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Originally Posted by Buster Brown  Hello LP is luxating Patella which is basically his kneecap pops out of alignment and then back in. If you ever see your dog skip /hop or extend a leg like it is stiff chances are the knee has popped out and they will limp or favor it until it pops back in. The are 4 grades of LP from 1-4. 1 being that it occasionally pops out and then pops back in without much trouble for the dog. Grade 4 is the worst and is where the kneecap constantly pops out and has a hard time returning to correct alignment. There are two main approaches to care and correction. In some cases they dog is just crate rested or in Buster's case surgery was needed. I got the surgery because the Doctor said both his rear legs were grade3/4. If I did not repair it the surgeon felt he would get arthritis later on and possibly a permanent limp. I just got surgery on one leg as he was only favoring 1 at the time. My Orthopedic surgeon believes only in operating on the leg when there are problems not just because he has LP. I just did not want him to be in pain and that is what the limping is, also if they stand and hold up a leg so as not to put weight on it because of the pain. It can be very expensive so you might want to consider getting Pet insurance before getting a diagnosis so it would not be considered a preexisting condition by the insurance. I am with PetPlan and they cover LP and other hereditary issues which some insurance companies do not so please do your research on insurance before getting it. Buster's 1 leg cost about $4,000.00 but I went to a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon. I used to do the same thing with Buster he loved long walks and I did not realize he was having issues as he only limped occasionally. Good luck and best wishes. |
Yes, very good advice, I wish I had known before taking her to get diagnosed, surgery will have to come out of my pocket since none will accept with pre-existing condition...