share your experience with luxating patella

[supercute]

I would like to here peoples experiences with luxating patella. Carmen has been diagnosed with it in both here hind legs. The joint specialist said surgery is an option but we don't know if we want to put here through the stress of surgery. She is 8 yrs old.

So has anybody here gone through surgery for luxating patella?

 

[Sush]

I havn't personally gone through the experience with a dog with this condition but I do have a chi mix (which are a breed very prone to having it). When did your dog develop it? It's very uncomfortable and sometimes very painful to dogs who have it so most of the time i think owners opt for the surgery. I was wonderinf if it was something they have early on or if they develop it later on in life...I'm also interested in knowing about people's experiences with it.

edit...I was reading about it in this article, it answered some of my questions
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1569&articleid=457

 

[supercute]

To answer your question, it started to develop around 7 yrs. old. The problem is she has it in both hind legs. The doctor said she would have to have one leg done, recover, and then the second. The doctor seemed to think it wasn't a good idea, but I think we are going to get a second opinion.

 

[Sush]

I think that's a good idea

 

[Doberluv]

My male Chi has it in both knees. He had the surgery on the one when he was just a couple of years old. It got so that it was causing him a lot of pain and kept slipping out often. In the first few days of recovery, he was miserable and in terrible pain. She shook and quivered and cried until his bladder let loose, even with pain meds. But after the first few days, he felt much, much better. That intense pain seemed to be gone. It was fine and his knee seemed intact for a couple of years, then it started slipping again. Apparently, this can happen where the repair just doesn't hold. However, he has been going along with this for quite some time now and it rarely gives him any problem. Occassionally, I'll see him stretch it out behind him as if trying to re-adjust it and then all is well. The patella on the other side has never been severe enough to cause him much trouble at all. He runs like the wind and can jump and play, so unless or untill it becomes really troublesome, I'm going to avoid the surgery.

With your dog, I also would avoid the surgery IF he is relatively functional, pain free and it doesn't bother him too much. How is it with your dog? If it's severe, I'd go with the surgery. There is just nothing else to do.

I wish you and your dog the best. It's an unpleasant defect with a lot of small dogs....such a shame.

 

[PWCorgi]

Frodo was diagnosed with Grade 1 luxating patella in his left knee about a month ago (at 18 months of age). Grade 1 means it can only be removed from the socket manually, not from running/jumping, etc. He does not seem to be in any pain and he still runs around like a nutcase
Right now it doesn't seem like we are going to have to do surgery unless he suffers some sort of trauma to the knee.
The reason I even found out was because I was noticing that Frodo was having trouble stepping up on curbs (wouldn't make it up the first try) and just seemed very unsteady so off to the vet we went. It turns out the unsteadyness (if that's even a word) was coming from a bulging disk in his back, and his left hip is also not very good. So even though it had nothing to do with his problem I'm glad that I know

(Izzy, on the other hand, who is built like a freaking tank, is healthy as a horse )

 

[Doberluv]

Oh good. Then it doesn't sound too severe. I hope his back and hip don't cause him too much trouble. Best of luck!

 

[supercute]

Thanks for all the replies. In my case, Carmen pretty much limps all the time, but she doesn't really make any noise to let us know she's in pain. She is very hesitant jumping up stairs. I carry her up stairs so she is never putting a lot of pressure on her hind legs. Basically Carmen walks from the bottom of the stairs to outside to do her business, then from the top of the stairs to her bed. She is very inactive. She no longer will take walks because of this too. I wish I could get into her little dome head to find out how she feels...

 

[Doberluv]

A-w-w-w poor thing. I wonder if there isn't something the vet can give her to make her feel better. She must be limping on account of pain. (?) I hope she can be made more comfortable.

 

[PWCorgi]

Oh good. Then it doesn't sound too severe. I hope his back and hip don't cause him too much trouble. Best of luck!

As of right now I don't think anything is giving him much trouble, nothing in his personality has changed and he's definitaly not slowing down any, though he is quite upset that he's no longer allowed to jump on the couches/bed anymore, better safe than sorry!
Thanks

 

[supercute]

A-w-w-w poor thing. I wonder if there isn't something the vet can give her to make her feel better. She must be limping on account of pain. (?) I hope she can be made more comfortable.

She's been on numerous medications for the limping including Previcox, Zubrin, and most recently, Rimadyl. It is very hard to tell if any of it makes a difference.

 

[Danner&Daisy]

My 4 1/2 year old lab, Danner was diagnosed with Luxating Patella and we decided to go ahead with the surgery (he is a quite active dog). The surgery went great, and we thought the recovery period was going great as well. He was in a cast for about two weeks, with regular vet checks all seemed to be going well...I took him in to have the cast removed and his leg had swelled under the cast and destroyed the tissue in his foot. He gave no indication that there was anything going on under the cast (he obviously has a very high pain tolerance). He had to have his leg amputated. So of course my best advice for someone having surgery on their dogs leg is to be extra careful and make sure all is going well under the bandages/cast. It has been a little over a year now and Danner is doing great and does just fine on his three legs. It has slowed him down a bit, doesn't get the zoomies quite so often now. But all is well and we love him just a little more and let him know how special he is every day!

 

[SeniorPetLover]

I've gone through it with one of mine and she needs surgery on the other knee, too...she is 10 years old. She carries the leg and will only step on it every few steps. She isn't painful, even when manipulated...that's why I have held off...she was hurting so bad AFTER the first surgery and I hate the thought of putting her through it again...She weighs 4 pounds. She did make a full recovery, but she cried every time she moved for several days post-surgery and that was with pain meds...She wasn't cast, just wrapped. I would do it again if she was sore, but right now, I think I will leave well enough alone.

 

[Sush]

Thanks for all the replies. In my case, Carmen pretty much limps all the time, but she doesn't really make any noise to let us know she's in pain. She is very hesitant jumping up stairs. I carry her up stairs so she is never putting a lot of pressure on her hind legs. Basically Carmen walks from the bottom of the stairs to outside to do her business, then from the top of the stairs to her bed. She is very inactive. She no longer will take walks because of this too. I wish I could get into her little dome head to find out how she feels...

Dogs normally won't make a noise to let you know they are in pain unless it's a large amount of sudden pain. Some dogs will wine and wimper, depending on how vocal they are, but some will remain silent while in pain. I think she's telling you how she feels by her actions (ie. limping, refusing to go upstairs or take walks) it's obviously affecting her life in a negative way. IF I were you I'd ask myself "Will her quality of life be greater if the surgery is done?" If the answer is yes....do it.

 

[supercute]

I took him in to have the cast removed and his leg had swelled under the cast and destroyed the tissue in his foot.

I'm so sorry to hear about Danner's leg amputation. I' glad to hear he still gets around pretty well. I'm a bit nervous to go through with surgery on Carmen due to all the pain she will come across, plus it's not a guarantee she will walk any better. She loved being the baby of the family and going everywhere with us. I'd carry her around with us forever if I have to.

 

[Danner&Daisy]

Danner wasn't in a lot of pain before his surgery, he pretty much just "favored" his leg. He was still incredibly hyper and ran all over the place like a maniac, it was only when he went slow that it seemed to bother him. Even after the surgery when he was in the cast it was hard to slow him down. The vet said his knee healed beautifully but his foot "injury" was not treatable and she was surprised at Danner's pain tolerance. Even when they were trying to save his foot by "sluffing" the damaged tissue he did not show any signs of pain, he just let them do their thing with no complaints. It is amazing what he went through, I know that I would have been crying like a baby from the pain. (I cried like a baby for him!) We are just happy to have him happy and healthy and now that he has a little sister he is much more active!

 

[bubbatd]

Do what you can .....no dog should be given up unless a vet says there's no hope .

 

[mjb]

My Pug had the surger on his right hind leg when he was about 6 or 7 because he was limping or not putting any weight on the leg at all. The vet said the other leg had the same problem and would more than likely need the surgery some time down the road.

He lived to be 13. He recovered very quickly from the surgery. He was activing, running and jumping, until old age hit him hard. He never had an issue with the other leg.