luxating patella
 

Hi,

I'm really only here to vent and release some of my stress... this weekend my fiance and i were staying at my parents house so that we can do our weekend church marriage course. The church is closer to my parents house and it also gave my little Missy time to spend with them and their dog. Well, on Saturday night close to bed time i noticed Missy slightly limping, but then it went away within seconds... my parents were saying i was imagining it but i know i wasn't... sunday morning rolls around and she goes outside into the cold to go do her morning washroom run and she tries to jump up from the grass to the step and falls... then limps towards the sliding door so that i can let her in... I let her in, and she wimpers away to the corner.. i lift her up and try to massage her leg and stretch it out then hear a snap... and i freak out, start crying and put her down... but now, she's all good again... but still, i'm feeling she either broke her leg or she dislocated a joint... so i run to my laptop (which i brought with me to my parents house) and google "dislocated knee yorkie" and after a reading a few articles, i realized it was most likely luxating patella... so i went on yorkietalk.com and searched fro luxating patella :( and those are all the symptoms my missy has... now she's all sad, and definitely not herself... she covers into the corner and seems depressed... anyway, to make a long story short... although this post is a little long (sorry about that)... I brought Missy to the vet ($100 vet check) to just confirm that it is luxating patella... and surgery needs to be done... a cost of $2500 and most likely the other knee will need the same... the vet said it is definitely genetic... and that it's possible trama caused it to happen at an earlier time but genetics definitely plays a role in it...

My fiance is PISSED! he wants to send Missy to the humane society... my mom says if we plan to do that to give her Missy and she'll take care of her but not do the surgery... i don't know what to do!!!! I love her lots, but we're getting married in 2 months and have sooo many expenses... today, it didn't go out of place... we pick her up to go on the bed, we don't play fetch with her anymore and we're keeping her in bed most of the day... I know it's not life threatening.. but still... what can we do? we've had her for 11 months... and i checked my contract with the person i bought her from (not a breeder but a broker who sells lots of other dogs as well) and it says we have a 6 month life threatening genetic defect warranty... she's well past that and it's not life threatening... what a scammer.. although i wouldn't want to give her back or give her to the humane society... i had to ask my fiance (who happens to have a heart condition himself) "so if we have a baby, and he/she has a heart condition, should we give it up for adoption?" and he says it's different... but not to me... but we've agreed when we got her that if the cost of any surgery exceeds her original purchase price, we would not do it... so how do we deal with this now? she's so young still... she has her whole life ahead of her!!! she's only 1 :(

thanks for letting me vent!

I am so sorry to hear what you are going through. Please, don't give her to the Humane society, if you can't find a way to get the surgery and keep her I will take her...just PM me. I know this is heartbreaking and I'm sorry you have to go through this. What about calling other vets and seeing what the cost is?

That's another option i suppose is to check other vets... which i was planning on doing today... i don't want to give her up... she's such a great little girl.. we've trained her soooooo well... people even have offered to pay me 5 times what we bought her for and they're not even dog lovers, only because she's so well behaved.. it breaks my heart and i've been crying all day and i'm at work... so it sux!

I just read in another thread about a "lemon law" I'm pretty sure I've heard about it here in Canada(I don't know if it applies to brokers but if it's what they are doing for a living..maybe). Maybe you could check it out, then not only could you get money for the surgery but hopefully it will hurt this "broker" you got her from where it hurts(their pocketbook!!)...

thanks, i'm trying to google that now... and not finding much about it here in Canada... I did look around and found that the University of Guelph has an animal hospital for interns and they do surgeries for a lower cost because interns watch and learn during the procedure... however we have to get a referral from our vet. We've left our vet a message this afternoon and waiting for him to get back to us. My fiance called me yesterday when he got home and sounded really sad and said "Honey, we just HAVE to do the surgery! It happened again and she wasn't even jumping" so I guess giving her away was all talk *whew*!!!

Another option is with an animal hospital close to my parents place that will allow for financing at no interest provided that we do the full monthly payments of approximately $200 per month for 18 months... I've also been told by some of the nurses at the vets that it would be more cost effective to do both knees cuz the other one will need it along the road as well... so i think we'll be doing that too... but I'm thinking we're still in the early stages cuz it's only luxating a few times a day... do you happen to know how often a grade 3 or 4 would luxate a day?

How heartbreaking for you. I would definitely check with other vets, maybe even some out of an urban core where they may have lower overhead and charge less. Talk to everyone you know about it as you never know who they know who may be able to help you, or give you a recommendation for a new vet.

Our baby had the same surgery in August. It was $560. We have the best vet. This included x-rays a week before and a few months after and 5 follow-up appointments, pain meds, antibiotics and a can of soft food in case she wouldn't eat her homecooked stuff the first night.

Our vet assists the ortho surgeon, so it keeps the cost low. She is definitely not in it for the money. There have got to be other vets like her.

Please keep us posted.

:( Iam so sorry, praying for things to get better, please dont give her away.

Being that she is young, she will heal quickly. I do recommend both legs at the same time. Recovery is at least 8 weeks - NO JOKE - she will need to be contained in a crate of SMALL x-pen set up. NO walking, jumping or running. Nothing but resting. You will have to help her potty. You can make a sling from a small blanket and wrap around her belly to hold her up to potty. For the first 2 weeks, she really, really must have limited to no walking. After week 2 into 3, she can walk alittle more, and you will have to exercises with her legs. By week 4 to 5, she can have a little more walking time, and such as the weeks go by. But you have to be committed for the ENTIRE recovery, b/c any wrong move from her and she can damage the legs again.

But on a good note - You are gonna be soooooooooooooooo amazed at the BRAND NEW GIRL you get after she has healed - NIGHT and DAY - You'll be so amazed at the fact that you had NO IDEA how badly she really was effected by the LP ;)

Best of Luck and keep us posted!

My advice - ONLY have a Certified Ortho Specialist preform the surgery. They are the most experienced. Once they open the leg, it's really small in there and they may have to be 'crafty' and 'artistic' (general Vets are NOT really that qualified for this type of surgery on such tiny legs).

IMO - Grade 3 and 4 are very bad and painful. LP doesn't get better, only worse, and once that cartilage is worn away it can not be replaced and you are left with bone rubbing on bone - VERY PAINFUL :(

I am so happy your fiance was just blowing smoke and that he has come around:) I checked with University of Saskatchewan to see if it was cheaper out west but they said approx$1700-2000(rough estimate of course) so I guess it isn't much better. I hope you can find something that will work for you and Missy...keep us posted!

thanks so much for all your comments! Our vet called us back after leaving a message and he said he would refer us to the university of guelph, but that he has heard it is now more expensive... thanks bbrewser for checking with the uni of saskatchewan! So our next step is to wait for the UofG to call us back with a quote...

Yes, i too am glad my fiance was just blowing smoke and not really serious about giving her up!!!!

I'll keep you posted as to how much and where i get the surgery done... we've basically kept her in her crate thus far, letting her out to eat and go potty... the problem is, when i do let her out to eat, she gets all hyper cuz I think she needs to run around and exercise so she starts jumping and running all over the place, which then leads to her knee dislocating again... poor girl!

on another note, i found this article online that says surgery is the LAST thing you should do and should be done if it's in the worse stages... take a look http://www.earthsangels.com/html/luxpatel.shtml we also have her on Rimadyl, not sure if that will help???

I don't really believe on her natural method . Even with this method , the dog will suffer .

Last week , a vet from the hospital had to replace the hip of a Yorkie . His owner was trying to cure it with vitamin C and glucosamine . Unfortunately , the hip completely dislocated .

thanks for the info... we're gonna do the surgery... still waiting for the vet to call us with the info from UofG.

Question, if we get pet insurance now, does anyone know if that will cover the other leg if or when it happens? or would that be considered a pre-existing condition?

unfortunately pet insurances will not cover LP surgery. :( i hope the place your waiting for a call from can give you a good price.

does anyone mind me asking how much they paid for their LP surgery?

Roxy had LP sugery done on BOTH legs at the same time.
The cost was a few dollars shy of $3000
This included the surgery, meds, hospital stay, etc...

I am in New York - and the surgery was done by a Certified Ortho Specialist

Thanks for the info!

Here's the update... UofG hasn't gotten back to my vet yet... and since one of the posts state it takes approximately 6 weeks to get her back to normal and heal, we decided to go with our vet and just do it... main reason is because we are getting married in 8 weeks and then will be going on our honeymoon for 2 weeks... Missy will be staying with my parents and i want her fully healed so that she doesn't have any issues while staying there... She's scheduled to have the surgery by a specialized certified Ortho this Tuesday so we have to drop her off at the vet for Monday afternoon... I'm scared for her and I hope it all goes well...

We asked the vet if we can not do the pre-screening so that it knocks off approximately $500 and if we can pay by cash and not pay the GST he was fine with that... so the total cost for the one knee will be $1930 which is a savings of about $600. Hopefully everything goes well...

thanks for all your support!

My Zada had both knees operated on the same time and the entire cost was 1,365.00. Maybe you should seek a couple other opinions and also find a Vet. that will set up a payment plan for you.

Where did you have the surgery done? I see that you live in CA, and not that Teddi needs surgery but it would be good to know in case. Thanks!

I can sort of relate to what you're going through. WHen we bought Tia from a pet shop, my husband surprised me with her. I would have gone to a breeder but he felt more comfortable with their "warranty". We went for the 72 hour check up, found out she had grade 4 LP. Some warranty! Tia isn't a pair of jeans with a tear in it! We were attached to her! We didn't know what would happen to her if we brought her back.....would she go to the "breeder", be sold to another family? What if that family couldn't afford the surgery and either put her down or brought her to the humane society and was ulitmately euthanized?

We couldn't live with that, so we kept her. We prefer not to pay for the expensive surgery, but we can afford it if it comes to that. She is over 1 year old and hasn't shown any signs of limping (yet). Out vet told us that at the 10 month mark, the joints and bones have developed enough for an experienced vet to give a corretc grading of LP.

With regards to your fiance wanting to not keep your yorkie, keep in mind that LP is common in small breeds, so even if you get another yorkie, there is no telling that they might also be born with it or might develope it later from one funny jump.

With regards to cost, many people have advised me that you get what you pay for and I've seen plenty of people here who have had to pay for the same surgery on the same knee twice. Do it once and get it done well.

I see you are in Toronto. If you can manage a trip to Quebec (depending where in Toronto you are, you'll be about 4.5 - 5 hours from Gatineau, or 4 - 4.5 hours from Montreal if you take the 401 through to the 40)...schedule a few vet visits there.....when researching, I found their prices to be more competitive than Ontario prices. Prices for surgery on animals is not regulated. And it goes without saying to find a vet who had lots of experience in this area.

You might want to check with a vet or with some experienced members here...a reliable breeder in my region recommended supplemeting Tia's diet with Glucosamine Sulfate (break open a caplet and sprinkle no more than half of a capsule of powder per meal or per day...alternatively, there are dog foods that contain glucosamine sulfate).

Keep your head up, do your homework, and follow your heart. My husband and I don't regret our decision to keep Tia one bit, and going through this has encouraged us to keep her healthier....lot's of exercise, no table scraps.

I wish you all the best!

Hi RonLynn, I'm not in California, i'm in Canada...

Hi Yorkiedaze, they do offer a payment plan, but with 19% interest... I'm not too interested in that plan! LOL

Hi Lizziepooh, we initially were thinking of using the glucosamine suppliments, but it does not CURE the LP... we want a permanent fix... We were just in Quebec in August with Missy but she did not show signs of LP at the time... and another problem that we encounter when we try to "shop around" for LP surgery is that every vet says we have to come in and do another check up which will cost another $100, so we figured even if we saw 5 different vets, it would cost about $500 more dollars that we'd rather just put towards the LP bill...

We've made the appointment, and she'll be going in to get it done this Monday... again, we do need to do it soon so that we're worry free when we head off to our honeymoon on March 31st... we realize it's costly and my fiance initially didn't want to do it... but we see now how worth it she is... Missy truly is priceless! We love her, but we've also agreed it's heartbreaking so we've agreed we won't be getting anymore dogs after her... she's our one and only love... and we're gonna work on having some kids right after our wedding!!! LOL wish us luck! Please keep Missy in your prayers (if you pray ;)) and hope she has a speedy recovery.. i'll keep you guys posted on how the surgery turns out... my vet will not be doing the surgery himself... he'll be sending her out to get it done at a hospital with a certified Ortho.

thanks!

Glad to hear things are going forward and Missy will be getting the surgery soon! Hope all goes well, keep us posted!:)

Hi, I took Jazzie to an ortho specialist 12/07 he confirmed what the vet had told me in 7/07, Jazzie had a level 4 patella. The ortho told me the surgery would be approximately $2,000.00. I was told that Jazzie should have the surgery in her 11th month, I am trying to find "the right" ortho for the job (and the money for it). I wish your little one lots of luck and speedy recovery.

Forgot to mention, from my experience a level 4 LP, doesn't necesarily have to show signs of limping. Jazzie is a candidate for surgery because the majority of the time her patella stays to one side.

Hi Zander's mom... i'm sorry to hear about that... and hope you find the right ortho for you!

Missy has completed her surgery and the vet said she handled it like a champ... he said that the damage in the knee was not that bad since we got the surgery done so soon after she first had her LP. They feel confident that she will not have a limp and will walk perfectly. They also said because she is young she will have a speedy recovery... we will need to carry her and crate her at all times for the next several weeks until her knee is healed... we get her back on Thursday and I can't wait!!! I miss her so much already! Thank GOD the surgery went well!!!!

That's great to hear!!! I'm so glad everything turned out okay and you can go on your honeymoon and not have to worry about Missy!!! :thumbup:

That's great news! Punkin sends lots of puppy kisses for a speedy recovery.

thank you everyone for all your info and support!

Hi everyone... Missy came home last night... her surgery was on Tuesday... so two days later we were able to pick her up... she's completely scared, shaking and only wants to be in her small travel crate... no clue why she doesn't want to go into her bigger home crate?!?

she's not eating or drinking either... my fiance picked her up, but didn't have time to get all the info from the vet to see what we're suppose to do with her... she also has this clear square sticker patch on her body... i have no idea what that is and if we can take it off... any ideas?

thanks!

oh the poor thing. She must be sooo scared and in pain. Did they send meds with her? Do you know when she ate last? You might try making a little chicken broth for her. That would get some liquid in her. Has she peed since she's been home?

Where is the patch located? I'm not sure what that is.