Quote:
Originally Posted by cobird2  I'm just a new mom and wonder about leg problems. How do the legs look when they have luxating patellas? Are they found just in the back legs? How do they affect the dog's movement?
Any info will be appreciated.
Thank you. |
Patellas are knees and they are only found in the back legs. front legs have elbows. the legs will look normal but you may notice a hunched back if the legs are really really bad and the knees will point outward instead of straight ahead. If the LPs are just a low grade you may not notice anything wrong. As the grades get higher you will see more symptoms. sometimes they will be running along and you will see them hike up the leg or kick it out behind them. they are doing this to put the knee back in place because it pops out of the socket. as the progression gets worse you will notice them holding the leg up more and more. you will notice a limp and they will even cry out in pain if they step on it wrong or if you touch it wrong. it does hurt. LPs that are grade 3 or 4 need to be surgically fixed. 1 and 2 can be treated with supplements but keep in mind they will NOT get better. only worse. sometimes they will stay the same if you try to prevent the dog from jumping and running around like a nut (which is hard with yorkies and their "zoomies")