Hi Everyone,
Moose went to the vet yesterday after a couple days of strange behavior that we couldn't seem to diagnose. He wasn't really putting his right back leg down- just kind of scooting it across the floor. Our vet quickly diagnosed luxating patella in his back right leg and said that he has very loose kneecaps on all legs, especially the back two.
Of course all we ever want is for our babies to be happy and healthy and I was so upset to hear this news. The vet is not optomistic about Moose being able to function normally without surgery; we are giving him 2 weeks of rest/confinement to see if the kneecaps will stive give him trouble after they have been allowed to rest. The good side is that he doesn't seem to be in visible pain, he just isn't his normal active self, and this of course inhibits his ability to run and play.
The vet also wants to conduct a bile acid test next week just to rule out a liver shunt. Moose does have frequent bouts of tummy upset (as you have probably seen from my previous threads!) but this is usually due to the mischevious little guy eating something he shouldn't. He doesn't exhibit any other symptoms associated with liver shunts at all, but the vet is concerned with frequent g.i. upset and wants to rule it out once and for all.
I have spent hours reading this forum and all of the threads about luxating patella and whether or not to do the surgery based on what stage the condition is in (we have not diagnosed the stage yet, Moose will be back for x rays to do this). So I am just looking for stories from yorkie owners who have very small babies (Moose is only 4lbs!) who have either had the surgery or elected not to, and how things have turned out. I am extremely worried about how risky and dangerous the surgery is for such a small dog.
Please reply if you have been through this and can share your story; I would appreciate it SO much! Thank you!
