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Originally Posted by BellarousasMom  So starting a joint supplement asap would be a good idea? Bella will be 2 the 25th of this month. |
If she were mine, I'd take her to my vet now and not wait until her annual check up in August. Depending on what grade he gives her knees, I'd either start conservative treatment, i.e, joint supplement, restricting jumping, etc. or get a referral to an orthopedic vet (grades 3-4).
Surgery is actually quite successful if done early enough. Waiting years can mean limited success or even be too late, depending on how much arthritis has set in.
A member on the Maltese forum I belong to did a "wait and see" on her Maltese's knees per her vet. She never got a second opinion from an ortho vet. At age five, the poor guy is extremely bow legged in the front and in constant pain. At this point she was told he would get only minimal pain relief from surgery so she must rely on pain medications and acupuncture to give him as much quality of life as possible. Obviously, she is very upset that her vet never discussed surgery or referred her to an ortho vet when he was only 2-3 years old.