Luxating Patella

[lilstar63100]

i am so upset right now. before breeding pebbles i had taken her to her vet that she has had since she was a puppy to do a full check up and make sure that she was completely healthy and all of that stuff. i aked the vet about luxating patella's and she checked her knees and said that they were fine. the only problem she had was her retainedcanine teeth. well i wasnt very happy the last time i took pebbles to her vet for xrays (xray developer was broken so i didnt get to see the xrays, was charged for an exam she didnt recieve) so i decided to take the pups and pebbles to the vet that i take my beagle to.. the only reason i hadnt in the past is that they are a littl pricey. anyway.. she went in today to get the stitches out from her c-section. she did a full exam on pebbles and within 2 minutes told me pebbles has a grade 2 lucating patellaon her left rear g. it was only about 4-5 months ago that the other vet checked this. how could she have mssed it!? what else could she have missed?

anyways.. the reason im posting this in he breeder section is because i dont know too much about it except what it is. is it genetic? is it something her puppies may have? or is it just something all yorkies have the chance of getting?

btw.. we have made an appointment totake the male pebbles was bred with to the new vet to get a complete check up since he was checked by the same vet as pebbles the first time.


sorry this is so long

[browniesmom622]

She should have been checked Again Right before she was bred.
I hope a breeder can answer the other question's for you.
I do believe it can or will be passed on to the pup's but i could be wrong Let's see what the other people here have to say.

[lilstar63100]

Originally Posted by browniesmom622

She should have been checked Again Right before she was bred.
I hope a breeder can answer the other question's for you.
I do believe it can or will be passed on to the pup's but i could be wrong Let's see what the other people here have to say.

She was checked in jan and bred in feb... So she was checked right before she was bred. Thats what bothers me... The vet completely missed it

[bjh]

I have read several instances where one vet may say a dog has LP and another vet might say they do not. LP can be hereditary but it can also develop later in life due to leg injuries. Excessive running and jumping can cause the knees to get worse. Perhaps just carrying the extra weight of the puppies during pregnancy made her knees weaker. Is she showing any signs of LP when she walks or runs?

[lisatodd]

Originally Posted by bjh

I have read several instances where one vet may say a dog has LP and another vet might say they do not. LP can be hereditary but it can also develop later in life due to leg injuries. Excessive running and jumping can cause the knees to get worse. Perhaps just carrying the extra weight of the puppies during pregnancy made her knees weaker. Is she showing any signs of LP when she walks or runs?

exactly....you took the words right out of my mouth.

[lilstar63100]

no I haven't seen any signs. She's never been much of a jumper... And if she does decide to jump on something she won't jump down... She whines for us to let her down.

I think maybe I should get a third opinion... Just to make sure... Either way... She has been fixed since she had such a hard time with the whelping. And her pups are staying in the family.

[TeddyandTiffy]

Originally Posted by bjh

I have read several instances where one vet may say a dog has LP and another vet might say they do not. LP can be hereditary but it can also develop later in life due to leg injuries. Excessive running and jumping can cause the knees to get worse. Perhaps just carrying the extra weight of the puppies during pregnancy made her knees weaker. Is she showing any signs of LP when she walks or runs?

Barbara can I ask U what are the signs of LP when they walk or run??? None of mine have LP but I'm just wondering what the signs are. I have a few runners in my pack such as Sage and Galahad...Should I watch them with their running when they all go out to play in the back yard & our Sage is a heck of a jumper. Just wondering can they hurt their knees by playing like this and cause LP??? U know me ask questions all the time Lee

[bjh]

Originally Posted by TeddyandTiffy

Barbara can I ask U what are the signs of LP when they walk or run??? None of mine have LP but I'm just wondering what the signs are. I have a few runners in my pack such as Sage and Galahad...Should I watch them with their running when they all go out to play in the back yard & our Sage is a heck of a jumper. Just wondering can they hurt their knees by playing like this and cause LP??? U know me ask questions all the time Lee

One of the early signs of LP is a little skip or 'hitch' in the rear movement. The dog may take off running and suddenly do a little skip because the patella slips out and then goes back in. In more severe cases the dog will not put much weight on their leg or if both knees are bad they will just walk funny, kind of bow legged. The best thing is to have a vet check and evaluate your dog. If a dog has mild LP it might not be noticeable unless you manipulate the knee. A dog can have mild LP as a young dog but it can get worse with age by running and jumping. Just like us humans can get bad knees from injuries or from being over weight, the same thing can happen to your dog. I have had a bad knee since I was 17 years old due to me twisting my knee getting in the back seat of a car on the night of the senior prom. What a bummer. I was on crutches for 3 weeks after that. I re-injured my knee a couple years later so I have to be very careful or it will slip out of joint. I can relate to how these little dogs feel.

[bjh]

The following article explain some the causes of LP. It is a interesting article and it shows that breeding dogs with proper conformation can help prevent this condition.

Summary of the Condition Luxating Patellas

[TeddyandTiffy]

Barbara that is intresting and I went to the site, copied it all took keep for reference. Thanks for the lesson. Lee

[NanaDtreasures]

Originally Posted by bjh

I have read several instances where one vet may say a dog has LP and another vet might say they do not. LP can be hereditary but it can also develop later in life due to leg injuries. Excessive running and jumping can cause the knees to get worse. Perhaps just carrying the extra weight of the puppies during pregnancy made her knees weaker. Is she showing any signs of LP when she walks or runs?

I have read the same thing over and over.
She could have jumped down from a couch pregnant and did this very easy.
My Allie is a jumper. She can jump right over a baby gate quick as can be,
None of the others can.
Allie jumps I swear over 4 feet or more straight up in the air to see out our screen door. I worry she will get this...Rrrrrrrr

[iloveYorkiesFL]

Im curious... once a dog does have LP where does it go from there? Surgery? Also, are there vitamins that would help prevent bone deterioration?

[bjh]

That is a very good question. Here is a website that explains the different grades of LP and it also gives some good information on treating it.

Luxating Patellas

[iloveYorkiesFL]

Originally Posted by bjh

That is a very good question. Here is a website that explains the different grades of LP and it also gives some good information on treating it.

Luxating Patellas

Thank you!! It looks like Vitamin C and Glucosamine supplements or Glyco-Flex will "help" build the bones!!

[lilstar63100]

Originally Posted by bjh

That is a very good question. Here is a website that explains the different grades of LP and it also gives some good information on treating it.

Luxating Patellas

Thanx for the link. The vet told me it was a grade 2 but I've never noticed even the slightest sign. It was when she manipulated it that she noticed so I'm thinking its actually a grade 1?

I don't know...
but thank you so much for all the help and information