Chelsea Daisy’s Bones have grown, now she needs orthopedic surgery to repair her leg
You may remember Chelsea Daisy coming in as a neglect case and having suffered a broken leg that then did not heal correctly. Her veterinarians recommended she finish growing and reach one year of age, before reevaluation and corrective orthopedic surgery. We know the bones in the leg have not grown at the same rate and she now needs repairs.
In January 2024 Chelsea Daisy had her Orthopedic Consult at Skylos Sports Medicine and the surgery estimate is $9063.68 → $9816.08. This estimate does not include the required pre-op CT scans or post-surgery rehabilitation. We have been told to expect these charges to add another $2000-$3000. The total estimated cost for surgery and rehab is $12,000 – $13,000.
In April 2024 Chelsea had a second opinion consult with Dr Albert Lynch. He said he 100% agreed with the Skylos recommendations and his charges would be very similar.
In both visits, amputation was discussed and both veterinarians agreed that would not be the best option for Chelsea. However, if no surgery was done shortly, Chelsea would develop more lameness and pain, and amputation would be the only option.
Her Orthopedic Surgical Evaluation: Based on the current findings, I recommend treating Chelsea by performing a corrective osteotomy surgery +/- pancarpal arthrodesis (joint fusion). In this surgery, the radius is cut, straightened, and stabilized with a bone plate. The body then heals in this corrected position, providing a more normal stance and gait, and slowing the progression of arthritis. Before surgery, we will also re-evaluate the carpus and determine whether or not a concurrent fusion of the wrist is necessary to provide stability to the wrist. The first step would be pre-operative planning via a CT scan of both thoracic limbs and 3D printing of the right and left antebrachium for exact measurement of the deformity and templating of the correction. The specific correction and type of rigid stabilization used to correct the radius/ulna would be based on the characterization of the deformity. They will be discussed in more detail after studying the 3D model. Recovery time following surgery is typically 12-16 weeks; a good return to function would be expected.
Radiographs will need to be obtained at 4, 8, and possibly 12 weeks post-operatively to assess the healing of the surgical site. The cost for these post-surgical rechecks (exam, radiographs) is included in the surgery cost. Additional manual work or therapeutic exercises may be recommended at the recheck visits.
Let’s give sweet Miss Chelsea Daisy a new straight leg for her first birthday.
Chelsea’s initial Surgery (Read Chelsea blog post October 2023 and our March 2024 Newsletter)
Any amount raised over what is needed for Chelsea will be used for another chessie in need.
