Luxating Patella (Floating Kneecap) NEED ADVICE!!!
 

Has anyone ever had the luxating patella (floating kneecap) with their yorkies? My vet told me that my 1 yr. old male needs to have surgery for this problem. She said if he didn't get it done, he would have arthritis later on in life and that he could even just walk on three legs. If anyone has had experience with this, I would really appreciate your advice. Thanks:confused:

Hello,
I am sorry to hear about your baby with luxating patella. My little maltese had the same problem when he was about 2 years old. I had the surgery done on both of his knees by an ortho specialist. It was really hard but he is better now. He is 7y old now. I was told the same thing about arthritis later etc. being that my dog was young at the time, I opted to have it done. Good Luck... I would get a second opinion as I did. It was a very expensive surgery too.

luxating patella
 

I cant believe I went to this site to look up what my dog is going through and I find your pose. I have a 10 month old female who was playing with his siblings about a week ago and heard her yelp. then she started walking with her left rear leg bent up..then the next day she would do it periodically...she can only make abouit 50 % of her jumps onto the couch. and runs with 3 legs. I took her to the vet but was told different then you.
They said to have her take at easy and see what happens no jumping or running..sure remember she is a puppy...lol..anyways i googled it...the surgery needs to be done by a orthopedic vet only..it has a 48% of sucess and it may revert back again if they jump or run wrong. Some say to wait awhile and see what happens. I was given a pain, antiinflamatory med to give her but she doenst seem to be hurting..just has a bruised ego as she cant jump.
hope that helped..i know it is frustrating and i feel soo bad for my baby!
karen
pippen5078@aol.com

Hello--Thanks for responding. I am going to get some more opinions. My vet and an ortho specialist both said he needed it, but I am still going to get some more opinions. The specialist said he would have to be confined for 3 months. I can't imagine him being confined for that long. I would be so worried during surgery. He said it would cost around $2000.00, but I am more concerned about Smokey.

I had insurance on my baby before but it was not covered and I paid almost 3,500 for the 2 legs. He was out for almost 6 weeks where I had to carry him out to potty because he cannot stand on his 2 legs to do pee. But we did not want to subject him to 2 surgeries and 2 recoveries. I still have pictures of him right after surgery. He was on a morphine patch for a week, Go to a board certified surgeon who has done a lot of these. They have more experience.

Hello. Yep, lots of us have dogs with LP. My Daisy was born with two grade-4 luxating patellas. She had to have surgery on one of them when she was 2 years old because she went completely lame and could not walk, even after resting her in her crate with medication. The other leg has "gone out" a couple of times in her life, and we've had her surgeon look at her and x-ray it, but he never wanted to do surgery on that leg.

She is almost 11 years old now and has no arthritis and can run almost as fast as a cheetah! So please ask your vet to refer you to a board certified surgeon who specializes in orthopedics so you can get a second opinion. Surgery is a last resort in these cases and you want to take the most conservative approach you can.

Good luck!

When this first happened, he yelped really loud. The ortho specialist said it was because he tore some cartilage. But he doesn't yelp at all anymore and he is his active self as usual--no more yelping. The specialist showed me how to check to see if it is out of place and when I check, it is almost always out of place, but he walks fine and runs great. This is why I am so confused about it. He seems fine, but the specialist said it would really affect him when he is around 6 or 7. It's really hard to know what to do. :confused:

Hello my Buster was diagnosed with LP grade 3/4 on both his back legs. I got opinions from 2 vets and an board certified Orthopedic surgeon and went ahead with surgery on his left leg as it was the one that was giving him the most problems. He said he would not do the surgery on his other leg until it was causing him problems. Buster was 15 month old when he had the surgery. He had an eight week recovery and was all ready weight bearing on the leg 2 days after surgery. He is tearing around like before now. I try to keep him from jumping on and off the furniture as that can aggravate the knees. Yes sometimes the problem can come back but that is true with human's knees as well. I did not want him to suffer with arthritis in his later years. The surgery cost $3000.00 but he is a board certified Orthopedic in Los Angeles so prices are probable a bit steeper here and I wanted the best for Buster. I was lucky I have PetPlan insurance and they do cover LP and other hereditary conditions which some do not. The confinement goes by quicker than you think but it must be done. Buster was kept in a crate in the beginning and then a little xpen for the remainder of the time. I just did not want to see Buster in pain and I knew every time he extended the leg or did not want to touch his paw down that he was in pain. I am sorry you have to go through this. I was a difficult decision to make but I am glad I went ahead with the surgery. Best Wishes to you and your dog.

Sadly dogs will run and play when in pain. They do not know the should not. It is like a kid who will play even if he is sick. They are stoic little troopers and do not mentally think hmm I am in pain I should not play like we would. If they do not play then they are really hurting! :( Would you deny yourself surgery if you knew that in a few years you would limp and be in pain and you could not reverse the damage done? I know it is hard and expensive but think of what you would do for yourself or a child. You are doing the right thing by checking with the Doctors and if they say do it then I would go with their suggestion.

I am sorry to hear about your babies. Pixie fell off the bed and couldn't walk on her left leg last summer. I had 2 er vets, xrays, my vet and an ohro surgeon say she needed surgery. She had the surgery and has done great. One of my others has grade 4 in both legs is almost 6 years old and gets along fine. It depends on the dog. I would get another opinion and try the crate rest for a few weeks if you can. Pixie was on crate rest for 6 weeks and it wasn't too bad. I held her and kept her by me on the bed a lot of the time. Good luck and keep us posted.

Do they get back to their normal selves after all that confinement? Thanks for your replies!

my vet..
 

My Vet WILL NOT do the surgery until the dog can not walk at all. Different Vets-- different stories, ???? If your dog is getting along good maybe you could put off the surgery while you saved up for it??

Sorry to hear about your pup. Gilmore is finally pretty much out of confinement inside the house. It has been 11 weeks of crate rest. You can search my posts to read Gilmore's story. We had no choice. He was fine one day and the next was crying in pain with the knee totally out. The surgery cost $3000 and my VPI insurance didn't cover any of it. His personality is pretty much the same although now I think he definitely looks for me more now. I was also afraid he would be sad or it would break his spirit but it really doesn't. I think it makes your bond stronger because they will need you to do everything for them. My love for him was intense before but I swear it is more intense now. I never would have thought that before.

I think he will look for me less when he can finally run free outside but that's all good. We had no choice and I guess that was easier than debating if we should do the surgery or not. We had no time to prepare for 3 months in a crate but we managed and Gilmore seems happy and is in no pain.

Good luck to you and your pup whatever you decide.

My vet tells me Teegy has it and then pulls his legs in and out and wiggles his kneecaps, then says see can you feel that pop. This makes me mad because he's never had any issues and I have to wonder if wiggling his knee caps doesn't just help loosen them. My friends Yorkie had the same issue and instead of the surgery she gave her 1/4 of a baby aspirin a day for any pain she was in and put her on a diet, she was a bit chubby.

Pixie was fine during and after her confinement, but she was 4 1/2 years old and not an active dog. My surgeon only had her on crate rest for 6 weeks. By the 2nd week she could walk pretty normal. I would let her walk for short periods of time. Also, I kept her "sister" with her so she had her pal with her. By the 6 th week she was back to normal.

Daisy also has always done fine after being confined. We are VERY strict. I think this is key. Also keeping the dog at an ideal weight is very important.

Well one thing I noticed is that you are in TN so I would HIGHLY recommend going to the University of Tenn Vet hospital and having them check your pup out. When I was there (that is where my Teddi had her Liver Shunt surgery) they told me that most little dogs have it becaus their knee joint is so small it's not big enough to hold it in but that unless they have trouble walking or are limping or seem in pain that surgery is not necessary.

Smokey goes in for another opinion tomorrow. I will let you know what he says.

You are doing the right thing by getting other opinions. Definitely talk with a board certified surgeon who is familiar with little dogs. My Hot Rod went thru it and he's pretty much all better from it. He still does pick his little leg up from time to time. All 3 vets have said that it is probably phantom pain since they all are in agreement that his knee feels good and is as tight as can be.

I have to say that his personality did change a little bit as he was on strick no-acitvity for 6 weeks. I could see him getting quieter and quieter. I felt really bad for him. I pretty much held him for the 6 weeks and both he and I got so used to it that now is pretty much my lap and arm baby. They are just so easy to spoil.

Best of luck with your second opinion and your decision. I am glad that we did it as our surgeon said that arthritis is probably not going to be an issue for Hot Rod. It was a long road but now that it is behind us, I am glad we did it. :)

The one thing I always suggest to people faced with the decision to operate or not on LP is to have the opinion of a board certified orthopedic surgeon. You can find one at:
American College of Veterinary Surgeons

As for crate rest, someone said something about 3 months...I have never heard of that length of time for recovery! Also, the comment about only 48% being successful?? I really don't believe that is accurate. It is my understanding that once repaired the knee is very stable!

Now, IF they tear the cruciate ligament, surgery is a must to avoid arthritis. It not repaired the arthritis develops quickly and is painful.

Puppies, if their growth plates are still open, always need surgery to correct LP if they have it! Adult pups are different. Most surgeons say that if it is not causing issues, then surgery is not needed.

Key in helping to avoid problems is keeping the pup at his ideal body weight. Also, it is best to try to train them not to jump on and off of furniture. Steps and/or ramps are helpful if your pup is getting on furniture.

I took Smokey to get another opinion today. This vet said that if it was his dog, he would not do the surgery because he runs and plays without limping or yelping. He gave him glusosamine/msm chews (which he will not eat) and a fish oil that you spray on his food (now he doesn't want to eat the food). The vet said that out of 20 small dogs he sees a day, that 15 out of the 20 would have luxating patellas.

The board certified orthopedic surgeon said if he didn't get it, he would probably have arthritis in it around 6 or 7 years old. He is the one that said it would take 3 months of confinement (it sounds so long and I'm sure it would have to change his personality a little bit and Hot Rod's Mom said).

I only want to make the best decision for my little man.

Thanks everyone for listening and for your responses. It's very much appreciated!

I am honestly quite surprised to hear that a board certified surgeon would suggest operating on LP if it was not causing any issues.

Good luck! I am glad all is well.

patella
 

so i checked with a vet here in los angeles who is a boARD CERTIFIED SURGEON WHO DOES THIS SURGERY...3300-3700 for one knee! seriously????
they said my yorkie has a grade 2 but i believe worse since they have seen her
i feel bad as she is getting the idea she cant jump as she did and seems kinda sad? over this...she turns to me to pick her up and put her on the couch..
For those of you who have this problem how much exercise do you let your dogs have? do you go on walks?
I will let you know what other quotes I get from vets....hopefully better!
thanks
karen

Not exactly sure why they would operate on a grade 2. The price is not that unreasonable imho.
There are vets who do it for less, but I have seen the results of some that were not so great. Perhaps some get lucky. I seek out the best no matter the cost. But..that's just me.
I learned some time ago when a vet almost killed one of my fosters that price should never be the determining factor in choosing vet care. She had offered very reduced care to rescue...it was also substandard care. :(
As for exercise, I let my pups exercise...a few of them have LP. I do try to keep their weight down...and definitely try to keep them from jumping up and off of furniture.

luxating patella
 

Thank you...and i agree about the price..my kiddo is worth it....it was a stage 2 but now she keeps it up most of the time in a tucked up position...i am just exploring so when she needs it done i will be informed. i just want to make sure i dont walk her too much...she was a jumper and fast as anything but that is changing..i also dont want to hurt her good leg so she wont be able to walk...
any suggestions are welcome.
thanks

I am surprised that she is not using it if it is a stage 2. I would definitely want them to repair that. That is the rule of thumb that the orthopedic surgeon I use tells me to use: contact them if there is a problem with ambulation.
To my knowledge, walking them is fine. It is the running and jumping that is a concern.
Do you have stairs and/or ramps to your furniture? A friend of mine has this ramp that she swears by....I am planning on buying one:

http://www.pawsteps.com/

So sorry about your baby................second opinions are best...........I learned alot about this breed the past 25 years.........i dont let my boop jump off anything.......i have stairs for the couch bed etc.......thats just what i do...........he also get glucosomine in his food........but i have to say he is nine now and i dont have any lp problems as of yet...knock on wood..............good luck..............boops and rudy''s mommy:)

The vet told me yesterday that Smokey is a grade 4, but I am puzzled. He runs and plays fine, but the vets all say that his kneecap is completely out. You wouldn't think anything is wrong with him. He doesn't limp, he doesn't hold his leg up, he is very active. Also, if I do get the surgery, it would only be with a board certified surgeon. I wouldn't let the vet do it, but my vet even told me to get the board certified surgeon......I think I will get some steps and/or ramps. Ladyjane, that is a good idea!

Both of my babies have good weight on them. It could be because they are such finicky eaters!

The best of luck to everyone who is having this problem!

patella
 

I do have stairs and of course she runs up them...she loves to jump which is frustrating...she is learning i will pick her up when she wants on the couch....i think she is just questioning why she cant do all the activities she did...and why she cant play with her mom and brother anymore...i am taking her in for a second opinion...maybe some xrays as a reference for any changes.
she is a stage 2 but your dog seems much better than mine and yours is a stage 4...mines leg is tucked up about 90% of the time now. and a ramp or stairs are going to be in our future....and she is only 9 months old!

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