# Legg Perthes Disease Help!



## Pancake (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi,

Luigi is 10 1/2 months old and was just diagnosed with Legg Perthes Disease in his back right leg. We will be making an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to find out more information asap. If anyone has been through this I would really appreciate learning from your experience. We love him so much and are very upset. 

Thank you

Jessica


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Oh no, I am so sorry!
I don't have any experience with that- is surgery a must?
I would def get in contact with his breeder, do they have any type of health guarantee? Hopefully that will off-set some of the cost.
Give him a big belly rub-


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

oh my gosh, I am so saddened to read this ... did they do any tests or anything? how did they diagnose him? Hopefully someone on the forum will have some advice and guidance for you. :hug:


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I am so sorry I bet you are upset . There is a web page on google about a yorkie who had surgery and is doing great . When do you go to the other doctor? I down loaded this for you 

Legg-Perthes Disease in Dogs
By Todd C. Ruzicka

* del.icio.us
* StumbleUpon


Related Entries:

* lpd
* hip
* leggperthes.com
* symptoms
* vetinfo.com

Instructions
Symptoms

*
Step 1:
Symptoms of LPD include pain and lameness of the hip area. According to Leggperthes.com, these symptoms may go unnoticed, but a veterinarian can create pain by moving the hip around and should take X-rays.

Non-Surgical Treatment

*
Step 1:
Mild cases of LPD may be treated through immobilization of the limb with a sling. Some dogs can fully recover after enforced rest.

Recovery Time

*
Step 1:
According to Vetinfo.com, dog owners should allow 1 month of recovery time during enforced rest before considering surgery.

Surgical Treatment

*
Step 1:
A veterinary surgeon may remove the dead tissue and part of the bone around the hip joint. LPD usually affects only one hip. The dog can fully recover but will "probably always have some gait abnormalities."

Causes

*
Step 1:
The direct cause of LPD is reduced blood flow to the joint; however, researchers have found that it is a genetic disease and do not agree on the means of transfer.


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## hartman studio (Feb 14, 2008)

Jessica,
I assume you saw my response on your other thread, so please don't worry too much- your puppy should be fine after surgery!! As I said- Trixie didn't even limp after a few months. I just wanted to say that you should ask your breeder to pay for the surgery (or at least some!!) as it is a genetic issue.

I'm sorry that you and your puppy have to deal with it Hugs to you both. :grouphug:

ETA: Just read the above post- I've never heard of enforced rest and not needing surgery- every case of Legg Perthes I've heard of has had the surgery. I wonder if this is a newer treatment? Like I said in my other post- Trixie's surgery was quite a while ago- I'm realizing it was close to 20 years ago!!


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## Pancake (Oct 20, 2010)

Thank you again all. 

Hartman Studio yes, I did see your other post thank you! I thought I would post a thread specifically about LP just to collect as much info as I could.  Our Vet suggested we should speak with the Ortho surgeon before we contact the breeder just so we have all the information we need. 

He had x-rays that clearly show the deterioration in his right hip. When I looked it up his xray looks like the ones I have found online. We live in N. Ca. and I also found a blog about a local Westie that went through this who's symptoms are very similar. For example not using one of his legs to run and them limping.

I have looked through my contract and can't find any mention of a health guarantee. I hope they will help out but I really have no idea. We stretched to get Luigi (my daughter has severe allergies) and he is worth every penny plus some! These new expenses are very stressful. I will do anything to make sure Luigi is healthy and happy of course! The $ is just hard to manage.

From the research I have already done, it does seem like his recovery will be different and that he will do very well but I will be a wreck until it it is all done. I hope to see the ortho asap I hate that he is in pain. Our vet has given us anti-inflammatory and pain meds for now.

Thank you for all your advice and anything else you can share. I will update as soon as I know anything.

Jessica and Luigi


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Jessica, I posted on your other thread. I know how upsetting it is when you first find out about something like this but this is definitely something Pancake can recover from and lead a full, happy, active life. It sounds like you've caught this very early before any atrophy starts in the muscles from lack of use. That's great. That means Pancake will be able to start using that leg that much quicker. 

I had a hard time getting my head around the idea that they cut off the ball of the hip and don't replace it with anything, but once Penny healed from the incision/surgery she never seemed to notice. 

Within a few months Penny was tearing around the yard playing and clearly no longer in pain.

Good Luck!


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