Treating Luxating Patella at home - YorkieTalk.com Forums

greenie · 12-06-2020, 08:08 AM

Hi Everyone,

Our senior (16 years old) has had a luxating patella for a couple years but it never really seemed to bother her. In the last couple months her back left patella has slipped out a few times and seems very uncomfortable. When that happened it corrected itself quickly and she walked it off in less than a minute. It's been diagnosed as level 2.

Last night for the first time the patella remained out of socket for close to an hour. She's better this morning and running around like usual but I was wondering if anyone has had any success managing luxating patellas at home? She's too old and her kidneys are too damaged to be a good candidate for surgery. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Bluebells · 12-06-2020, 12:10 PM

I once had a foster, a senior chihuahua, who had a luxating patella in one of her back legs. She wasn’t a good candidate for surgery due to her age and other medical issues, so she had a leg brace. It worked well for her.

Bluebells · 12-06-2020, 12:24 PM

I don’t remember what brand of brace it was, but it looked kind of like this:

Edited because the link didn’t work correctly. But you can try googling “dog leg brace luxating patella”

ladyjane · 12-06-2020, 02:23 PM

I would suggest an orthopedic consult. They can properly diagnose what is going on and give you options that are not surgical. If your vet does not know of one, you can search here:

www.acvs.org

They are surgeons, yes, but they don't always just do surgery!

greenie · 12-06-2020, 04:26 PM

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll schedule an orthopedic consult and take a look at leg braces. Hopefully the leg will stay in place until then.

ladyjane · 12-07-2020, 02:18 PM

Good luck! I would love to hear the outcome.

yorkietalkjilly · 12-07-2020, 03:40 PM

So glad you'll be getting an ortho consult as dogs usually try to hide their pain to avoid being considered 'weak' and attacked, bullied or deserted by his pack/family, as he likely would be in the wild. Please try to update whenever you can.

greenie · 12-09-2020, 11:02 AM

Hi Everyone,

Some good news is she seems to be doing better for now. It turns out she was very nauseous from something and the anti nausea medicine has helped her walking/movement tremendously. We also scheduled an orthopedic consult to see if we can do more things at home to help treat them. Hopefully this continues.

ladyjane · 12-09-2020, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenie

Hi Everyone,

Some good news is she seems to be doing better for now. It turns out she was very nauseous from something and the anti nausea medicine has helped her walking/movement tremendously. We also scheduled an orthopedic consult to see if we can do more things at home to help treat them. Hopefully this continues.

That's great that she is feeling well! Thanks for updating!

12-06-2020, 08:08 AM	#1
greenie Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Brookline, MA, USA Posts: 12	Treating Luxating Patella at home Hi Everyone, Our senior (16 years old) has had a luxating patella for a couple years but it never really seemed to bother her. In the last couple months her back left patella has slipped out a few times and seems very uncomfortable. When that happened it corrected itself quickly and she walked it off in less than a minute. It's been diagnosed as level 2. Last night for the first time the patella remained out of socket for close to an hour. She's better this morning and running around like usual but I was wondering if anyone has had any success managing luxating patellas at home? She's too old and her kidneys are too damaged to be a good candidate for surgery. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

12-06-2020, 12:24 PM	#3
Bluebells YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: North Carolina, USA Posts: 370	I don’t remember what brand of brace it was, but it looked kind of like this: Edited because the link didn’t work correctly. But you can try googling “dog leg brace luxating patella” Last edited by Bluebells; 12-06-2020 at 12:28 PM.

12-06-2020, 02:23 PM	#4
ladyjane Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 27,466	I would suggest an orthopedic consult. They can properly diagnose what is going on and give you options that are not surgical. If your vet does not know of one, you can search here: www.acvs.org They are surgeons, yes, but they don't always just do surgery! __________________ CLOUD NINE BEDS--YORKIE HAVEN RESCUE MY ETSY SHOP

12-06-2020, 04:26 PM	#5
greenie Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Brookline, MA, USA Posts: 12	Following up Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll schedule an orthopedic consult and take a look at leg braces. Hopefully the leg will stay in place until then.

12-07-2020, 02:18 PM	#6
ladyjane Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 27,466	Good luck! I would love to hear the outcome. __________________ CLOUD NINE BEDS--YORKIE HAVEN RESCUE MY ETSY SHOP

12-06-2020, 12:10 PM	#2
Bluebells YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: North Carolina, USA Posts: 370	I once had a foster, a senior chihuahua, who had a luxating patella in one of her back legs. She wasn’t a good candidate for surgery due to her age and other medical issues, so she had a leg brace. It worked well for her.

12-07-2020, 03:40 PM	#7
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	So glad you'll be getting an ortho consult as dogs usually try to hide their pain to avoid being considered 'weak' and attacked, bullied or deserted by his pack/family, as he likely would be in the wild. Please try to update whenever you can. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

12-09-2020, 11:02 AM	#8
greenie Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Brookline, MA, USA Posts: 12	Improvement and Ortho Follow up Hi Everyone, Some good news is she seems to be doing better for now. It turns out she was very nauseous from something and the anti nausea medicine has helped her walking/movement tremendously. We also scheduled an orthopedic consult to see if we can do more things at home to help treat them. Hopefully this continues.