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Post by msav on Mar 26, 2014 11:14:23 GMT -5
Bleu seems to be doing a lot less limping the past couple of days. He is even running around without his foot kicking out from under him. I think even if he gets better I will get him an x-ray again to make sure everything is where is should be.
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 26, 2014 11:23:19 GMT -5
Good news. I hope he is all better soon
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Post by msav on Mar 30, 2014 20:05:59 GMT -5
Ok I talked to the vet yesterday, He explained the surgical procedure. Basically what he is suggesting to do is cut the hip right before the ball and remove the ball. He says the the part right before the ball is not getting any blood circulation.
My quandary is that Bleu seems to be getting better, he is now putting more weight on the left foot and is not slowed down by the injury one bit.
If Bleu was in obvious pain it would make my decision easy.
So my choices are, do nothing and keep an eye out for any signs of pain or future lameness, or do the surgery.
opinions would be appreciated.
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Post by gfountain on Mar 30, 2014 20:27:00 GMT -5
I'm confused. If he removes the ball part of the joint, how is Bleu supposed to be able to walk?
Is he saying that the BONE is not getting any blood circulation? So the bone is dying (called necrosis in humans, so I assume it's the same in a ferret)? Because if that's what he's saying, I don't think that can be determined definitively by an x-ray. I had Keinbock's Disease, which is necrosis of the lunate (in the wrist) a few years ago and it is ONLY diagnosable by an MRI. Nothing at all showed up on the multiple x-rays I had done. It was only after my surgery that an area of decreased bone density showed up.
I think before making a final decision, I would get a second opinion. It can't hurt & may give you other options or at least more peace of mind about whatever decision you make.
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Post by msav on Mar 30, 2014 20:36:31 GMT -5
They said the can tell by the shading in the bone area next to the ball. There is more x-rays to be taken to confirm this, I am not sure that I want to proceed with the surgery so I don't really want to go to the next step. I feel that I should give Bleu another couple of weeks as he is getting better every day on it.
Apparently small animals can get along just fine without the ball in the socket. They can maintain full mobility. I am sure someone here know more about this, I just am going by what I am told.
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Post by Thérèse on Mar 31, 2014 5:19:38 GMT -5
I would be wanting very clear indications from the vet on likely outcomes for both doing nothing (ie. will this likely lead to worse problems down the road, escalation of problem to a point where options may be far more dramatic like amputation, or will he likely just continue as is unless he reinjures it? is there a likelihood of early arthritus? and any other questions you can think of) and for surgery (ie. what results does he expect? also thritus again? side effects, risks etc).
At this stage both options sound like they have pros and cons< I would want a lot more info, so as I could more precisesly weigh whether the surgery risks are worth the outcome or at the very least the avoidance of worse issues down the track.
That is where I would be right now.
You are both in my thoughts. Bleu is only young (much like Sumo was when he had his broken leg) and I know you want to find the best way to give him the best possible long healthy and happy life you can, hope you can see the way clear to what is the best path for you both
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Post by msav on Mar 31, 2014 8:26:13 GMT -5
I think right now I am going to give it more time to heal. Then I will take him to my ferret Specialist in Castro Valley (Rene Gandolfi) for a 2nd opinion.
From what I understood If I do nothing there could be some future issues with the bone and the joint causing pain, at that point the remedy is the same surgery. His concern is the Bleu may be in pain right now even though he shows no signs of pain. I know ferrets are stoic. But I am having hard time believing that a ferret would be war dancing and jumping straight up in the air for no good reason if there was pain.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 31, 2014 10:17:38 GMT -5
I would definitely get a prognosis for doing nothing. I have actually seen this surgery done(a friend's cat had it done). The problem was keeping a kitten from jumping etc for I think it was 2 months. After that you would never know he'd had surgery of any kind, and he is still doing well 2 years later.
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 31, 2014 13:48:07 GMT -5
a neighbor has a large pit mix that had his entire hip joint removed and he gets around okay.
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Post by msav on Apr 2, 2014 11:42:17 GMT -5
This morning I noticed that Bleu has full used of his hind leg. He is jumping and his leg no longer slips out from under him. There is no limp anymore.
I am going to take him to my Dr. G next week to have him checked out just to be sure. If he says that no surgery is needed I will accept that diagnosis. I know that he will make sure Bleu is ok.
I could easily save myself some money by calling him healed But I would like to know for sure that there is nothing wrong with his hip that could cause problems with his future quality of life or worse and infection or sepsis.
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Post by gfountain on Apr 2, 2014 11:54:03 GMT -5
Yayyy!! Good for Bleu! and for you. Hopefully, everything checks out OK with the specialist.. fingers crossed
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 12:23:50 GMT -5
Aww yay for Bleu and you! I'm glad you waited on the surgery My mom would always tell me when I was little, "no one knows my child better than me" and I think we all can agree, that saying can be applied to our furbabies! I look forward to reading how the follow up visit goes! Best wishes to you and Bleu!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 15:37:58 GMT -5
Best luck to lil Bleu! I always worry with the after effects of surgeries. Sometimes the arthritis and other things later down the road are almost worse. But I would be like you and want to make sure he is ok, even if he is using the leg with no obvious problems. Good luck next week, you will in our thoughts.
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Post by msav on Apr 17, 2014 16:54:27 GMT -5
UPDATE:
Sorry for being over week late with the update. We got rear ended and my car totaled so I have been dealing with that.
I brought Dr. G the previous xrays, he took a look at his hip and his heart (waardie baby). After taking some of his own xrays (Better views) he said that his heart looks and sounds good, he said he noticed a shadow line across the heart, he said it is most probably a fat flap or something like that. He was going to have the radiologist look at it and let me know if she saw anything of concern. did not hear anything so it is probably fine. He said that his hip looks like it had some remodeling so he said most likely there was a fracture there that is healing. I asked about needing to do surgery, he said right now it is not necessary and as long as he is using his leg normally it will be fine. He said there will be some scar tissue there that will prevent any bone on bone rubbing in the hip joint.
He did hear some congested breathing and said it sounding like the beginning of pneumonia. he prescribed some clavamox (sp) for that. Taz had that same wheezing that cleared up on its own, is pneumonia contagious? Bleu like Taz is pretty much over that now.
So besides the Pneumonia he has got a clean bill of health from Dr. G I am so relieved.
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Post by Sherry on Apr 17, 2014 22:04:48 GMT -5
Glad to hear the good news! And no- pneumonia is not in any way transmissible so no worries there
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