my puppy has a luxating patella!!! do i need a surgery

[brigitte]

We finally got my puppy in to see the vet and they told my husband that she would have to have surgery. She has a very bad luxating patella. The vet said that it moves around a lot. They said that it is so bad that she will have to get the surgery within the next 6-12 months. The vet seemed surprised that she was running and jumping right now. I'm so scared and I hate the thought of my puppy suffering but the idea of surgery on her scares me too. They said the recovery time is two months. Has anyone had any experience with this???

[RONLYNN]

Well if she is not limping then I don't think you need the surgery right now. When Teddi was in the hospital having her liver shunt surgery the doctor told me that most tiny dogs have that and that Teddi did. He said it is because they are so small there is not that big of an area told hold their knee in place but unless she starts limping or holding it up that it's not a problem. He said it will pop out and pop right back in place and that it is fine unless it seems to be bothering her. So far it hasn't seemed to be a problem but I am going to try to not let her jump up and down as much as she does. Good luck with your pup!

[Yorkiedaze]

My Zada didn't limp or show any signs of the knee cap slipping, but she had a grade 3 in both knees and had surgery on both at the same time. Did the Vet. tell you what grade she has? My Azrael has a grade 2 in both knees and it hasn't changed since I got her 3 years ago and it may never require surgery, but a grade 3 does.

[Shelby&Seymour]

Shelby (my female) has had lp surgery on both rear legs..... at the same time. She did VERY well, but it did require a lot of effort to makesure that her recover was successful. I also suggest that you go to an orthopedic vet that specializes in this procedure. You can search back for my previous posts on Shelby. (there are a few others that also went thru this, too)

I really can tell a difference in the way Shelby moves......she is no longer is bow-legged...... and now (after physical theapy exercises and lots of TLC) her back legs are strong and healthy.
Good Luck to you.

[brigitte]

we called the orthopedic doctor and we have an appt on thursday. She is limping but she's still running and jumping as much as ever. I keep trying to get her to stop jumping but it is almost impossible to do without crating her all the time and she and i both hate that. my husband and i really do not want to get the surgery because it just sounds so painful and difficult for her. how long did the recovery period take for your dogs? the vet is saying 6-8 weeks. we have a large trip planned in august and planned on leaving her with my mom but my husband and i both feel that we would want to be here for her after the surgery. the trip isn't until the middle of august but we really don't want to take any chances. we will cancel the trip if we feel that she won't be recovered by then. i feel so bad for her because she is only 9 months old and that seems very young to have something this bad.

[Patti]

My Cali has grade 4 in both knees and has shown no signs of pain. The vet said to just watch and see. SHe said she had a dog live to 14 or something like that with grade 4 and never had it bother him or need surgery. I would see what the specialist says. Cali is 3 years old. I also use ramps so they never jump off furniture, Good luck

[Gracie2006]

My Gracie had a Grade 3 in both legs. She had the surgery. My GF is a vet and said that this causes pain even if the dog does not show it. I suggest getting another opinion if you are not comfortable with your vet's recommendations. I would like to caution other YTers not to give medical/veterinary advise as far as to have or not have surgery unless they are a DVM and have examined the patient.

[pea496]

Conner is scheduled for surgery as soon as his liver issues are resolved. He will also get physical therapy (my vet's office does this now). Conner is a grade 3 in one knee, the other is fine.

[Erin]

Sammy had grade 3's and just had the surgery in both knees. We are glad we did it. Yes the recovery is tough but it's worth it. My vet diagnosed it and sent us to a specialist who examined us and gave us our options. We chose to do both at the same time for a single recovery period. You can just tell she feels better!

[VickiG]

Peanut has a minor lp and our vet said he is fine and a lot of small dog have this, I give him glucosamine it is good for joints. He runs and jumps and has no issue.

[Judy in Waco]

I'm so sorry, but you have a lot of good advice and support here. Hugs to you and please keep us updated.

[brigitte]

thank you for everyone's posts. it makes me feel so much better to know that other people have been through this. my husband and i are pretty much banking on having the surgery done and most likely on both knees. we started giving her gloucosamine treats that the vet said wouldn't hurt and might help. i hate having to wait to get her into the vet again but thursday was the earliest appt they had. its so hard to know which vets to trust. they seem very knowledgable with a lot of experience but you never know. i just hate the idea of her going through this. how much pain did your yorkies seem to be in after the surgery? that's what i'm worried about and i know this probably sounds crazy but i hate the idea of placing her in more pain and her not understanding why we did it to her!!!

[Katylou]

My toy poodle (pet store puppy) had both his hind knees operated on at separate times by an orthopaedic vet. He had the surgeries when he was around a year and again about two years. His right knee was the worst he would hold it up and was in obvious pain He did very well and has not limped for years now - he is 7 Yrs old I think the follow up care is very important to their recovery. One thing I was told to do and I did was to buy a child's swimming pool and encourage him to swim and I believe that helped a lot in his recovery. Now that he is older I also five him Cosequin every day (glucosamine) for his joints.

[brigitte]

how did you keep them from running and jumping after the surgery? i know that is the most important part but i'm so worried that i won't be able to keep her calm! she is the one of the most adventurous and energetic dogs that I have ever had. she is not happy unless she is running and jumping all over the house. i knew that these dogs are prone to luxating patella so i did ask my vet when we first got a yorkie 5 years ago and he said to let them jump because thats what they are going to do.

[Gracie2006]

Originally Posted by brigitte

how did you keep them from running and jumping after the surgery? i know that is the most important part but i'm so worried that i won't be able to keep her calm! she is the one of the most adventurous and energetic dogs that I have ever had. she is not happy unless she is running and jumping all over the house. i knew that these dogs are prone to luxating patella so i did ask my vet when we first got a yorkie 5 years ago and he said to let them jump because thats what they are going to do.

The only way is to keep your baby confined to a crate when you cannot directly supervise, and even then I would suggest a harness and leash to keep baby at arm's length. After about post op day 4 or 5, Gracie started wanting to move around more. If your baby has long hair, I strongly recommend getting it clipped fairly short. The hind quarters will be shaved down to the skin. If baby gets diarrhea or something it will be much easier to clean her up with short hair. Just experience talking here! PM me if you have questions, Gracie had her bilateral LP surgery last January. You can find my thread for a day to day accounting of what we went through.