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02-12-2011, 11:34 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: May 2009 Location: las vegs, Nv
Posts: 1
| Luxating patella My Yorkie has been diagnosed with luxating patella. My vet recommends surgery. She is only 4 pounds. What do I do. I have read that the surgery is no always effective. If any one can help me I would really appreciate it |
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02-12-2011, 12:00 PM | #2 | |
Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: MD
Posts: 10,908
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What grade did your vet say it was and did he take xrays to determine the diagnosis? You should have a board certified ortho vet who is familiar with little dogs see your little one and take xrays before any surgery. Once he determines if surgery is necessary, he should go over the different types of lp procedures with you and discuss options. Once the surgery is over, there will be a recuperation period of at least 6 weeks. My boy had lp surgery almost 2 years ago and he is much better. I was a complete basket case before and during but once I got the phone call saying that the surgery was over and he was awake, I felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders. I couldn't wait to pick him up the next day. If you can, have someone pick her up with you because I know with me, I didn't hear a word the surgeon said after I got Hot Rod back in my arms. Hope this helps answer some questions. You can go to the Sick and Injured forum and search lp surgery and read other stories and recommendations. Feel free to private message me with any questions that you may have. Best of luck with what you decide.
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02-12-2011, 12:17 PM | #3 |
Banning Thread Dictator Donating Member | I agree with the above advice. Get a second opinion. My 1 1/2 year old 4-pounder has between Grade 1 and Grade 2 LP. My regular vet wanted me to severely restrict all activity and be prepared for surgery. The board certified surgeon said to let her be a dog. He thinks a lot of small Yorkies go through their entire lives with various grades of undiagnosed LP. And they do just fine. However, if she ever shows signs of pain or immobility, I will likely opt for surgery from the best surgeon I can find. So far *knocks on wood* I wouldn't know she has it if it wasn't diagnosed. She gets around great.
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02-12-2011, 06:25 PM | #4 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Missouri
Posts: 903
| Bailey was diagnosed with LP on her very first pup visit. When she was 8 months old I noticed that special limp that goes with LP. The vet recommended an ortho visit and probably surgery. That was in November '07- so I decided to wait until after the Christmas holidays before continuing. Bailey never limped again so I did not pursue the ortho - now she's 4 years old. The same thing happened with my sister's terrier. If your baby is still young and not in pain, maybe the best advice is to wait and see - let the bones mature before surgery? Good luck!
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02-12-2011, 06:55 PM | #5 |
Donating YT 30K Club Member | If you haven't already I would get a second opinion from an orthopedic surgeon. My Pixie had LP surgery last summer when she suddenly couldn't walk and her left knee wouldn't stay in the socket. I got 3 vet opinions and a board certified othopedic and all felt she needed the surgery. She is a little over 4 lbs and did fine with the surgery. My Cali has grade 4 in both legs and is almost 6 and gets around fine without surgery. It really depends on how badly it affects each individual dog. My vet said she has seen dogs with grade 4 live their whole life and not need surgery. I hope your baby can avoid surgery.
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02-15-2011, 08:43 AM | #6 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Antonio
Posts: 30
| Possible surgery for Tank Tank is 1 year old next week and weighs 12 pounds! Yes, we named him Tank as a joke because his siblings from the first litter were small, his parents were small and we assumed he'd be little, too. Well, he grew into his name! He is not a big eater but he's like a bowling ball.....a conundrum on 4 legs. The past few days he has been collapsing to the ground several times a day and I suspected luxating patella and took him to my vet. He recommended, because he doesn't do these surgeries often anymore, that I take Tank to a board certified surgeon. We go tomorrow and I will report after that. My vet discussed the 4 possible issues with Tank's knee: The tendon from the thigh muscle that connects it to the lower leg can be stretched from injury or genetics. This would cause it not to hold firm in the groove at the bottom of the femur as it slldes up and down with the bending of the leg. The groove itself could be too shallow allowing the tendon to slip out sideways as well. The horizontal tendons that stabilize the side to side movement could be stretched, destabilizing the kneecap. And if he is bowlegged, the connection point of that tendon connecting the thigh muscle to the lower leg could be off kilter, making the tendon slide out of the groove. So there are possibly several issues with Tank and different "fixes". They can tighten the stretched tendons. They can deepen the femur's groove. They can reposition the insertion point of the tendon on the lower leg bone. If you are interested I will continue posting the results as we move along. |
02-15-2011, 10:24 AM | #7 |
My hairy-legged girls Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: lompoc, ca.
Posts: 12,228
| Welcome to YT. Well, if she isn't limping and it's no higher than a grade 3, I wouldn't be so quick to let a regular Vet. do the surgery. My Zada had a grade 3, wasn't limping but yet I put my trust in my regular Vet. who did the surgery. He didn't even deepen the groove. I took her to an orthopedic surgeon who said she should not have had the surgery since she wasn't having any pain. She had a torn ligament and he did the surgery. This is how he found out about the LP surgery. I had him check Azrael and he said she had a grade 3, but didn't recommend surgery unless she is having pain/limping. She's 6 years old and still not bothered, and may never have problems. So be extra careful about rushing into surgery. Have a board certified orthopedic surgeon check her over.
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02-15-2011, 02:55 PM | #8 |
Donating YT 30K Club Member | With Pixie she was limping and falling over so we did the surgery. The surgeon regrooved her knee cap, cut and repositioned her leg bone and out an internal stitch in her ligament. So far she has had no problems. Sometimes I second guess having had the surgery done, but she really had a hard time with it. If she hadn't i would have waited. I hope you can avoid surgery.
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02-15-2011, 04:58 PM | #9 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,561
| I am taking a wait and see approach with Max. He has had stage I - II for 2 1/2 years now. I think he is a bit worse now than when diagnosed so I would say he is a II now. He does not appear to be in any pain. Just a limp every few steps. He is 3 years old. I can not put him though the surgery. You would have to know Max as I do. He is a really high energy dog. If he is not sleeping, he is running & playing. The recovery would be impossible for him. He would never be able to be still to heal. Never. It would be a waste of time, money and most importantly Max would be in more pain. SO I am just waiting and seeing if he gets worse over time. Not doing surgery unless there is NO other way for him to have a quality life. He was a puppy mill dog and has had so many health issues.
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02-15-2011, 06:38 PM | #10 | |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Posts: 12,693
| Quote:
He doesn't seem to be in pain right now, and he is still enjoying life. If his movement is restricted at all, I will seek out a specialist. But not until then. That's my perspective.
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02-16-2011, 08:59 AM | #11 |
T. Bumpkins & Co. Donating YT Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: New England
Posts: 9,816
| Hi, my Daisy was born with two grade-4 luxating patellas. We had to have surgery on one leg at age 2 when she went completely lame and could not walk even after medication and crate rest. Even though she has a second grade 4 in the other leg, she has not needed surgery on it. Our vet takes a very conservative approach to these cases and I guess he was right...........Daisy is almost 11 now and doing great. X-rays show no arthritis in either leg. If the leg "goes out" which it has done a couple of times, she is crate rested with pain medication (she can't take anti-inflammatories which are preferred) and she is fine
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