Feedback on Grade 3 Luxating Patella

[lisatodd]

i hope everything will be ok. sending you prays

[jim1950]

Cosequin for cats (4-6 weeks, one capsule) then drop it down to 1/2 capsule a day. My Yorkie "Zoe" has completely turned around from "screeching" when touched to playing, jumping and acting "normal". You can look up a site on the Internet. I was told to use the cat capsules as trhey are for under 10 lb. cats and the dog capsules are too strong-same medicine. I saw a change in about 1 week, Zoe has luxating patella's in both legs, grade 3 & 4. Surgery is not neccessarily the way to go. Please try this. Hope this message helps.

[yorkiesrock]

Originally Posted by Yorkiedaze

Zada's knees are excellent. After she was allowed to run around, she played and ran and had a great time. Before surgery, she never did play much at all.
When she had the expen attached to her crate to keep her in for those weeks, I also put a thick foam matt down so she wouldn't have to walk on a hard floor. She never had her knees bandaged. They heal better if they are not wrapped.

I am so happy to hear Zada is doing excellent after the surgery. I don't want to sound disgusting, but since she had both legs done at the same time was she able to squat in order to go to the bathroom? I am just thinking the days right after the surgery will be painful for them to do this.

[yorkiesrock]

Originally Posted by kalina82

Listen to TLC, she gives excellent advise on LP surgery IMO. I work for orthopedic surgeon's and i would also definitely recommend the surgery for a grade 3 LP. things can only get worse from here without surgery. If you go to a board certified orthopedic surgeon the surgery itself is a simple process if there are no further complications. I've seen HUNDREDS of knee surgeries where i work and 90% of the patients have an excellent recovery. The 10% that don't have an excellent recover are usually because the owner did not follow the discharge instructions and they let their dog do whatever it wanted, thus ruining the surgical repair. If you decide to get the surgery done, and you follow all the recovery instructions there is no reason why your yorkie shouldn't have an excellent recovery (unless there are complication specific to your dog)

TLC has been very helpful in answering all my questions (thanks again TLC). Kalina82, since you work for an ortho specialist and have seen so many LP surgeries have you ever seen a dog have this surgery done who isn't showing any symptoms? As I stated earlier it's so hard for me to say yes to surgery because if you see him you would never know he has knee problems. Just today I came back from the pet store with treats and once he smelled them he jumped so high he reached my waist and didn't cry out in pain.

[yorkiesrock]

Yorkiekids and lisatodd thanks so much for the prayers. I need them now more than ever because it's a hard decision to make.

[yorkiesrock]

Originally Posted by jim1950

Cosequin for cats (4-6 weeks, one capsule) then drop it down to 1/2 capsule a day. My Yorkie "Zoe" has completely turned around from "screeching" when touched to playing, jumping and acting "normal". You can look up a site on the Internet. I was told to use the cat capsules as trhey are for under 10 lb. cats and the dog capsules are too strong-same medicine. I saw a change in about 1 week, Zoe has luxating patella's in both legs, grade 3 & 4. Surgery is not neccessarily the way to go. Please try this. Hope this message helps.

Did your vet recommend you use Cosequin? What is the website so I can read up on it and talk about it with my vet?

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by yorkiesrock

TLC has been very helpful in answering all my questions (thanks again TLC). Kalina82, since you work for an ortho specialist and have seen so many LP surgeries have you ever seen a dog have this surgery done who isn't showing any symptoms? As I stated earlier it's so hard for me to say yes to surgery because if you see him you would never know he has knee problems. Just today I came back from the pet store with treats and once he smelled them he jumped so high he reached my waist and didn't cry out in pain.

did you only decide to investigate his knees because you heard a clicking sound? there are no other signs? Does he ever hold his leg up, or seem to 'skip' a beat while running or walking? Does he have a hunched back or does it seem rounded towards the end? Do you notice a limp? If you were to answer no to all these questions, and your dog only had a grade 1 or 2 then i'd say no, wait it out and supplement him. However since its a grade 3 i'm a little reluctant to say wait it out.

I was fostering a chihuahua and she have severe grade 4 LPs. I knew it because she was very hunched over and she had a rounded back. Also when she walked her legs were splayed outwards. She never complained about it. Never limped or skipped. never held a leg up. however i noticed the other signs and when i asked my boss about it he palpated her knees and said they were grade 4, totally out of the socket. So we did surgery on both legs.

The decision is up to you. personally, i'd probably get it done. However, if the vet said that the other leg was only a grade one or two, i might possibly wait until they were both a little worse and showing signs so that i could get them both done at the same time. others may not agree and say that its wrong because the dog is in pain but that's how i feel.

[yorkiesrock]

Originally Posted by kalina82

did you only decide to investigate his knees because you heard a clicking sound? there are no other signs? Does he ever hold his leg up, or seem to 'skip' a beat while running or walking? Does he have a hunched back or does it seem rounded towards the end? Do you notice a limp? If you were to answer no to all these questions, and your dog only had a grade 1 or 2 then i'd say no, wait it out and supplement him. However since its a grade 3 i'm a little reluctant to say wait it out.

I was fostering a chihuahua and she have severe grade 4 LPs. I knew it because she was very hunched over and she had a rounded back. Also when she walked her legs were splayed outwards. She never complained about it. Never limped or skipped. never held a leg up. however i noticed the other signs and when i asked my boss about it he palpated her knees and said they were grade 4, totally out of the socket. So we did surgery on both legs.

The decision is up to you. personally, i'd probably get it done. However, if the vet said that the other leg was only a grade one or two, i might possibly wait until they were both a little worse and showing signs so that i could get them both done at the same time. others may not agree and say that its wrong because the dog is in pain but that's how i feel.

I never thought to ask my vet about it since he never showed any signs of pain. However, when I took him there for his first checkup, he was only 6months old, the vet said he has dislocated knee caps but they should heal when he gets older. I asked him if this is a serious problem because since I had just purchased him from the breeder he was under a guarantee of health and if I wanted to I could return him. The vet said it wasn't a major problem. I don't think I would have been able to bring him back anyway because I got attached to him instantly. Now when I brought him last month to check on his stomach because he had been vomiting alot he felt his knees again and said they had gotten worse and he needs surgery. I do hear a clicking sound when I pick him up and his back does seem roudned towards the end. He only limped once and I didn't see it because he was with a friend in the park. Last night I also noticed for the first time that on the inside of his leg I saw a little bone starting to stick out a bit. I had never seen that and so I guess the knee is starting to get worse. I heard from the vet today with the quote of the surgery. It's expensive but if the specialist takes a payment plan then I will go ahead with the surgery. I am really nervous but I will pray for the best.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by yorkiesrock

I never thought to ask my vet about it since he never showed any signs of pain. However, when I took him there for his first checkup, he was only 6months old, the vet said he has dislocated knee caps but they should heal when he gets older. I asked him if this is a serious problem because since I had just purchased him from the breeder he was under a guarantee of health and if I wanted to I could return him. The vet said it wasn't a major problem. I don't think I would have been able to bring him back anyway because I got attached to him instantly. Now when I brought him last month to check on his stomach because he had been vomiting alot he felt his knees again and said they had gotten worse and he needs surgery. I do hear a clicking sound when I pick him up and his back does seem roudned towards the end. He only limped once and I didn't see it because he was with a friend in the park. Last night I also noticed for the first time that on the inside of his leg I saw a little bone starting to stick out a bit. I had never seen that and so I guess the knee is starting to get worse. I heard from the vet today with the quote of the surgery. It's expensive but if the specialist takes a payment plan then I will go ahead with the surgery. I am really nervous but I will pray for the best.

he seems to be showing signs so i think he should have the surgery done. he'll feel so much better after surgery. The recovery period is hard but its worth it. Small dogs usually have a faster recovery then big dogs because the procedure isn't as hard. It is expensive, but you can apply for care credit if the specialist doesn't have a payment plan.

[chandracz]

Hi there,
My yorkie "Bailey" has the same problem and my vet told me almost exactly what you said your vet told you. I'm not sure what grade Bailey's was at, but it was bad enough that it was popping out of the socket and I'd have to push it back in and realign it. My friend used Glucosamine for her Bullmastiff and it changed the Bully's life! I decided that while I contemplated on the surgery, I could do some research on vitamins that yorkie size. I called the vet back and asked what she recommended. I put Bailey on Synovi Granuals. Since I started Bailey on the Synovi, his leg has not popped out of the socket. I don't have to hear him screech in pain or see him limp (even when he plays a lot). I'm so that I found this for Bailey! It may be worth a shot for you, if anything you know it can't hurt him because they're vitamins. I would suggest that you check with your vet first if you consider the Synovi because I wouldn't want you taking my word alone. I get my granuals at the vet's office, but I think if you google it you may find a site to order from. Let me know if you have any questions!

[yorkiesrock]

Originally Posted by chandracz

Hi there,
My yorkie "Bailey" has the same problem and my vet told me almost exactly what you said your vet told you. I'm not sure what grade Bailey's was at, but it was bad enough that it was popping out of the socket and I'd have to push it back in and realign it. My friend used Glucosamine for her Bullmastiff and it changed the Bully's life! I decided that while I contemplated on the surgery, I could do some research on vitamins that yorkie size. I called the vet back and asked what she recommended. I put Bailey on Synovi Granuals. Since I started Bailey on the Synovi, his leg has not popped out of the socket. I don't have to hear him screech in pain or see him limp (even when he plays a lot). I'm so that I found this for Bailey! It may be worth a shot for you, if anything you know it can't hurt him because they're vitamins. I would suggest that you check with your vet first if you consider the Synovi because I wouldn't want you taking my word alone. I get my granuals at the vet's office, but I think if you google it you may find a site to order from. Let me know if you have any questions!

That sounds wonderful. My vet needs to call me back next week so when I talk to her then I will ask if she recommends any vitamins I can try that might help before going through with the surgery. I'll also mention Synovi and see what she thinks about it. I hope she says to try it out because I will try anything that won't harm him before going through with this surgery. Thanks for that suggestion.

[jim1950]

You use 1 capsule a day mixed in with wet food is best for 4-6 weeks, then back off to 1/2 capsule a day for maintenance. Zoe has been on this for months now and is doing great. The vet recommended this. Here is one of many websites for Cosequin. Again, use the cat capsules as Yorkies are under 10 lb's. Hope this helps. http://www.entirelypets.com/cosequincats.html

[TLC]

There is a very well recommended Vet in Huntington, NY.

Dr. Miller
Animal Wellness Center
20 West Hills Road
Huntington, NY 11746
631-351-0447

He is into Holistic and Chiropractic Vet care.

I just recieved a booklet of his services, write ups about him and testimonals. There is one story about a Yorkie with LP. Her regular Vet said surgery, but she took the Yorkie to Dr. Miller. He treated the Yorkie for 5 months with holistic treatments and chiropractic treatments. She didn't have to have surgery after that, but she sees Dr. Miller 1x every 3 months for continued treatments. (That lady was from Medford, NY)

Anyway, it might be worth a shot if you'd like to NOT have him go through surgery.

Let me know if you go there and what you think?
Thanks!

[yorkiesrock]

Originally Posted by jim1950

You use 1 capsule a day mixed in with wet food is best for 4-6 weeks, then back off to 1/2 capsule a day for maintenance. Zoe has been on this for months now and is doing great. The vet recommended this. Here is one of many websites for Cosequin. Again, use the cat capsules as Yorkies are under 10 lb's. Hope this helps. http://www.entirelypets.com/cosequincats.html

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out now. I will also ask my vet about it.

[yorkiesrock]

Originally Posted by TLC

There is a very well recommended Vet in Huntington, NY.

Dr. Miller
Animal Wellness Center
20 West Hills Road
Huntington, NY 11746
631-351-0447

He is into Holistic and Chiropractic Vet care.

I just recieved a booklet of his services, write ups about him and testimonals. There is one story about a Yorkie with LP. Her regular Vet said surgery, but she took the Yorkie to Dr. Miller. He treated the Yorkie for 5 months with holistic treatments and chiropractic treatments. She didn't have to have surgery after that, but she sees Dr. Miller 1x every 3 months for continued treatments. (That lady was from Medford, NY)

Anyway, it might be worth a shot if you'd like to NOT have him go through surgery.

Let me know if you go there and what you think?
Thanks!

Thanks yet again TLC. You have been so helpful with all your answers to my questions. I haven't ruled out surgery entirely but I would like to know all my options before I make my final decision. I will think about going to this vet if my new vet doesn't want to try treatment with vitamins first.