the LCL are possibly involved as well, and there is extensive arthritis in the knee due to the undiagnosed hip problem and severe instability from the hip down in all the joints.  The worst case scenario is recovery to 70% full range of motion.  The best case scenario is recovery up to 85%.    The probability that she will be better than she is now is 100%!!  Right now, she is operating at about 55% or less.  Actually, I cannot even say that because she is not bearing weight on the right hind leg.  At her best, she was functioning at 60%.  Maybrie is my female GSP that climbs trees, runs into diving boards, pummels her brother who is 25 pounds heavier than she is, and clears 7 foot fences to chase a squirrels.  (she only did that ONCE!)  The vet assured me walking again would not be an issue with her!  The girl is driven to FLY!    The recovery period will depend on her, however, the initial time frame given by the vet doing the surgery is 3-4 months, possibly up to 6 months.  Swimming will be of a HUGE importance  to ensure success otherwise she may ALWAYS walk with a limp as she does now.  Habitual fear of stepping on the leg that hurts.  Swimming will speed recovery, be safe for BOTH procedures and improve her balance and gait.  Her hips may never straighten out fully because she has been compensating for over a year.   I already have her first week of private swimming in an indoor pool set up for the first 3 weeks!   Smaller dogs under 40 pounds tend to recover faster, and have greater success.  Maybrie is 55 pounds but is nothing but lean muscle....that's what I told the vet....he said, "That's still over 40 pounds." 

Last night my mind  was crazy after just getting the news, I was in such a fog I couldn't think straight. I am an ER nurse, and suddenly I became a complete  idiot.   I was a nutcase...literally.  The vet explained things over and over for an hour and a half, drew pics, showed me what he was going to do, told me all of my options, allowed me to wait for the breeder and other very knowledgeable dog people to get there, and then explained to EVERYONE, while standing in front of the xray machine, the entire thing all over again!   The room was full of excellent debate and  numerous questions.  I was clearly an observer, still in shock,but managed to ask ONE question! The ONLY question I could come up with was, what's the risk of infection:  REAllY?      Now I know why Dr.s and nurses should NEVER treat their own!  They become ridiculous and make emotional subjective judements of the heart instead of rational decisions!!   After the 2 hour debate at the ortho  specialist vet, and after consulting with Maybrie's main vet, and then 2 other very well known and respected vets,  who perform these procedures, and after reading from "Dr. Google," and studying countless diagrams and watching countless videos of the procedures, I am FINALLY  BEYOND CRAZY, but THOROUGHLY edumicated!!  Questions anyone?  I think I can actually answer them!

Maybrie's surgery will start at 8am tomorrow, (it's a 2 hour drive there and back...)  Maybrie will stay there until Monday, longer if he feels she needs better pain control or sedation.  Someone will be there with her 24/7......I just really wish it could me.  I'm really going to miss her and worry about her, but as my breeder and other supporters have said, it's time to trust the vets I've spoken with and to have faith in them and God.  Please pray that she is not in too much pain, and that she will recover in a way that will provide her greater healing.  Thanks.....from Maybrie and family. 

I'm going to try to post the films if I can figure out how to do it.  I took a picture with my camera and uploaded it to my desktop.  Just have to figure out how to upload it to here! 

 Just dropped Maybrie off.  Will post again after surgery.  Thanks.

 I had to do something to pass the time!  This video is much better than the other...it's actually really cute! It gives me SO MUCH HOPE to see her natural desire to run like lightening, and to know that after the surgery, she will only be better than she was before.  Keep in mind, in every video you see, she has the same hip condition....The thing that made me seek vet advice  for the 3rd time and digital films was the new onset of walking on 3 legs...That's new, and THAT'S the torn ACL...hence the need for both surgeries.   I'll figure out how to delete the other boring video!!  Lol!Thanks again for your support, and I will keep you posted.

 She came through the surgery, and is waking up.  Both ACL ligaments were completely shot, and the meniscus was torn. The knee also had severe arthritis with lots of bony fragments from the arthritis, a lot of cleaning up, the vet said.   The FHO surgery went well, routine.  He said I could pick her up Sunday morning at 8am or in the afternoon at 5pm, or wait until Monday morning.   I am not sure what to do.  I want to be with her ASAP, but wonder if they can better manage her pain and sedation if I leave her until Monday morning.  Any suggestions?   

Thanks..

 Wow!  Kpwlee, thank you SO much for painting a realistic picture of what I am going to see.  I know this intellectually, but I had totally forgotten about all the swelling that's going to be involved.  We have only laminate and tile, in every room, however, based on another tip, I have already purchased skid proof socks and soft skid proof slippers for dogs.  Those are going to be permanently attached to her feet! The hard thing about this sort of operation is that the FHO requires movement and weight bearing, but 3 of the vets said not to worry about that, it will come because she is the type that is born to fly....we will DEFINITELY have to worry about hwer wanting to do too much too soon.  ....I guess sort of like Bugsy!   She is already on both the tramadol and meloxicam, and once she gets home she will continue that, and he will also continue to sedate her if needed.  She is well kennel trained and loves her kennel.   Right now I have a king size quilt thrown in there, but may break down and pull out the ortho for her. I had taken that out so she wouldn't chew it. I forgot to ask the vet which one is better for her....I'm going the be that vets WORST nightmare!!     It is encouraging to hear that Bugsy came out of it okay!  I cannot even imagine a GSP larger than Kaido!  Bugsy is 105 pounds?  Lol!  Amazing!!  

Thanks to EVERYONE for their support.  I pick her up Monday morning, and I am SO nervous.   I'm sure she will get better soon though.  She has to.  Oh....I forgot to ask the vet about scarring?  Do they usually have a scar like people do?  Not that it's really a big deal....in fact I NEVER once thought about it.  My husband did!   If so, she will have a huge one on her right hip, and her knee because he had to open her knee up a lot.