Thanks! She likes name brands (even if they do come from Wal-Mart!:D:p)

Did Daisy develop the grade 4 in her other leg years later or did the vet just not do surgery at the same time as the other leg? Glad to hear she is doing great.:)

No, she's not wearing a cast, although when I took a second look, it really looked like it. It's the railing on the steps into the pool. I'll definitely have a surgeon do it if/when needed.

Yeah, the dh and I tried our best to keep her from getting too excited and jumping and from jumping without using the steps, to no avail most of the time. She hurt it again last night because of running. I'm already walking stoop-shouldered from looking down all the time at her!!:D:D

Little Ashley sounds like she was a very independent little girl. :) I know you must have been so proud of her and miss her so much. It is just too hot right now to take my baby on walks, so I take her to stores. I just can't seem to get her socialized! The dh and I went to wine vineyards this weekend and one of them had a Yorkie and a Maltese. She didn't want ANYTHING to do with them and any of the people there. She was climbing my shoulders!:D Mamma's little baby! Anyway, I'm going to continue to watch Betty Boop and pray she will not have anymore problems.

Thanks for the hugs and vote of confidence. I'm just a worrier at heart....always have been!:D Next time she hurts herself, I'm sure you will be able to hear me scream.:)

[quote=enchilila;3188320]
I use Dr. Beale at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston for any orthopedic cases I get. www.gcvs.com

They are pricey, but excellent facility and he is a great surgeon!

sorry to hear about Betty Boop. I would definitely get her on supplements and please get a second opinion from a board certified surgeon who is familiar with little breed dogs. Best of luck, and give Betty Boop big hus and kisses.

I'm not sure about the walking for Betty Boop. My veterinarian encouraged me to let Ashley walk if she wanted to and just to check for any kinds of heat and distress. When it was hot out, I could only walk her in the morning or evening. They are so little and low to the ground, so the heat bouncing back on them is too much for them. I am a bit protective by nature, and I was very overprotective of my babies. Ashley loved shopping because she loved seeing all the people. Except for food stores, I ended up only shopping in stores that she could come with me. Betty Boop is still young, and she will get more used to people. As friendly as Ashley was, she still was clingy too and like a baby. Our little one, Gracie, was more like Betty Boop. She was 6 months when we got her, so it took her longer to get acclimated to other people. She was very tiny and beautiful, so she got more attention from others. She was a bit reserved with people but a terror and lovebug with us. The way you've described Betty Boop, it reminds me so much of Gracie. I really hope you never have to worry about surgery with Betty Boop and that she can run and play like she should without any pain.

[quote=ladyjane;3188360]Yes, I've heard of Gulf Coast. Don't they have a specialist or some kind of clinic in Austin or San Antonio? I can't remember where I took my cat for speciality work, but it seems like it was a Gulf Coast clinic. I took my cat to Dr. Norsworthy (feline specialist) in San Antonio and he referred me to Gulf Coast, I think it was. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Thank you, LadyJane, for the info.

I know how much you love your little Boopster as it's apparent in your posts and stories of her. Yes...Libby is VERY active. She runs, jumps, chases bubbles or balls, and on and on. I get the Flexicose on ebay. I used to get it from the Flexicose site, but found I got better deals on ebay. I take it too. The reason I think the liquid is great is because many years ago my sister had a yorkie that got so crippled up, he could barely walk and not do stairs or jump. Her groomer suggested Flexicose and I don't remember how long it took, but that little yorkie was like a puppy again. Running, jumping, up and down stairs...it was so amazing. I've read such good reviews on Flexicose and also, the bottle for pets is the very same as the human one, so I like that idea. Through research, I've found that the liquid glucosamine is better absorbed by the body and quicker too. Another thing I've learned is exercising them...I think it was walking up hills, will strengthen the knee area. I don't walk the hills with Libby because I get shin splints, but do try to walk her on flat land, weather permitting.

Best wishes to you and your little Betty Boop! Hugs too!

[quote=enchilila;3188721]
They are wonderful! They are located at 610 and Post Oak...the parking is at ground level and the hospital is the next level down. Their EC is on another floor down below that. I am not as familiar with their EC. Maybe that layout might help ring a bell??

I looked again. It looks like a cast on her arm alrighty. :D Isn't this funny? It looks like a white cast on her little arm.

I've been through these surgeries. But none have been grade 1.
I don't like to tell someone to do anything against the advice they received from their vet.
How is she doing?

She's doing OK. I saw her favoring her leg today and raising it once or twice. :( If it gets worse, I'll be making an appointment to take her to Gulf Coast in Houston for a second opinion.

Are the ones that had LP surgery doing OK today?

helpful sting
 

Just last week, I was on business travel and the GF tells me my 2 y.o., Gatsby is walking on 3 legs. I advised the vet, and he was diagnosed with level 3 LP! Very sad to see him hobble around when he was SO active and loved to play fetch for hours. He still wants to play but he is supposed to stay still for a while, so now its tug O war vs fetch.

I will get him operated on. He cannot live well with level 3, walking around on 3 legs when his knee pops out and not playing like he did only 2 weeks ago. I'm very upset for him over this, but I am hoping that if I go to a board certified surgeon and take care of it, he will be back to his old self eventually. I can't imagine supplements having much impact based on this level of his condition.

His sister (not genetic) is supposed to have level 1, but I won't do anything about that other than supplements. I agree not to worry too much about level 1, I cant get Daisy to stop jumping, but do pick her up when she starts with that.

My Pixie had surgery on her Grade 3 LP 4 1/2 weeks ago. She seems to be getting around pretty normal when I let her walk. The reason I did Pixie's grade 3 is she couldn't/wouldn't use her leg and 2 er vets, her vet and the board certified ortho surgeon said she had no groove at all in her kneecap. My Cali who is 5 has had Grade 4 in both legs and gets along fine so far without surgery. So I guess it just depends on the dog whether surgery is needed or not. Keep us posted on Gatsby.

I'm so sorry to hear about your baby having level 3. I know how it saddens you to see her not be able to play like before. It's so hard to keep them from jumping. Mine loves to jump, run and play. I guess they all do.

I already have Boop on glucosamine/chondroitin. I'm hoping that this will lube the joints enough to help her since she is only LP-1.

Good luck with whatever decision you make. Please post again when and if it comes time for you to make a decision. I will keep little Gatsby in my prayers.

Lola's knee used to pop out once in a while. The vet said just to keep an eye on it. I use glucosamine, ester c, and fish oil as supplements. I have used Missing Link. I don't know if these things helped but her knee hasn't popped out in over a year "knock on wood". I hope I haven't just jinxed her.

Just came across this thread, I support the use of chondrotin/glucosamine supplements for preventative effects.

|One thing I've not noticed talked about is swimming. It is so very good for all joints. And with an active pup she can run and chase ball in water, and gradually be worked up to swimming. Kiddy pool in backyard can be a good start, or even the bathtub with a rubber mat put down.

Thanks for the reassuring posts, really appreciate them as I am sure all of us who's yorkies suffer from this cruel condition do.

Gatsby seems to get a little better so he can put some weight on his bad knee, and then he does something stupid like one of us humans will come in the door and he has to tear down the stairs for a greeting... then its back to 3-legged maneuvering for a long time. We are considering new measures like calling in advance so we can pick him up before we get to the door. He has pain meds, but we hate to use them becuase we need him to learn NOT to spaz out any longer and I don't want to cover up the pain so he will learn to take it easy, poor little boy...:(

I will get a second opinion from the surgeon, and that will happen after we get back from vacation in August. No way would I go on vacation and worry about his healing.

I am also wondering if hard wood floors make it worse, since they have low friction and would allow for more lateral slip than carpet. We have 1/2 a house of hardwood.

That sounds like what my baby's knee is doing. It's only happened twice in the last couple of weeks. Thanks for the information about supplements. I'll check into the ester c and fish oil. I hope your baby will continue to do great.