Vet Appointment Today for Sadie

[Kate]

It was a bitter sweet day today. I had until today to get my new 3 yr. old Yorkie checked, and if any problems, I could return her to the breeder.
(Are you kidding - there is no way, even if she had a major problem that I could return her).

Anyway, this morning I took her out to do her thing, and she was limping on her right back leg. I almost died when I saw this. One half hour later, and she was fine.

My vet said all dogs under 30 lbs. have a patella (knee problem with the back legs - hope I got that right) problem. Sadie's is mild, but he could pop both of them in and out easily. I have a tri-level home so I hope her joints hold up.
Surgery would be $450 per knee, and she would spend one night in the dog hospital, and not be able to walk stairs for a month.

Does anyone else have this problem with their beloved dog(s)?

Everything else was fine. I complained about her breath, and he said, mine smell the same way - she is a dog. LOL I like him alot.

He finds her well groomed, but I think she looks ragged. Wonder if I will get use to this long hair look. Beth, she looks like your dog Alex.

She still is not eating hard food. The vet is getting samples for me next week. I even have a bag of food the breeder gave me, and she won't eat it.
Not sure if she ever did as the breeder had about six dogs/pups and I don't
know how she could tell what she ate.

I wrapped the hard food with soft food, and she chewed off the soft stuff
and nosed the hard food out of her dish.

I installed a baby gate on my upper deck which is 12 feet off the ground.
Do you think she will jump? Right now she is fine, but I am wondering about when she gets more familiar with her new surroundings.

Thanks everyone,

Kate
I have two different foods

[Ilovebaby]

I'm sorry to hear about SAdie's knee problems. I don't know much about it except that my mom's lhasa is going through the same thing right now. Except his is really bad and they have to do surgery monday on the first leg ($350/leg) OUr vet said that the benefits would far outweigh the negatives when he would not be in so much pain. I think you will know what is right for your Sadie, if she's in pain then you know what would be best, if she happy and healthy then you got it under control too. So good luck with Sadie and i hope everything goes well.

[I_love_lucy]

Lucy and her brother Charlie (both 3) have luxating patellas and I know that Lucy has had them since a pup. Her older cousin Martha (5) has recently had an operation to correct hers which went well but it did get really bad before that with her knee just dislocating all of the time. Not all dogs have it get to that stage, but it is a worry. I have heard loads of really good advice on here, there is a lot in the Yorkie Health and Diet section, but I guess in the end it is just something they live with. Lucy doesnt show any discomfort with it, she just hops along sometimes. When she does this we stop her and slow her down, we dont want to make the problem worse by allowing her leg to get stiff! I hope your baby is OK!!!

[PZGunstar]

These leg problems may not be patella's but they are some problem's I've been faced with. A previous yorkie of mine inherited a genetic problem in his back leg that caused his knee to fuse together with the upper and lower bone starting from his first days. It was terribly painful for him and it got to the point where right before we had the surgery to fix the fusion he was beginning to stop walking all together, and this was at the age of 1. We took him to a special center and he was fixed right up. He would always have a little limp in that leg, I admit it was kind of cute. But it was a small price to pay for him to be able to walk again.
Panzer, my current yorkie has the odd habit of lifting his back right leg up when he runs and walks. He can use it fine and it doesn't seem to cause him pain. I talked to the vet about it and he told me that his rear end muscles are shaped at a different slant each and as those muscles begin to develop he will hold that leg up more and more. So I was told to limit the amount of stairs he climbs and things he jumps. It's kind of heart breaking but as long as he can still be himself I'm fine.

[aimee]

Sandy also doesn't walk on one of her back legs. My vet has told me it is from an old wound that didn't heal properly - not her patella. She does her best to get around and does pretty well, although long walks are out of the question.

I hope that all goes well for Sadie at the vet today.

[Babbie]

Poor Sadie...if you do choose to get her operated wouldn't the breeder help you with costs? I mean...to my personall opinion, luxating patella has to be in the genes...

[kp&nala]

when my papaws dog run he will lift up one of his back legs. he's never hurt it and only does it sometimes. our dog which is one of his puppies does the same thing. i always thought it was just something they did. could something be wrong, like painful?

[kraekerr715]

My brother's dog Newman had to have surgery on his knee this year. It cost $3000!!!!!!

[eensor]

$450 is really a reasonable price for patella surgery. If it makes you feel better, my darling Gracie (RIP) had both knees done and she was as good as new in no time! As for her breath, did the vet suggest a dental cleaning? This is important in Yorkies so you might ask him about it when she is more used to being with you. I wouldn't traumatize her with anything for a while. I was suspecting this breeder might have a reason for giving her away. Good luck with your new little girl!! Aren't they awesome???

[PZGunstar]

Originally Posted by kp_23

when my papaws dog run he will lift up one of his back legs. he's never hurt it and only does it sometimes. our dog which is one of his puppies does the same thing. i always thought it was just something they did. could something be wrong, like painful?

Well That's what my dog Panzer does. I always seemed to think that it was just something he did to. Sometimes he would walk on his right rear and sometimes he would pick it up. It was like he was doing it as he pleased almost for fun. He doesn't seem in pain when he does it, nothing like a fused knee cap or dislocating bones. he just seems slower and it doesn't seem to bother him. As I said above I contemplated talking to my vet about it as it really didn't seem to be bothering him, but I did. The vet felt his rear real well nothing was wrong with the knees apparently it was the way his muscles were formed. It's odd, I'm considering getting a second opinion. But hey even if he is doing something odd with his leg it doesn't hurt to tell your vet about it.

[Kate]

Could you please let us know how this surgery turns out? Also, did the vet say he/she should not walk stairs for a month?

Thanks.

Kate

Originally Posted by Ilovebaby

I'm sorry to hear about SAdie's knee problems. I don't know much about it except that my mom's lhasa is going through the same thing right now. Except his is really bad and they have to do surgery monday on the first leg ($350/leg) OUr vet said that the benefits would far outweigh the negatives when he would not be in so much pain. I think you will know what is right for your Sadie, if she's in pain then you know what would be best, if she happy and healthy then you got it under control too. So good luck with Sadie and i hope everything goes well.

[Kate]

I am glad Martha's surgery went well.

It only popped out of place that one time, but I am looking into buying/making some stairs so she can get up to bed. I think this is the worst part for her, as I have a pillow top mattress, so it is pretty high.

Thanks.

Kate

Originally Posted by I_love_lucy

Lucy and her brother Charlie (both 3) have luxating patellas and I know that Lucy has had them since a pup. Her older cousin Martha (5) has recently had an operation to correct hers which went well but it did get really bad before that with her knee just dislocating all of the time. Not all dogs have it get to that stage, but it is a worry. I have heard loads of really good advice on here, there is a lot in the Yorkie Health and Diet section, but I guess in the end it is just something they live with. Lucy doesnt show any discomfort with it, she just hops along sometimes. When she does this we stop her and slow her down, we dont want to make the problem worse by allowing her leg to get stiff! I hope your baby is OK!!!

[snoody2004]

I am sorry to hear sadie is like that but you rather pay the price and save ur little bundle of joy then the money wont you?
Pebbles sais hi

[Kate]

It is very heartbreaking. It is also hard to keep them off of stairs. I have a tri-level home, so I try to carry her every time we get to the stairs, but she is raring to go.

Thanks for the info. At least the surgeries seem to help, and the vet said once he did the surgery, they would be fine in the future. She is not that bad, and may never get to that stage.

Kate

Originally Posted by PZGunstar

These leg problems may not be patella's but they are some problem's I've been faced with. A previous yorkie of mine inherited a genetic problem in his back leg that caused his knee to fuse together with the upper and lower bone starting from his first days. It was terribly painful for him and it got to the point where right before we had the surgery to fix the fusion he was beginning to stop walking all together, and this was at the age of 1. We took him to a special center and he was fixed right up. He would always have a little limp in that leg, I admit it was kind of cute. But it was a small price to pay for him to be able to walk again.
Panzer, my current yorkie has the odd habit of lifting his back right leg up when he runs and walks. He can use it fine and it doesn't seem to cause him pain. I talked to the vet about it and he told me that his rear end muscles are shaped at a different slant each and as those muscles begin to develop he will hold that leg up more and more. So I was told to limit the amount of stairs he climbs and things he jumps. It's kind of heart breaking but as long as he can still be himself I'm fine.

[Kate]

I doubt it, as our contract said she would not be responsible for any vet bills.

It does not matter, as I will happily pay for it if that time comes.

She is back to normal, and popped the knee back in herself, or maybe I did it when I took a magnifying glass thinking that she had a sliver in her paw.

By right though, I think you are correct.

Kate

Originally Posted by Babbie

Poor Sadie...if you do choose to get her operated wouldn't the breeder help you with costs? I mean...to my personall opinion, luxating patella has to be in the genes...