Grading Luxating Patellas - From Dr. Jaimie

[Snowbody]

Hi Debbie - so glad Chewy did well in the surgery. I thought I had posted to you when you originally said you found a bd certified surgeon and a great friend who lent you the money but apparently I never submitted it. I can just imagine how anxious you are to see and hold sweet Chewy. Nice job following doctor's orders though. Hoping that Friday comes really fast and hope to hear good recovery stories. You're an awesome mom.

[DebbieG]

Chewie has been home since Friday and is doing great. He is supposed to stay in his kennel most of the time so he won't walk around too much, but he seems ready to play already. It is hard to keep him down. So glad he had the surgery. One good thing about young dogs, they bounce back quickly.

Thanks for your support, prayers and answers. I really appreciate it.

Debbie G.

[Sammie]

I want to share that I bought 2 males from a local breeder and lost one to liver shunts and the other one has allergies and LP in both legs. I have since learned that LP is a genetic/heredity deformity. And it is much more than a slipping of the kneecap.

I found it very difficult to decide whether to have surgery on my 2 yr old. He had a slight skip since I could remember. Then about 1 1/2 yrs he started to skip more. By 2 yrs old it was constant when he picked up speed and other times as well. So I took him to my regular vet, he examined him in the office and said he may have a problem in one leg, but to just watch it. I then took him to an Orthopedic Surgeon at a local hospital for evaluation. They will see you at reg vet charges on non emerg appointment. She took him outside and kept him with her for 45 minutes or so and the visit lasted 1 1/2 hrs with her before she diagnosed him. She took xrays which showed the same thing in the article in this thread. She recomended surgery for the right leg now as he had LP in both legs at early grade 2. She was less interested in the grade than his clinical signs and xrays. I then had a difficult time deciding whether to do the surgery as many people were told to "just watch it" and were choosing to wait if grade 2. I did not want to over react. I then went on a search for more info as this problem is very difficult for me to understand. I learned that it was hereditary, abnormal genes that caused a deformity at the top of the femur near the hip joint that causes a pull of the big thigh muscle that attaches to the kneecap. This abnormal force causes the growing bones and ligaments in the knee to become deformed therefore causing the knee cap to slip off the groove (LP). I thought it involved just the kneecap. This is where is it confusing for a person deciding to operate or not on a grade 2.
After talking to more experienced owners and the below I was told by the Ortho vet, I decided to have the surgery.
A diagnosis is based on a physical exam (vet may need to walk the dog) (may need an Ortho to diagnose) and X-rays. Grades 2-4 reflect (progressively) worsening patella displacement and (joint damage), surgery is recommended to correct the alignment. The post surgical prognosis is good in mild cases but as the grade increases the greater the risk of a (less) successful outcome.

So if you find yourself on this LP thread, not knowing what to do with a grade 2 that your regular vet says to watch, or (if seen) an Ortho vet says to operate and your not sure because it is only a grade 2. I know how difficult it is to see the signs, but if you see a skip early on, you don't have to wait as I did to see an Orthopedic for an eval, as it is progressing as your puppy's muscles and bones are forming and everytime that kneecap pops out it is causing arthritis. It is not an inexpensive surgery, but the long range outcome can be lameness in the legs.

[LornaP]

so sorry your dog had to go through all of that When my maltese was just one she was diagnosed with a LP, and the vet recommended a product with collagen. It worked right away and we never had another flare up!

The product was called joint resolution.