Luxating Patella (Floating Kneecap) NEED ADVICE!!!

[OwnedByJezebel]

I notice you are in TN, you might be able to get a better price on the surgery if you take him to the Univ. of TN veterinary school.

[pippen5078]

ok ladies,

my roxy is 4.8 lbs and a ball of energy....if either of you live by a college that has a vet school..that is a excellent way to have your dog taken care of...yes they are a teaching school and students help with surgery but they are being taught by the best vets who guide them or let them observe the surgery...they are using the most up to date techniques too. i wish we lived by one. i think i read one of you were from ohio...well ohio state has a fantastic vet school.

thanks

[pippen5078]

i am actually near los angeles ca...only vet school here is up north in davis....but for anyone whose animal needs care vet schools are always a great way to go.
thanks for all of the help
karen

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by pippen5078

i am actually near los angeles ca...only vet school here is up north in davis....but for anyone whose animal needs care vet schools are always a great way to go.
thanks for all of the help
karen

Yes, vet schools are very good! I have been to Texas A&M a few times and always have been happy.

I don't know about other vet schools, but A&M takes 50% up front for surgery and hospitalizations....and at discharge they are willing to make a payment plan. Usually a few months of payments. At least they did....but I have not been there in a couple of years so not sure they still do that.

[Savannah1234]

Originally Posted by 107barney

My Daisy who has a grade 4 also runs and jumps and is very active. She has not had surgery on this one leg, yet her kneecap is completely out and you can see it on her xray. They have not done surgery on this other leg and won't until she goes completely lame which hasn't happened in her almost 11 years. She's a bull though! LOL

My female yorkie has 2 grade 4 back knees and she is 13. Our Vet did not want to do surgery unless she became lame. She does pretty good. She is on Adequan shots once a month. We tried Rimadyl for pain for about 3 months but it affected her kidney levels, she is off of that now and her blood levels are all normal (thank goodness). We have started her on Chondro Flex II in addition to the Adequan. Lately, she has had trouble jumping up on our back step in the backyard. We take .8 miles walk once per day and she does pretty good. I do worry about her and do have some regret that we did not have surgery when she was younger but our Vet said as long as she was getting around good it was not neccesary. I think it is a hard decision but if you get 2nd and even 3rd opinions I am sure you will make the best decision for your baby.

[sirjesus]

We just found out yesterday that our Zoee has a luxating patella. Although she is not in any pain, she runs faster than our other yorkie, and loves to jump up and down from our bed. The vet didn't say how bad it was but that a surgery now to avoid arthritis would be beneficial. He also said it would be about $1200 and up for the surgery.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by sirjesus

We just found out yesterday that our Zoee has a luxating patella. Although she is not in any pain, she runs faster than our other yorkie, and loves to jump up and down from our bed. The vet didn't say how bad it was but that a surgery now to avoid arthritis would be beneficial. He also said it would be about $1200 and up for the surgery.

Before considering surgery, I highly recommend a second opinion by a board certified vet. Most surgeons these days do not recommend surgery on LP if it is not causing any problems. Years ago they were done on a much more frequent basis....some vets still do that.

[Savannah1234]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Before considering surgery, I highly recommend a second opinion by a board certified vet. Most surgeons these days do not recommend surgery on LP if it is not causing any problems. Years ago they were done on a much more frequent basis....some vets still do that.

I am glad to hear that. I was starting to feel guilty about not having had the surgery done on my 13 year old female when she was younger. I must say that Adequan is a miracle drug. (At least for my girl). We stopped the Adequan in Sept 2010 and put her on Rimadyl after noticing how much better she got around after having her teeth cleaned with the meds they gave her for pain. Well after 3 months she suffered high bun levels, We stopped the Rimadyl immediately. (not to say Rimadyl does not work for other dogs). We wanted to see how she did without anything for a couple of months and wait for her bun levels to return to normal . So she was not on anything from December to the end of January. Well, the poor thing began to limp and was not able to jump up off of our back porch into the house, (its not too high about 10 inches).
Well on 2-11-11 I took her in for a shot of Adequan. We also put her on the Chondro Flex II.
After 2 weeks I did not notice any improvement, so I called the Vet and the Vet Tech said that I may notice improvement in the 3rd week after the shot. Well, I am happy to say that this past Wednesday, she stopped limping and is now able to jump up into the house like she could before. I am so relieved and happy. She is going back for her second shot next week.
I called the Vet back to let them know and she said that after the 2nd shot I should see more improvement. As the drug builds up in their system they continue to show improvement. She was not having as much difficulty when we put her on the Adequan the first time just occasional carrying of the one leg. So this time is just such a dramatic and noticeable improvement. Sorry to ramble on but I am just relieved and think this is a great drug for dogs with luxating patella or arthiritis.

[gemy]

Some ideas for Exercise

For all joint ailments, swim therapy is highly recommended. With Yorkies being so small, often times your bath tub can be effectively utilized for this exercise.
You can use an underwater treadmill if there is a rehab place near to you.
In the summertime a kiddies pool or if you live near a lake, a lake

Joint supplements can be utilized as well

Keeping your dog's weight at a healthy level is also important.

Massaging of the muscles of the legs is effective as well Particularly after exercise

To build up the muscles of the legs, in order to help stabilize the joint, walking your dog in sand is beneficial, and then followed by a nice dip in the pool.


Cautions with: Jumping up and down Agility sports Flyball