Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladymom  Compensating for the bad knees puts abnormal stress on other joints which cause arthritic changes.
I believe bow legs are a fairly common side effect of severely luxated patellas: If both legs are affected, the dog may adopt a crouched gait and posture, appear bow legged and may even walk on the forelegs with the hind legs completely off the ground. Luxating patella - a knee cap problem in dogs | Vetwest Animal Hospitals •Grade IV. The patella cannot be replaced manually, and the leg is carried or used in a crouching position. Extension of the stifle is virtually impossible. Tibial rotation is quite severe, resulting in a "bow legged" appearance. Patellar Luxation in Small Breed Dogs Teri Dickinson, DVM Luxated patellas or "slipped stifles" are a common orthopedic problem in small dogs. A study of 542 affected individuals revealed that dogs classified as small (adult weight 9 kg (20 lbs) or l
She is on the East coast, but I believe she has found an excellent orthopedic vet. In case I confused you, it's not the LP surgery that would be difficult, it's the severely bowed legs from arthritis that would be difficult and very costly to correct at this point.
20/20 hindsight, she wishes she had consulted an orthopedic vet much earlier instead of waiting until he developed pain.
That was the point I was trying to make, that it is important to have the knees evaluated by a board certified orthopedic vet once your regular vet has made a diagnosis of luxating patellas. They are the most qualified to diagnose and prescribe treatment based on your dog's particular case. |
I am assuming you meant the hind legs are bowed? Or are you saying her back legs were that bad and a vet ignored it until the front legs did that? Just very confusing to me.
And, yes, you are right....I don't play with that kind of thing. BUT, I have pups with LP who have not been to an ortho vet because they simply do not need to go. As soon as there are symptoms I will take them. Just because they pop on an exam does not, imo require an ortho vet. That is Grade 1....and I still find it extremely difficult to understand how that woman's dogs legs got that bad over night. There should have been symptoms!