My yorkie was 1 year old on September and at the end of August she was diagnosed with Luxating Patella in both back legs. She had been favoring the back left and we went on vacation in August and she pretty much quit using the leg, however she would run on it. My vet said the faster the gait that they can still use the leg. She referred me to a specialist in Pittsburgh and she was diagnosed with stage 4 in the left and stage 3 in the right. On September 29th she had the left knee fixed. She will have to have the right one done after the first of the year. My vet and the specialist said that the only way to correct LP is surgery. The specialist said that when they are young that they can usually do both legs at the same time (which is actually cheaper in the long run) but her left one was so bad he wanted to do them seperately. She is going on 7 weeks with her recovery and goes for her 8 week checkup next Tuesday the 23rd. So hopefully the x-rays will show good news. personally I would not put it off. It can cause lots of other problems like a twisted femur and then you are looking at hip problems which can lead to back problems. The vets could not even manipulate her left knee back into the socket. She acted fine though no crying and she ran and played like nothing. The only sign she showed as a problem was not using the leg when walking. LP is very common in small breed dogs and it can be genetic. I am sorry he is having these problems but if it is LP you will have to consider surgery. It will not go away it will only get worse. I hope when you see your vet it is good news and he does not have LP. Good Luck |