# Luxating Patella



## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

Hello everyone! 

This subject has probably been touched before but I don't see any new threads about it. 

I've recently switched Daisy's vet for reasons I'm not even going to get into. 
Her new vet found that she has a grade 1 luxating patella on her hind right leg. He urged me not to worry as it's grade 1 and it is common among small dogs. 

I just contacted my breeder to inform them too. Both her parents check out and they have not had any reports on their pups having this issue. 

I was just wondering, do any of your little ones have grade 1 LP? Or have any of your little ones start off with grade 1 and got worse with age? 

Thanks so much in advance!  I really appreciate and value all of you guys' advice.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

here you go

http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...cognising-floating-knee-caps-in-pet-dogs.aspx


----------



## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

davetgabby said:


> here you go
> 
> http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...cognising-floating-knee-caps-in-pet-dogs.aspx


Thank you so much!!! You always have amazing resources. I really appreciate it. I'm sure the entire forum appreciates them too! :biggrin1:


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Sorry to hear about your pup. You don't really need to worry about a grade one. My dog had a grade 1 and a grade 1-2 as a puppy. He is now 9 years old and had surgery on his left knee 2 years ago. He injured it and I assumed he was in pain so I did surgery without asking many questions. Fast forward to Nov 2014, he injured his other knee. My first reaction was to do surgery. he wasn't baring any weight on his leg. I thought he must be in pain but its more that they don't trust it so they don;t put weight on it. I thought I would wait under after the holidays to do surgery. In the meantime, I rested him for 4 weeks and tried a homeopathic vet. She gave me tendon and ligament herbs and he was cured!! He is now hiking and running with a grade 3-4 luxating patella. Keep you pup on a good diet, keep weight lean and add supplements


----------



## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

Thank you Linda! That's really helpful to know that they can live a normal life with this condition. I noticed she isn't baring much weight on that leg, more so during our walks. She sort of has this "side walk" that she does. I don't know how to explain it. 

Do you mind if I ask what kind of diet they're on and what supplements you gave/are giving them? I'm assuming they're readily available at a specialty pet store. Did you start them on supplements as puppies? So glad he's doing well with homeopathic treatment! It's a relief to hear there are other options out there.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

is your vet aware of this walking problem. ? Always consult with them before supplementing.


----------



## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to tell him yet as I've only noticed it since we switched vets and she had her first check up there.  I plan on taking it up with him the next time Daisy sees him. He seems much more thorough with her as the previous vet didn't even notice this problem. I wasn't as observant with Daisy's movements until he brought up the problem, so didn't quite notice it until recently. I will definitely consult with him before giving any supplements.  Thanks so much for all your help!


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

If she's not putting weight on it, that probably means she injured it. The only way to heal that is crate rest for at least 2 weeks. The commercial raw diets are good, unless you want to home cook and add all kinds of supplements for a complete diet. I was giving Fred Cosequin DS but I really felt the Asian herbs I got from the holistic vet worked better.


----------



## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

lfung5 said:


> Sorry to hear about your pup. You don't really need to worry about a grade one. My dog had a grade 1 and a grade 1-2 as a puppy. He is now 9 years old and had surgery on his left knee 2 years ago. He injured it and I assumed he was in pain so I did surgery without asking many questions. Fast forward to Nov 2014, he injured his other knee. My first reaction was to do surgery. he wasn't baring any weight on his leg. I thought he must be in pain but its more that they don't trust it so they don;t put weight on it. I thought I would wait under after the holidays to do surgery. In the meantime, I rested him for 4 weeks and tried a homeopathic vet. She gave me tendon and ligament herbs and he was cured!! He is now hiking and running with a grade 3-4 luxating patella. Keep you pup on a good diet, keep weight lean and add supplements


Henry was at the vet this morning and she said he had a grade 3.
He was also given a 4 week rest prescription along with anti-infamatories and a supplement.

Can you describe the rest, exactly?
He also needs to drop 2 pounds (he is 19 now)


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I am sorry to hear about Henry. If Henry is an active guy, he needs to be in a crate. If he is chill like fred he might not need to be in the crate. The first time fred injured his knee as a pup, the vet said 2 weeks strict crate rest. I literally would carry him out to pee and poo and then carry him back in. This last time he tore his CCL, I did not crate him. Fred doesn't race around. He pretty much sleeps the day away and uses his steps to get on the couch and bed. I just didn't walk him 2-3 miles a day. He went without walks for 4 weeks. He wasn't getting much better so I really though he would need surgery. As a last ditch effort, I decided to try a homeopathic vet. She gave me Jing Tang tendon & ligament herbs. I was so skeptical, I almost threw them in the trash. I swear to you, the next day fred was walking 90% better. After about 10 days on the herbs, Fred was running and hiking again. I am still giving him the herbs and keeping him lean. The surgeon said he does not need surgery at this time!! Fred does fine hiking with a grade 3-3,5 luxating patella. At this point, his knee is thick with scar tissue that it stabilizes the knee.
Since Henry is overweight, I would do everything you can to keep him from walking on it. It needs to rest. It's hard but worth it. I also got fred a stroller so he could still ride along on our hikes Keep me posted and don't hesitate to ask me anything.


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

DaisyMommy said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> This subject has probably been touched before but I don't see any new threads about it.
> 
> ...


Just because both parents have good patellas does not mean luxating patellas aren't in the line. You should ask to see both parents test results for patellas. If you xray her patellas you can find out if it is hereditary. If so, the breeder should not keep breeding those dogs. EDITING: I am just guessing that a pup can still inherit luxating patellas even if both parents are fine. I don't know for sure.


----------



## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

Here's Henry in his new LLBean therapeutic bed.
I would not say he is active. He does like to lounge and just follows me around.


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

He looks so cute!! I bet that bed feels good to the senior boy


----------



## havaneeselittlegirl (Jul 4, 2015)

*luxatimg patellar*

Interesting we have a Havaneese not yet a year old. Purchased her from a very reputable breeder and had her checked at 3 months old by 2 different vets and both gave a clean bill of health. I noticed that her leg started popping out took her to the vet who said she clearly has a patellar issue. The vet then said she can remember checking the pup for a patellar issue when she was young...I really wonder when vets notice an issue after you point it out to them, after this experience I would suggest if you are purchasing a pup get the patellar x-rayed.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

havaneeselittlegirl said:


> Interesting we have a Havaneese not yet a year old. Purchased her from a very reputable breeder and had her checked at 3 months old by 2 different vets and both gave a clean bill of health. I noticed that her leg started popping out took her to the vet who said she clearly has a patellar issue. The vet then said she can remember checking the pup for a patellar issue when she was young...I really wonder when vets notice an issue after you point it out to them, after this experience I would suggest if you are purchasing a pup get the patellar x-rayed.


The trouble is, most young puppies have loose patellas. I don't think they can EVER dx it at that age. Many structural abnormalities don't become apparent until the dog is mature. (or close to mature) That's why the final x-rays for OFA have to be taken after the dog is two.

Honestly, I would never subject a 8-12 week old puppy to orthopedic x-rays without evidence that there was a problem. If there was evidence of a problem, I wouldn't be buying the puppy.

Just as with having children, there is SOME luck involved, good and bad in terms of any specific individual. If you did your homework and purchased a well structured, healthy puppy from a experienced, reputable breeder, and the parents of the puppy were properly health tested, you may just have been unlucky. It happens. OTOH, a good breeder, IMO, stands behind the puppies they produce if something major goes wrong.


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Karen makes great points. Sometimes it not picked up until they are older. LP is due to a shallow knee cap so it is heiritary. Did you talk to your breeder? If your pups needs surgery down the road, they might give you the price you paid for the pup toward surgery. Bella's breeder did that for me when she needed liver surgery at 1.5 years old. You should tell the breeder so they can figure out where in their line this is coming from so they don't have more pups with this problem down the road.


----------



## havaneeselittlegirl (Jul 4, 2015)

Some say LP is difficult to diagnose in young dogs however according to the specialist who has identified stage 1 in a knee and stage 2 in the other (the dog is just a year old) this is not necessarily correct. The stage 2 knee should have been identified when the dog was young. The specialist recommends to leave the stage 1 however to do the stage 2 knee when the dog is a bit older to prevent early onset of arthritic issues.


----------

