Dislocated knee caps? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

yorkiesrock · 06-11-2007, 06:45 AM

My furbabies 2 back legs have dislocated knee caps. The vet says he should be fine as long as he doesn't start limping. He was walking in the park yesterday and stopped suddenly and began to whine. He limped a little but then was back to his normal jumping self when I got home. He was walking normally this morning as well. I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Maybe his knees are getting weaker. So I was wondering does anyone else have a yorkie with this same problem? If so did they need to have surgery and what did that entail?

CO_yorkie_momma · 06-11-2007, 08:09 AM

Yorkies are prone to getting luxating patellas especially if they do alot of jumping off of things. It depends on what grade your yorkies knees are whether it may require surgery in the future but I would definately try to limit the jumping in the future.

red98vett · 06-11-2007, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CO_yorkie_momma

Yorkies are prone to getting luxating patellas especially if they do alot of jumping off of things. It depends on what grade your yorkies knees are whether it may require surgery in the future but I would definately try to limit the jumping in the future.

I agree !! We're seeing more and more of this due to breeders not checking or caring about the dogs they breed. I'm sorry he's in pain and you really do need to limit his jumping or he'll really be in pain

CO_yorkie_momma · 06-11-2007, 08:18 AM

Alot of the time it isnt the breeders because these guys think they are Superman. They think they are able to leap off of tall buildings in a single jump or however the saying goes. I know I cant get mine to stop jumping off of stuff and I have a step stool in front of the couch but they would rather stand on the back of it and jump from there. Instead of going down the steps on the deck they go flying off the the side. Its no wonder they get loose knees. Trying to break them of it is very hard.

Yorkiedaze · 06-11-2007, 08:58 AM

Vets. will suggest operating on the knees if they are up to a grade 3. Please don't let it get to a grade 4 which is the highest. Ask the Vet. that checked your boy what grade the knee/knees is/are.

DieselBoy<3 · 06-11-2007, 09:03 AM

I pray it isnt Luxating Patella Grade 3 or 4!! My baby had grade 4( the vet actually said it was worse then that, because he wasnt even born with a groove for his kneecap to sit in)! Surgery has really helped my baby, he only has 3 weeks left till hes fully healed!! I will be praying for your baby... if you have any questions, Im here!!!

yorkiesrock · 06-11-2007, 09:04 AM

OK, thanks. I need to ask my vet what grade they are. It must be a low number because he seems fine now.

but4grace23 · 06-12-2007, 10:00 AM

My precious baby Missy (short for Miss America) had to have surgery on both knees! She had surgery on the right one on April 5,2007 and due to the extra weight on the left it couldn't wait the usual three months and so she had surgery on the left one on May 17,2007. The second one seems to be doing great but the right one, the one she had done first is still giving her problems. It's just so sad to see them go through this much pain. She goes back to the vet on Monday, June 18th, and hopefully he can determine why she is having such problems with that right knee. Her knees were really bad. Seems that there was almost no groove for the knee cap to sit in. And due to them slipping out of place she had become pigeon toed. She is so much better and yet still having problems. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy! It's been so awful and has really messed up her summer. She loves it outside and loves to smell the flowers!

yorkiesrock · 06-13-2007, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by but4grace23

My precious baby Missy (short for Miss America) had to have surgery on both knees! She had surgery on the right one on April 5,2007 and due to the extra weight on the left it couldn't wait the usual three months and so she had surgery on the left one on May 17,2007. The second one seems to be doing great but the right one, the one she had done first is still giving her problems. It's just so sad to see them go through this much pain. She goes back to the vet on Monday, June 18th, and hopefully he can determine why she is having such problems with that right knee. Her knees were really bad. Seems that there was almost no groove for the knee cap to sit in. And due to them slipping out of place she had become pigeon toed. She is so much better and yet still having problems. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy! It's been so awful and has really messed up her summer. She loves it outside and loves to smell the flowers!

Oh no that is so sad. I hope Missy isn't in too much pain. Keep up posted on what the vet tell you next week.

but4grace23 · 06-13-2007, 06:41 AM

I will keep you posted. The vet that did the surgery is out of town until next week. She was in so much pain that I took her to her regular vet anyway. They couldn't hold her still enough to get an ex-ray and wanted to put her to sleep to get the picture. I said no ......because if there is something wrong with it then she will just have to be put to sleep again to fix it. She only weighs 3lbs and anesthesia is very hard on her. So in the mean time they gave me some pain medicine and I am doing therapy with her in the bathtub to strengthen that leg. She seems to be doing better. Thanks for the comment!

yorkiesrock · 06-13-2007, 04:00 PM

I hope the vet can help her out. Is she taking pain meds?

I was wondering how do they take an x-ray of a dog? My furbaby needs to have an x-ray taken this Friday because he has been vomiting alot and the vet said he might have something lodged in his stomach. Do they have to put him to sleep or can they just hold him still? I hope he doesn't have anything in his stomach because if he does then he needs yet another surgery

but4grace23 · 06-14-2007, 06:42 AM

They may be able to ex-ray him while he's awake. Just depends if they can keep him still. My baby is way to wiggly. She would hold still for me but they won't let me go back there. Anyway......good luck!

yorkiesrock · 06-14-2007, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by but4grace23

They may be able to ex-ray him while he's awake. Just depends if they can keep him still. My baby is way to wiggly. She would hold still for me but they won't let me go back there. Anyway......good luck!

Thanks, I'll let you know what happens.

but4grace23 · 07-03-2007, 08:51 AM

Took my baby back to the vet and they x-rayed her right knee again.......no wonder she was in pain! The pin they put in her leg was too long! It was poking into her muscle every time she tried to straighten her leg. Poor Baby! The vet immediately scheduled another surgery. He had intended on snipping the pin off but her knee had healed so well that he was able to remove it. He said she would hold it up for a few days but otherwise only restriction was no jumping. Well..........I think she felt so much better......she never even held the leg up! The day after surgery she was running around like a bullet. She even climbed the stairs in our 5th wheel. She's never climbed stairs before! We couldn't believe the difference in her.......her Daddy has decided that they must surely have removed the pin and inserted a spring!

lizziepooh_1 · 07-06-2007, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkiesrock

My furbabies 2 back legs have dislocated knee caps. The vet says he should be fine as long as he doesn't start limping. He was walking in the park yesterday and stopped suddenly and began to whine. He limped a little but then was back to his normal jumping self when I got home. He was walking normally this morning as well. I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Maybe his knees are getting weaker. So I was wondering does anyone else have a yorkie with this same problem? If so did they need to have surgery and what did that entail?

How old is your yorkie? Tia has luxating patella and I got various responses regarding her treatment when I asked the opinion of several vets. When I accumulate the responses I pretty much ended up with the following info:

Luxating patella is common among smaller breed dogs.
Your pup can be born with it, or it can develop Lp (ie from a fall).
Surgery is not necessarily the first course of action, your vet may reccommend other treatment first.
Depending on the grade of LP, many yorkies can learn to cope with their LP because they are lightweight dogs.
A dog's bones and jonts continue to grow, develope and "harden" up to 10 months of age....bring your pup to the vet around teh 10 month mark to reasses her LP.
15% or higher gradation will likely need surgery, and once your vet has assessed 15% or higher, most insurance companies won't cover surgery costs.
The surgery is costly but you get what you pay for...better to pay a little more and do the knee once than pay less and have to do it 2 or 3 times (i've heard of this on this forum).
Some vets will offer a "discount" for doing both knees the same time....double check with what your vet recommends and what would be expected of you for post-operative care...make sure you can handle it!
If surgery is necessary, try to find a vet that is a specialist in LP (I think the title would be orthopedic surgeon)

I am not a vet.....and I don't recommend you take any of this info seriously unless you run it by a vet (or a few vets!)....these statements are just a summary of the research that I did in my area.

I hope this helps....and if you learn anything new, do share with us.

06-11-2007, 06:45 AM	#1
yorkiesrock YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York Posts: 529	Dislocated knee caps? My furbabies 2 back legs have dislocated knee caps. The vet says he should be fine as long as he doesn't start limping. He was walking in the park yesterday and stopped suddenly and began to whine. He limped a little but then was back to his normal jumping self when I got home. He was walking normally this morning as well. I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Maybe his knees are getting weaker. So I was wondering does anyone else have a yorkie with this same problem? If so did they need to have surgery and what did that entail?

06-11-2007, 09:03 AM	#6
DieselBoy<3 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 128	I pray it isnt Luxating Patella Grade 3 or 4!! My baby had grade 4( the vet actually said it was worse then that, because he wasnt even born with a groove for his kneecap to sit in)! Surgery has really helped my baby, he only has 3 weeks left till hes fully healed!! I will be praying for your baby... if you have any questions, Im here!!! __________________ ♥R.I.P. PopPop...You will always be loved and missed♥

06-12-2007, 10:00 AM	#8
but4grace23 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Soddy Daisy, Tennessee Posts: 12	It is such an awful thing! My precious baby Missy (short for Miss America) had to have surgery on both knees! She had surgery on the right one on April 5,2007 and due to the extra weight on the left it couldn't wait the usual three months and so she had surgery on the left one on May 17,2007. The second one seems to be doing great but the right one, the one she had done first is still giving her problems. It's just so sad to see them go through this much pain. She goes back to the vet on Monday, June 18th, and hopefully he can determine why she is having such problems with that right knee. Her knees were really bad. Seems that there was almost no groove for the knee cap to sit in. And due to them slipping out of place she had become pigeon toed. She is so much better and yet still having problems. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy! It's been so awful and has really messed up her summer. She loves it outside and loves to smell the flowers!

06-13-2007, 06:41 AM	#10
but4grace23 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Soddy Daisy, Tennessee Posts: 12	Missy I will keep you posted. The vet that did the surgery is out of town until next week. She was in so much pain that I took her to her regular vet anyway. They couldn't hold her still enough to get an ex-ray and wanted to put her to sleep to get the picture. I said no ......because if there is something wrong with it then she will just have to be put to sleep again to fix it. She only weighs 3lbs and anesthesia is very hard on her. So in the mean time they gave me some pain medicine and I am doing therapy with her in the bathtub to strengthen that leg. She seems to be doing better. Thanks for the comment!

06-13-2007, 04:00 PM	#11
yorkiesrock YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York Posts: 529	I hope the vet can help her out. Is she taking pain meds? I was wondering how do they take an x-ray of a dog? My furbaby needs to have an x-ray taken this Friday because he has been vomiting alot and the vet said he might have something lodged in his stomach. Do they have to put him to sleep or can they just hold him still? I hope he doesn't have anything in his stomach because if he does then he needs yet another surgery Last edited by yorkiesrock; 06-13-2007 at 04:01 PM.

06-11-2007, 08:09 AM	#2
CO_yorkie_momma My Angels Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Colorful Colorado Posts: 2,260	Yorkies are prone to getting luxating patellas especially if they do alot of jumping off of things. It depends on what grade your yorkies knees are whether it may require surgery in the future but I would definately try to limit the jumping in the future.

06-11-2007, 08:18 AM	#4
CO_yorkie_momma My Angels Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Colorful Colorado Posts: 2,260	Alot of the time it isnt the breeders because these guys think they are Superman. They think they are able to leap off of tall buildings in a single jump or however the saying goes. I know I cant get mine to stop jumping off of stuff and I have a step stool in front of the couch but they would rather stand on the back of it and jump from there. Instead of going down the steps on the deck they go flying off the the side. Its no wonder they get loose knees. Trying to break them of it is very hard.

06-11-2007, 08:58 AM	#5
Yorkiedaze My hairy-legged girls Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: lompoc, ca. Posts: 12,228	Vets. will suggest operating on the knees if they are up to a grade 3. Please don't let it get to a grade 4 which is the highest. Ask the Vet. that checked your boy what grade the knee/knees is/are.

06-11-2007, 09:04 AM	#7
yorkiesrock YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York Posts: 529	OK, thanks. I need to ask my vet what grade they are. It must be a low number because he seems fine now.

06-14-2007, 06:42 AM	#12
but4grace23 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Soddy Daisy, Tennessee Posts: 12	Ex-rays They may be able to ex-ray him while he's awake. Just depends if they can keep him still. My baby is way to wiggly. She would hold still for me but they won't let me go back there. Anyway......good luck!

07-03-2007, 08:51 AM	#14
but4grace23 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Soddy Daisy, Tennessee Posts: 12	Missy is better!! Took my baby back to the vet and they x-rayed her right knee again.......no wonder she was in pain! The pin they put in her leg was too long! It was poking into her muscle every time she tried to straighten her leg. Poor Baby! The vet immediately scheduled another surgery. He had intended on snipping the pin off but her knee had healed so well that he was able to remove it. He said she would hold it up for a few days but otherwise only restriction was no jumping. Well..........I think she felt so much better......she never even held the leg up! The day after surgery she was running around like a bullet. She even climbed the stairs in our 5th wheel. She's never climbed stairs before! We couldn't believe the difference in her.......her Daddy has decided that they must surely have removed the pin and inserted a spring!