Patton Arrives

Today is the day that Patton goes to UW-Madison VMTH. Took us about an hour to get there and right before pulling into the parking lot, Patton decides he has had enough and throws up. Well they wanted his stomach empty and that is what they are getting. Props to my youngest son for attempting to clean it up and keep Patton from doing what dogs like to do.....inspect it(to put it nicely).

The VMTH is set up much like a hospital for people. Large reception area that just reminded me of a regular hospital. There were a few dogs in the waiting room that Patton was dying to meet. One was recovering from surgery to remove cancerous tumors, and another was awaiting treatment for cancer. It seemed like it was Lab and Golden Retriever day. They outnumbered the other dogs in the waiting room.

When Patton was finally called they do the usual, weight and routine questions. Patton weighed in at 35 kg(@77lbs). We spoke with a resident, who Patton decided he loved even when she was playing around with his hips. He didn't like it but he let her. After the normal checks,(teeth, heart and such) she left to consult with one of the main Vets(in our case on of the heads of the Dept). When they came back, Dr. Manley did the same checks as the resident and talked about our options.

Since we already had current X-rays they decided not to do any today. Tomorrow they would redo the PennHip test and do measurements to see exactly what was going on in Patton's hips. (They will also send these off to the University of Pennsylvania for their interpretation.) These measurement would be key in what they would be able to do for him. They will measure from the center of the ball of the femur to the center of the hip socket. Depending on the distance, that will decide our next step. If the distance is between 0.5 - 0.9 then the conditions are right for the Triple Pelvic Osteotomy(T.P.O.).....maybe. If he falls within this parameter they will then go in Arthroscopically look at his hip. This will also tell them how much arthritis is in the joint and the condition of his cartilage. At this time, they will then decide what they are going to do. If things fall like we think they will he will have the T.P.O surgery. Too much arthritis and the cartilage is in bad shape then they probably will not be able to operate and another option will have to be thought of. If his PennHip results are above 1 then Femoral Head Excision or total hip replacement may be an option. These are considered salvage procedures that would eliminate the diseased joint and attempt to replace it with a non-painful substitute. If his numbers fall below 0.5 then management of his weight, exercise and diet maybe be the route. This may also be the same game plan if his numbers should fall about 1. Dr. Manley mentioned that he has a dog that fell above the 1 range and through management the dog has lived a healthy and pain free life and is currently 7 years old. So that was reassuring.

So we play the waiting game for one more day. At any time during tomorrow if they feel that going on to the next step is NOT going to benefit Patton, all procedures will stop. If the PennHip numbers don't fall in the range, or if going in Arthroscopically shows that he is not a good candidate all bets are off and we will need to work a new plan.


We also talked about the T.P.O surgery, risks and his recovery. All the normal risks obviously, infection, problems with the anesthesia. He would have three cuts made to his pelvis therefore three incisions. One under his leg by his groin, one on top of his back and one along his leg, which would be the largest of the incisions. They would X-ray him again in 4 weeks since some dogs have been known to loosen the plates that are installed. At this time, if they need to do the right hip, this is when it would be done if his left hip has healed well enough to support him. He would also do a series of rehab in order to get his legs moving again and get him running.

So for now...we wait until tomorrow. Fingers crossed and breath held.