Elbow dysplasia / PAUL procedure?

[cliffmalecha]

As promised, I'm going to keep this thread updated in case anyone in the future comes back looking for information on the PAUL procedure.

We DID go ahead with the surgery last Tuesday, so we're about 5 days in. So far, so good. In fact, if you didnt notice Cliff's shaved arm, it would be hard to tell he just had major limb surgery a few days ago.

Surgery was on a Tuesday and he stayed at the hospital for two nights. I guess he had some pain issues day one and wouldnt put weight on it. By day 2 he was good to go and allowed to come home with us. He's on a couple pain killers and a sedative. Its now day 5 and we're pretty much cutting back on everything and only using the sedative at night when he starts to get a little stir crazy.

Cliff isnt allowed to use stairs, so we have to carry him to go to the bathroom, which is a pain. Each day he needs ice and heat treatments. The heating pad is easy, the ice isnt. We ended up using a wine bottle chiller for the cold part. Pictures below.

He's got 2 weeks of extremely restricted activity, and once his sutures are out he'll be allowed to go on short (5-10 min walks) and starting hydrotherapy rehab.

The biggest challenge so far is keeping him from chasing the cat and standing up in excitement when people come over.

[smartrock]

Thank you for coming back to let us know how things are going so far. I hope he continues to do well. Maybe you can stick around as a member and hang out with other lab lovers. Over the years we can see how Cliff is doing and maybe you can help others who find themselves in the same predicament!

[Shelley]

Proximal Abducting ULnar (PAUL) is one of the "next generation" treatment options for advanced elbow dysplasia. There are a couple of other different procedures, but this one looks really promising. We use similar locking plates in human surgeries.

Please keep us posted on his progress and if his pain is reduced, and his general recovery. This is fascinating stuff! Do you have any of his post operative x rays?

[Maxx&Emma]

Good thoughts for Cliff's recovery and a pain free future!

[cliffmalecha]

Follow up appointment is next tuesday (2 weeks post-op) to remove the sutures. I will try to get an image from the surgeon.

More updates to come!

[cliffmalecha]

2 Week Follow up

After a tough couple weeks keeping Cliff in the house, he had his follow up. He started being more "limpy" in the second week, which was due to pulling him off anti-inflamatory meds. The vet examined him and said he's doing better than the 8 other procedures they've done (remember, brand new surgery), however I think his adrenaline was firing on all cylinders at the hospital so that had him pretty excited (first time out in 2 weeks).

The post op X-rays are below. His next follow up is in 8 weeks, so will post those images in September.

[BaconsMom]

Good to hear he is starting to heal!

[cliffmalecha]

Hi Everyone-

Heres the 12 week update. He's doing well and now is back on good length walks. Not too much of a gimp until the end of a long walk, otherwise back to normal. Still not allowed to be off leash/fetch/explosive activities but he is back to chasing the cat and doing spin moves in the house. Next checkup in a month.

[JOSSELSON]

Did you end up getting this PAUL procedure done on your dog? I am scheduled to have it done on my dog shortly, and would like to hear any comments or results from others. Also, what is the age of your dog? Macy is 10...
Thank you,
Josselson

[JOSSELSON]

Thank you for this post. I have been struggling with this decision, and hearing your results is encouraging....