Legg Calve Perth Disease
 

I have a question, and this has always confused me. Fiona my 2 year old yorkie started limping sometime around last May, I took her to the vet and we were concerned that she has lost muscle mass in her right leg. They took Xrays and they were suspicious of Legg Perth Disease. The Xrays were sent to a specialists at Ohio State University, and they confirmed Legg Perth Disease. I spoke with the vet on my options. She could have the surgery. Now by the time all of this information was brought back to me she was no longer limping. She had been put on pain medication which seemed to do the trick. Because she stopped limping and now runs and walks on her leg like a champ, and no long as a decrease in muscle mass in that right leg, I kind of forgot about the whole thing. Is there something that I am missing? I spoke with the breeder, and she told me that she has never heard of Legg Perth Disease and has been breeding yorkies for years and years. She has 2 of Fiona's siblings and her mother, and keeps in touch with most of the people who get her puppies. So I am wondering, if she is not having any difficulties with that leg, should I be concerned, and maybe consider the surgery?:confused:

Wow, I would be very suspicious of a breeder who has never heard of LPD.

There are lots of people here whose dogs have this and I think most of those dogs, if not all, have had to have surgery.

It will not go away. Sounds like the pain meds made it more bearable for a while. If it gets bad enough she could lose the use of her leg altogether.:(

One of mine has it and had surgery at 7 mos. old. I did a lot of research on it and talked to a lot of people before the surgery because I wasn't sure if I really "needed" to get the surgery done. If it truly is LPD, they need the surgery. My vet gave me the option of doing it herself or having a specialist do it at my vets office. I chose the specialist cause he had done so many more of the surgeries and I was worried about my dog cause she weighed a little over 3 lbs. at the time. She came through it just fine and I am really glad I had it done.:thumbup:

If you do a search on here about LPD, you will come up with more info, too.

I hope things go well with Fiona. :) Keep us updated.

I am sorry your baby was having this problem and I am glad she is doing better at this time.

Here is a great article on Legg Calve Perthe Disease:
http://www.ahtluvr.com/ahtleggperthes.html

While it is possible that the vet made a wrong diagnosis, it could be that she has the disease and it is just progressing slowly. Did the vet say how severe it was and when he thought she would need surgery? How long ago was she diagnosed with it? I think she should be x-rayed again to see how fast the disease is progressing and then follow the advise of the vet. This is something you don't want to wait until it is very serious before you take action. I read that children also get this and glucosamine can help. Please keep us updated on her prognosis.

A second x-ray is very important. The pain meds are probably just masking the problem. I agree with the others, she should be taken back to the vet.
Wishing you all the best with your baby.


Sheilagh

Wow, I too would be very suspicious of a breeder who has never heard of LPD and LP... I ran into a breeder that had never heard of LP.. I was so surprised at the amount of puppies she sells...