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10-11-2008, 07:25 AM | #1 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Parkland, FL
Posts: 742
| Diagnosed with Luxating Patella Today... So we went for our bi-annual exam today and the Vet said that my 10 month old Bindi has "a mild case of Stage 1 luxating patella." What does this mean exactly, and what are it's implications? She said that currently, my Bindi's knee pops out then back in again on its own. She said she just wanted me to know bc if it progresses, it will require surgery. The vet recommended for me to give her some glucosamine supplements and not let her jump off furniture. What says YT?? What is my plan of action? Should I be very worried?? Any recs for the glucosamine supplement?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am freaking out a little bit. ~V n B
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10-11-2008, 07:44 AM | #2 | |
Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: California
Posts: 14,776
| Quote:
Glucosimine as a supplement is a wonderful suggestion......it strengthens the ligaments.......but, your vet is right, keeping her from jumping is the best way to insure that it doesn't progress. That and monitor her weight, make sure she doesn't gain too much. Surgery is the last resort and usually isn't done unless the dog is experiencing great pain or becomes crippled.
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10-11-2008, 09:11 AM | #3 |
YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 452
| If it has not been diagnosed before now and it's a "mild stage one" I would not lose a lot of sleep. Proper nutrition is the order of the day (always) , learn to determine proper body weight by touch, and limit play time on slick surfaces. Jumping is very hard to control, but you can control the surface on which your dog jumps. If the footing is secure, like a rug, there is less chance for joint strain. I think it's note worthy that the drastic increase in joint problems tracks with the increase of hard surface floors in our homes (wood/tile). I would consider surgery only as a last resort. I have personally seen cases where there was no improvement after the surgery, and the dog just wasn't the same after the surgery and recovery time. As always, JMHO.
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10-11-2008, 09:46 AM | #4 |
Loved by Maddie & Libby Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: North Dakota
Posts: 10,732
| Libby has grade 2 in both back legs. My vet told me to keep her skinny and she'll be fine. I give Libby Flexicose which is a glucosamine complex. It's liquid and I take it myself and can really notice if I run out and have to skip it for a while. Libbys doing great and it's been months since I've seen her favor one of her legs, so I really think the Flexicose is doing well for her. I first got mine from the flexicose site, but since, have gotten it on Ebay where I can get a better deal.
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10-11-2008, 10:59 AM | #5 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Parkland, FL
Posts: 742
| she jumps from furniture to carpet but runs around a lot on tile. Is this tile running hazardous? Is it possible to keep her lp where it is at and not progress
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10-11-2008, 11:04 AM | #6 | |
Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: California
Posts: 14,776
| Quote:
You can order lil stairs for her to get off and on furniture.....Walgreens had them for about $10.00. Cosequin (glucosemin) for cats is what my vet prescribed because the dosage is adequate for toy dogs.
__________________ Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Last edited by Mardelin; 10-11-2008 at 11:05 AM. | |
10-11-2008, 11:21 AM | #7 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Parkland, FL
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__________________ Always wear your party hat! Proud Mommy to Bindi and Nimki | |
10-11-2008, 12:32 PM | #8 | |
Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Yorkietown
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10-11-2008, 12:34 PM | #9 |
YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 452
| If you consider the design of the dog when she jumps down off of the furniture her front end is absorbing the shock. The front is designed to carry more than half of the dogs weight and if the dog is well balanced jumping down from a moderate distance is probably not going to hurt her. The problem is in jumping up but then landing on the hind legs. They are not designed for that kind of shock, especially if the surface does not allow for solid footing. If the foot hits the ground and the transfer of energy is directly into the knee it's bad, but if the knee is at an odd angle, it will damage the knee. The knee is primarily designed to propel the dog forward, not to absorb shock. Slick surface and repetitive jumping and landing on the hind legs are the sources of damage, limiting these activities is your best defense against further deterioration.
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10-11-2008, 01:01 PM | #10 |
Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: California
Posts: 14,776
| If you've ever seen a skeleton of a toy dog leg you'd be amazed, they look like chicken bones....the groove where the knee joins to the upper half of the leg is not as deep as larger dogs. Breeders in the more recent years have become very cognizent of this and are taking great care when breeding to breed out LP. However, that doesn't protect them from every day activity. My whelping pen floors are lined with tile square rubber mats, so that when they begin to walk they have solid footing....their x-pens are also lined, so that I can protect their legs as much as possible through their growing period.....
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10-11-2008, 01:42 PM | #11 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: S. W. Suburbs of Chicago, IL
Posts: 12,235
| Bogey was diagnosed at his first vet visit after I brought him home from the shelter. He has Grade 1 in both legs but it is more noticable on the left. The vet said to keep him on the light side, and if he progressed he would start him the glucosamine. Bogey was a rescue and I could tell that he had a problem when I went to see him but I brought him home anyway and just figured that we would take care of it if necessary. I was relieved that it was LP and not something life threatening. Good nutrision was something else he recommended but the poor little guy was not well taken care of. He also said that he will be more likely to develop arthritis but that is also helped with the glucosamine. Good luck but I don't think you need to be too freaked out. I was also told that sometimes it progresses and others never do.
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10-12-2008, 02:16 PM | #12 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Parkland, FL
Posts: 742
| She showed no signs of limping. I had no worries about this. but my vet said she regularly checks for this as her husband is a surgeon. She said had she had not been looking for it, she would have missed it.
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10-12-2008, 02:18 PM | #13 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Parkland, FL
Posts: 742
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Thanks everyone. I am gonna check out flexicose for my Bindi. I just bought her some treats from the holistic pet shop that are called Happy Hips and have glucosamine and condriotin in it....hope its a beneficial treat until i get the supplement. also, what is the dosage for flexicose? it is for dogs, correct?
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10-12-2008, 02:20 PM | #14 |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| It sounds like she will be just fine if it doesn't progress. Dogs with LP may benefit from glucosamine. My choice is Cosequin because of the research backing it. SynoviG3 and Glycoflex "may" be comparable. Keep her on the lean side and limit jumping when you can. Swimming and walking might help strengthen her knees but don't overdue, especially if she is showing symptoms.
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