Needing information about luxating patella?

[Deuce]

Originally Posted by AlysiaMae

My yorkie is about 9 months old and I have been noticing that when we play rough or if he jumps off something he will hold one of his two back legs up and cry? I have been reading in my books and see that the closest thing it could be would be is a stage 1 luxating patella. After he hurts himself he cries for about 2 mins and limps and then he is back to normal. I have a vet appointment set up on Nov. 24th when I go home for Thanksgiving break but until then I dont know what I should do to try and keep this from happening. It started happening after I took him to a new groomer and I thought that maybe they just hurt him and never told me so I let it go thinking they might have strained one of his back leg muscles. After about two weeks of nothing happening he had another "attack" with his right leg again. He doesn't always cry when it happens sometimes he just holds his leg up for about 2 mins and then he is back to normal like nothing ever happened? Just yesterday he had another "attack" only this time it was with his left leg so now both of them have had an attack. I also read that LP could have been caused/made more severe after nuetering because of them being tied down during surgery? I realized that the leg issue also occured about 3 weeks after he was nuetered. I heard that this is something that can possibly just go away with age and could be treated by joint medication.

I am a college kid so surgery is out of the question for me but I will do everything else I can to try and get my little buddy to feel better

It's best not to play rough with the smaller ones, it can cause injury as you've seen first hand. You also should not let him jump off of stuff, it's killer on their tiny joints, easier said than done I know, they like to believe that they are full sized dogs and not little 5lb creatures. I've never heard of them being tied down during neutering before? Who told you that? I'm not saying it's not true, just sounds really odd to me.
I say take him to the vet today and see what they say, it's not like they'll cart him to the back and peform a surgery then and there, but a vet needs to seem him ASAP to make sure that it isn't something that could get progressively worse overtime. If it is LP, like other posters have stated, he may not need surgery at all, just a healthy diet and no more jumping off furniture.
Good luck with your puppy, please if vets recommend surgery don't just not do it because you cant afford it. Give him to a local toy dog or Yorkie rescue so they can place him with someone financially sound enough to provide care for a dog that does require special medical help including surgeries, medication, etc. It is a hard decision, esp. when you've become attached and love your puppy, but sometimes the best thing you can do for them is place them in a different home where they can recieve special care.
Again, he may be okay with just a healthy lifestyle and wont require a surgery at all. But we cannot tell you that over the internet, you need to see a professional to get a professional check and opinion.
I hope all the best.

[ArmaniMan]

The most important thing is to get this pup in to a vet to be properly diagnosed- you want to make sure that what your pup is experiencing is in fact LP and not something else and also get a correct diagnosis of the grade, this will allow you to keep a better eye on its progression over time and see if it gets worse. Also- many times vets will recommend some kind of joint supplement like Cosequin or Dasaquin.

I have a poodle who had surgery a number of years ago- however, in addition to the LP she had torn her CCL.

One of my yorkies has grade 1 LP and the orthopedic doctor recommended Dasaquin and she has not limped once since she started it and she still jumps and plays like crazy.

It is best like others said to get stairs and try to prevent jumping as much as possible- its hard to prevent it 100% of the time- but the less they jump the better.

It would also be a good idea to start a "vet fund" now, stashing away a little bit at a time whenever you can- because you never know if surgery would become necessary for this or any other problem.

But- the most important thing right now is to get your dog into a vet to be properly diagnosed and see what the vet recommends.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

The most important thing is to get this pup in to a vet to be properly diagnosed- you want to make sure that what your pup is experiencing is in fact LP and not something else and also get a correct diagnosis of the grade, this will allow you to keep a better eye on its progression over time and see if it gets worse. Also- many times vets will recommend some kind of joint supplement like Cosequin or Dasaquin.

I have a poodle who had surgery a number of years ago- however, in addition to the LP she had torn her CCL.

One of my yorkies has grade 1 LP and the orthopedic doctor recommended Dasaquin and she has not limped once since she started it and she still jumps and plays like crazy.

It is best like others said to get stairs and try to prevent jumping as much as possible- its hard to prevent it 100% of the time- but the less they jump the better.

It would also be a good idea to start a "vet fund" now, stashing away a little bit at a time whenever you can- because you never know if surgery would become necessary for this or any other problem.

But- the most important thing right now is to get your dog into a vet to be properly diagnosed and see what the vet recommends.

Oh my.....you know I missed that ... I really thought this pup had been seen by a vet and had a follow up scheduled for the 24th.

Ugh.....the internet is NOT a place to diagnose dogs' conditions.

[smepperson]

Originally Posted by Deuce

It's best not to play rough with the smaller ones, it can cause injury as you've seen first hand. You also should not let him jump off of stuff, it's killer on their tiny joints, easier said than done I know, they like to believe that they are full sized dogs and not little 5lb creatures. I've never heard of them being tied down during neutering before? Who told you that? I'm not saying it's not true, just sounds really odd to me.
I say take him to the vet today and see what they say, it's not like they'll cart him to the back and peform a surgery then and there, but a vet needs to seem him ASAP to make sure that it isn't something that could get progressively worse overtime. If it is LP, like other posters have stated, he may not need surgery at all, just a healthy diet and no more jumping off furniture.
Good luck with your puppy, please if vets recommend surgery don't just not do it because you cant afford it. Give him to a local toy dog or Yorkie rescue so they can place him with someone financially sound enough to provide care for a dog that does require special medical help including surgeries, medication, etc. It is a hard decision, esp. when you've become attached and love your puppy, but sometimes the best thing you can do for them is place them in a different home where they can recieve special care.
Again, he may be okay with just a healthy lifestyle and wont require a surgery at all. But we cannot tell you that over the internet, you need to see a professional to get a professional check and opinion.
I hope all the best.

[noisinka]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I am not suggesting that surgery should not have been done. I merely said that it differs from case to case.

Many pups DO need surgery, but the vast majority do not. They used to do them more routinely and now the trend is away from surgery unless there is a problem.

Oh, and I want to add that LP does not always get worse as you suggested. I have had pups for many years with LP that stayed exactly the same. Often just keeping the weight down and keeping them from jumping off of furniture is enough to keep them stable.

That's exactly what our vet told us. We have to watch Sandy's weight (he's 3.5lbs) and make sure he doesn't jump.