Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladymom  The luxation itself doesn't cause pain. It's when arthritis sets in that it becomes painful. Often it is too late for a successful surgery then. It is not a good thing to have one’s knee cap out of place; the entire weight-bearing stress of the rear leg is altered which, in time, leads to changes in the hips, long bones, and ultimately arthritis. How severe the changes are depend on how severe the luxation is (i.e. the grade as described above) and how long that degree of luxation has been going on. In time, the legs will actually turn outward with its muscles turning inward, making the dog “bow-legged.” The luxation is not considered a painful condition but after enough time and conformational change, arthritis sets in, which is indeed painful. Medial Luxating Patella
We have a little Maltese on another forum whose front legs are now so bowed from his bad knees that he is in constant pain. His owner took a "wait & see" attitude per her vet until he was six and he started shows signs of pain. She then took him to an orthopedic vet and was told it was too late to do the surgery. The poor guy has to be on Tramadol for the rest of his life to help with the pain.
That's why it is so important to get knees evaluated by a board certified orthopedic vet and if surgery is recommended, not to wait until it is too late. |
if they have surgery they still will have arthritis is what the bc orthos told me so not sure that will prevent it - my dee dee will be 6 this year and was graded at 4 and shows no sign of pain - I think it depends on the dog. I do not supplement her as she has horrible allergies and hypothyroid, mvd, as well as atopic dermatitis but if she did not have all the other issues I would use Cosequin - this is the one i have heard great things about
Cosequin Reqular Strength