luxating patella
 

Hi, I am new to yorkie talk and have only posted a few times so I am not sure if this should post in the health forum or if this is the right forum. Please let me know and I can repost.

I have a male yorkie who was diagnosed with a luxating patella...he does not have the grooves to hold his knee cap in place. He has had x rays and several visits to the vet and we were told that there is really nothing you can do but try to limit his movement and hopefully the cartilage can rebuild. We do try to keep him from running around...no more walks:( but we also want him to be able to be a dog and play:aimeeyork especially since we have another yorkie who is full of energy all the time. We were told that since they are so small it is too risky to try and do surgery. My question is, does anyone know of alternative procedures or anything we can do to help him? This was about 2 months ago that we were told this and he now seems to be doing better but his legs (both legs are weak although the left is worse) still give out on him. Apparently it is a birth defect. He has always been a bit bowlegged in the front and we were told this is because of overcompensation because of the weak back legs. We just want to do everything we can and would like to know if anyone has had a similar diagnosis and what they did and what results they had. Thanks for feedback!

How big is your Yorkie? How old is he?

Many Yorkies here on YT have had the surgery with no problems. It's a shame to make him live a restricted life and endure painful crippling arthritis later on.

A friend has a Maltese who is very bow legged in the front as a result of compensating for his bad knees. At only age five he has been diagnosed with arthritis and is in constant pain. She has been told that it is too late for surgery now, the damage has been done, and he must suffer for the rest of his life.

I would really recommend you get a second opinion from an orthopedic vet.

Definitely get a second opinion from an ortho surgeon...one that is very versed in small dogs as well as this type of surgeries. I just went thru this with my 18 mo old. At his annual check up in Nov, his lp was at a grade 1. When I started noticing something was not right...late Feb, March, his lp had progressed to grade 3. His kneecap was not deep enough and his ligament was on the side of his bone. His affected leg was bowing/bowed. His surgery was March 31st and he is still recupertating but is so much better. I am very glad that we did this as in my case, the surgeon said there will not be an issue of arthritis. The surgeon told us that it could be possible that it will take up to 2 mos for him to "recover". All in all, the surgery was agonizing to wait to hear, then the recuperation period (6 weeks!) was very long but it is in the past now. Whew! I can say that I am glad to have done it because it means that he will not be in pain or have discomfort. Please make sure that you get a 2nd opinion from a well qualified surgeon, it will make a world of difference for your baby and you. Good luck. feel free to pm me if you have any questions. :)

Elvis is 6 already. He always was a bit bow legged but we never really thought anything of it and it was never mentioned by his vet. He was pretty active and never really had any problem until about 6 months ago. We noticed he seemed to be limping a bit so we took him to the vet and were told that he was a bit over weight ( he currently weighs about 10 lbs but at then time was about 11) They gave us a pain killer (tramadol) and told us he needed to lose about 1 lb and to cut back his food. They were unable to take x rays at that time because of an elevated level of enzymes in his liver. We had to feed him SO Royal canin and see if his enzymes went down. He seemed to be doing better and then one day his leg just seemed to be hanging and he could not put any weight on it. We took him to the vet and they scheduled us to see a surgeon. After the surgeon did the x rays he told us Elvis had a stage 1 in his right leg and a stage 3 in his left. He said he could do surgery but because he had no grooves he would be hesitant to perform the surgery because he could not guarantee the results because with smaller breeds it is just so risky. He told us to try to keep him from putting to much weight on it for a few weeks and see if the cartilage would rebuild? ( I may be getting the terminology a bit wrong) We followed instructions and he did seem to improve. We followed up with surgeon who said he really did not think surgery would be a good option. He currently is able to walk around but it is obvious his back legs are weak. Please let me know if you need more info. Thanks

Additional info
 

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How sad. It sounds like a very similar case to my friend's five year old Maltese. The knee joint has deteriorated so much that surgery no longer is an option for Archie either. Her vet also didn't mention it to her until it was too late for surgery. :thumbdown

Have you tried Cosequin to help with his arthritis? Acupuncture is also an option. Tramadol will help him with the pain.

Thanks so much. I think I will look into the Cosequin. Whenever he falls he just looks so sad and we really wish there was something we could do:( He is the sweetest little curmudgeon and a real trooper:aimeeyork

I get Lady's Cosequin from Entirely Pets.

Cosequin Regular Strength (90 capsules)

I give her the full capsule every day. She has had terrible arthritis since she was seven. She was even on steriods for a few years until she developed Cushings from it. Cosequin has made a huge difference for Lady, better than the steriods. I hope it gives your guy the same relief. What's his name?

His name is Elvis...because he is the king:) We also have a female yorkie name Gracie who is about 3.

I'm sorry that Elvis is having problems with his knees. My Libby was diagnosed with LP about a year ago...grade 2 in both knees. My vet told me to keep her skinny and there shouldn't be a problem. He is not a vet that is quick to suggest surgery. One thing people don't know is that LP surgery is sure to cause arthritis in the knees.

I give Libby Flexicose liquid glucosamine complex and she no longer shows any signs of problems. She no longer has episodes of limping or running on 3 legs. Liquid glucosamine doesn't have the fillers that pills have and also there is a better absorption in the body with liquid. It's also very easy to give Libby. I just put 14 drops over her food each morning.

The reason I was sold on liquid glucosamine is because many years ago my sister had a little yorkie named Rhett. Rhett became very crippled up and couldn't run, jump or climb stairs. Her groomer suggested liquid glucosamine and I don't remember how long it took, but Rhett became like a puppy again...running, jumping, playing and up and down stairs. It was a miracle! I saw it with my own eyes and that is why I am sold on the liquid.

Best wishes to your little Elvis! I hope and pray he improves and can feel good again!

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and information. We will definitely look into these. It does make me feel better to hear from others who have gone through similar situations because we go back and forth at being mad at ourselves and then our vet for not some how preventing his current situation. It really is reassuring to know there are still several good options that may help his discomfort. Where would we fine the Flexicose liquid glucosamine complex? Do either the medicines require a prescription from vet? Thanks again:aimeeyork

You can read about/or order Flexicose here: Liquid Glucosamine Complex Flexicose®

I bought it from their company to begin with, but now I find it on Ebay for a much better price. No prescription...it's OTC. Also, the flexicose for humans is the same as that for pets...in case you find a better deal on the "people" bottle. Best wishes to you!

I looked on Ebay and found a liquid Glucosamine for $20.00 for 16 ounces which is twice the amount for less money. I'm assuming it doesn't matter the brand name? There is 1500 mg in each tablespoon though I realize the dosage for dogs would be MUCH less. This seems like a bargain? Any advice?