Yup -- I had NO idea until he got tested that Lymes created joint problems. The vet said luckily he didn't have it for long, we caught it early. He was put on antibiotics for 30 days but the limping stopped 6 hours after giving him his first pill :thumbup: He got a lot of ticks early in the summer while on Frontline so I think that's where he caught it from. Since switching to Advantix, there has been none to my knowledge.

I'm so sorry to hear about Sadie. Thinking of her during this and hope it doesn't require surgery!

[QUOTE=Britster;3050249]Yup -- I had NO idea until he got tested that Lymes created joint problems. The vet said luckily he didn't have it for long, we caught it early. He was put on antibiotics for 30 days but the limping stopped 6 hours after giving him his first pill :thumbup: He got a lot of ticks early in the summer while on Frontline so I think that's where he caught it from. Since switching to Advantix, there has been none to my knowledge.


I will have to give Advantix a try, as this winter in between the two huge snowfalls we had, I took the pups out for a short walk and my little girl came home with a tick!!!:mad: I could not believe it! It was that one warm day right smack in between the two blizzards that she picked it up. Unbelievable!!! In the middle of winter no less, I have heard of this happening here in my area in MD, but never experienced it until now.

Wow! Really?! I didn't have Jackson on any flea/tick medicine since November since it's been so cold and we haven't had any issues. We just started back up on it in March.

$200 is ridiculous for one xray. I would do what you said in another post...eat the $20/month.

It will almost pay for itself after just one xray. A new vet might charge $50 for an office visit and around $80 for an xray. Around $130. So....if you give Banfield $20/month from now until August you will spend around $100. Total: $230 and you will hopefully have a better vet.

Ladymom is right: Welcome to the wonderful world of toy breeds! They really are high maintenance pupsters.

Oh duh. Just saw this. Not sure how I missed it when I posted.

Just thought I would share a little story about one of my pups and a recent happening. He has LP in his left knee and never has had an issue. One night out of the blue he was playing around and fell off of my bed. I was horrified. My pups all use steps...this was a freak thing. When I picked him up he screamed when I touched his leg. He could not put his foot down on the floor. I thought for sure it was fractured. I could tell his knee was out, but really felt somethine else was wrong. I immediately drove him to the EC .. by the time I got there he had calmed down. He was walking! The vet examined him thoroughly and felt that it was simply LP and that he was bruised. He suggested Metacam and complete rest for a few days and a follow up with my vet if he did not improve. Well, got up the next morning and he was limping, so I went to my vet who felt the same thing. This was about two weeks ago and he is running and playing and having no issues at all.

I hope this is the case with your little Sadie. Just because they have LP does not mean it will progress to a point of needing surgery.

this is what we're thinking actually. Mike remembers an instance a long time ago where she hit into a buffet table and limped for a split second and whined loud and then boom she was fine. we think that was the beginning of LP and she slipped back. we think going up the pup steps she actually slipped out again causing the fall backwards.

anyways i've emailed him but i'm not expecting much in terms of help. i don't want another pup i want Sadie case closed. and if he offered me her price it would barely cover less than half the surgery cost so that's not much but at least some help if he would be willing.

anyways i'm just sad she's going through it. i don't think LP is a breeder thing but rather can happen to about any of them am i correct in this??

she did just start going up and down stairs in our new house and has been chasing the neighbor dog back and forth along a fence. these are both things the vet said can cause LP injuries to flare up.

anyways. i will never buy a yorkie from a bad breeder again. i know that for a fact. and as far as taking care of the one i got, she'll get the best care i can give her. next time, i think we'll adopt from a shelter rather than buy from any breeder....unless that is we have an extra 1000++ to spend on a really beautifully bred yorkie from a great breeder.

This is why I've really became an annoying advocate for good breeding, the financial cost is one thing the emotional cost is something altogether different, and can be really devastating. I am so angry with breeders who breed their dogs without even knowing if the dog they are breeding has LP or other issues. When a vet gives them the breeding ok, it' just means that the dog has the necessary equipment, for example, a uterus, and people always think that this means the dog is suitable for breeding. LP surgery is expensive, and many times it affects two legs. Also, there's the time you have to keep them confined in the kennel, which I know is very hard to do, but you have to do what's best for them. I hope she's one of the lucky ones who have a mild case of it, but I'm glad she found a good home who has the ability to take care of her, many of the poor dogs just end up in rescues, which would be a double whammy.

Luxating patellas can be genetic in Yorkies or caused by injury. They can be born with them, but they can be aggravated by injury. Clear as mud, huh? :)

We've discussed this with a few show breeders on another forum. The consensus was that they use the one year birthday as the cut off. If LP's are diagnosed in the first year, they assume they are genetic. After that, they assume they are from an injury.

Did the vets at Banfield ever check Sadie's knees before? They are pretty easy to detect, even in younger puppies.

I hope you hear something back from Sadie's breeder, but if he wasn't a reputable breeder, he'll probably just offer you a replacement puppy. It's cheaper than paying vet bills.

I wish all states had puppy lemon laws like Florida. In Florida a breeder has to pay vet bills for genetic conditions diagnosed in the first year even if you elect to keep the puppy.

i'm sure banfield vets were not competant enough to have checked her knees at our first puppy visit. having said that i do seem to recall them doing so and saying knees feel good.

here's the response from the breeder:

Dear Rachel,
Sure am sorry to hear you are having trouble with Sadie's knees. I assume she is in Stage 1 of this. We have not had anyone else having this problem. If she does progress
and gets worse please let us know and we will contact our Vet. for a consultation and an opinion. Linda and Marvin


I'm hoping that means that their vet's second opinion if we should go that far would mirror our vet's and that they would offer to help with the cost. but who knows from such a vague email.

Just paid about $150 for an abdominal xray for Barney. We are in the Northeast.

Actually, I'm impressed they responded at all, who knows, Linda and Marvin might be trying to do what's right. Keep them informed.

i'm with you. i was shocked to see a response same day as emailing them. i know they seemed like very sweet older people that wanted to do the best thing for their puppies and new owners, but what they seem to be and what they are could be different. because i never went and saw their home and breeding areas, i don't really know what conditions were like there. i can only hope they are responsible and kind and will help if needed.

Me, too! :thumbup: :thumbup: