I have a five year old Lab. Her right hind has been giving her issues, she will hold it up at a walk but will use it when trotting or cantering. I have taken her to the vet and am now getting referred to another vet clinic to take xrays and determine if it is a luxating patella or an torn/damaged ACL. If it can be repaired with surgery we will have it done. I am assuming she will be leash walked and on stall rest for several weeks. She is very active and I am most worried about keeping her calm. So anyone who has experience with this, could you please share. Is there anything specific I should be asking my vet? Thanks!
We had a toy poodle that had it all her life.
Vet commented on it at first puppy exam, said if it bother her too much would have to try surgery.
She was an obedience and tracking dog and very active farm dog and, while she at times carried that leg, it never was bad enough to need surgery for the 13 1/2 years she lived.
That is common in toy dogs, less in larger dogs, where you generally have other there than plain luxating patella, “trick knee”.
Several dogs in our club that had surgery there for tears had some crate rest, then on leash exercise and were 100% once healed and back to competing, even in agility.
My current small rat terrier carries one hind leg also.
It is her hock, not patella and she either was born missing a tendon there, or it tore before I got her at 11 weeks old.
The vet said trying to do surgery looking to do any kind of repair may do more harm than just leaving it alone.
We trained for competition, obedience, rally and agility, but didn’t go on once we had to add speed.
With my dog, as she was a puppy, we did exercises on a slope, with the “bad” leg on the higher side/lower side, don’t remember now, to try to give that leg’s muscles more to hold her.
You may be given some special exercises to do, depending on what is wrong.
Get a very good surgeon that does that kind of surgery all the time in competition dogs.
That is what our club members do, ask for a referral when they have such problems.
Good luck, hope they can help your dog.
My six yo chihuahua has it too but it’s not bad enough to need intervention, in fact, I’d be happy if something would slow her down sometimes. She’s a pushy broad. Ha ha. I would think it could be more of a concern with a larger dog but I’d proceed based on whether you think it’s impeding her quality of life. My dog has no visible pain from hers… it appears to be more of a mechanical issue. She can still keep up with the big dogs at the park.
Yes, lots!
Its more common in small dogs, cruciate injuries are more common in large dogs like labs (especially if they are a little chunky) - but not to say any size dog can get any of those conditions.
If its chronic, and rest doesn’t help there are several surgeries that generally have excellent outcomes.
It is vert common in toy breeds - most of my chihuahuas have an occasional “hitch in their giddyup”. It doesn’t yet cause pain or slow them down.
My mother’s Eskie has it and has had it for several years. He doesn’t seem bothered by it–will hitch the leg up for a bit, then it usually fixes itself when he sits.
Had a Boston Terrier with it (it is very common in the breed). He started having problems when just a pup, so we had both knees done before he was a year old. Went to a specialized surgeon who does them on a routine basis. “Jack” lived to 14 and never had a problem with arthritis from the surgeries. As far as we were concerned the surgeries were a complete success. Post surgery he had to be crated and only walked on a leash for about 6 weeks or so. He had one done, recovered, and then had another done. It was tough keeping him crated for that long, but definitely worth it. I’ve learned since then that LP is “graded” as to the level of seriousness, and at the lower grades, surgery usually isn’t necessary.
With a five year old lab, luxating patella is not nearly as likely as an ACL tear.
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[QUOTE=SarahKing;7463463]
With a five year old lab, luxating patella is not nearly as likely as an ACL tear.[/QUOTE]
I would have to agree with this. My 6 yr old Dobe just had ACL repair surgery (100% tear) and had the TTA procedure done. She’s at 3 1/2 weeks post surgery right now and doing well. She is (or was!) an extremely active dog…playing frisbee & ball ALL the time. I was worried about keeping her quiet but she pretty much did that herself. Now she and my male Dobe are starting in with the horseplay in the house…but I try to keep it to a minimum!!!
Be careful though and adjust food accordingly! My girl has always been very slim but starting putting the pounds on with her severely restricted activity so I had to cut back her food (something I’ve never even had to think of her entire life!!).
My rat terrier has been diagnosed with luxating patella. It’s stage 1 or 2. I was told by the vet that she wouldn’t consider surgery until 50% lame. She’s on anti inflammatory meds and something to calm her down. She’s a very active dog. We are also trying to get some weight off her.
Does this condition necessarily always advance? I’m confused on that issue. One vet said yes, the other vet didn’t indicate that. Surgery would be very tough on her. She’s only 4 years old, but very active.
Can others that are further down the road on this matter comment with their dogs experience. Thank you.
My boy dog has bad knees. Started when he was about 1 and his left started being out a lot, so I got surgery for him. Just before surgery, his other knee went out! The vet did a big operation on the left - moving bones, deepening the groove and pinning, and did a simpler tie-over on the right. He had some issues and it turned out the pin was too big, so he had another surgery to remove it. He has been fine on that knee since. The tie-over didn’t last and the right knee will bother him from time to time, but it is not enough to do anything about (he is 8 now).
I have seen a lot of little dogs with luxating patellas and it often doesn’t bother them other then skipping and carryng the leg for a few steps here and there. It seems that some get worse and some seem to stay the same. I don’t know why!
I spent 4 years as a lead vet tech for an orthopedic surgeon. Stifle surgeries were by far the most common surgery we performed. I’d have to agree that it’s probably more likely that it’s a cruciate/ACL tear, but you never know. There were some interesting surprises as far as the luxating patellas were concerned. If you plan to get it repaired, I would highly recommend a board-certified surgeon, if there’s one in your area. While there are some general practice vets who are skilled at orthopedic surgery, there are far more who dabble in it and can make quite a mess in there.
As far as recovery is concerned, expect 2 weeks in a cone to prevent chewing at the sutures or bandage. Some vets place a post operative bandage/soft cast, some don’t. Studies on efficacy are pretty split, so it’s really their personal preference. We typically took post-operative radiographs to confirm healing at 8 weeks, and until then it was strict crate rest, with leash walks only. Leash walks meant 6 ft leash, not a 25-ft retractable leash! (People have interesting interpretations lol). Usually for the first 2 weeks we also provided a padded sling to use under the belly for added walking support. After the 2 week mark, we advised clients to only use it with stairs and on slippery surfaces (tile, linoleum). The slings are awesome, so if you aren’t provided one, I’d highly recommend buying one online. Most dogs heal well in 8 weeks and can gradually return to activity after that. If you have access to a pet physical therapist, they are phenomenal. However plenty of people don’t have one nearby, or don’t have the funds, and their dogs do fine. Occasionally they aren’t healed at the 8 week mark, and the crate rest period needs to be extended. Far and away, the biggest reason for failure of the surgery is non-compliance with the crate rest. Yes, you and your dog will likely go crazy. Kongs with peanut butter, puzzle toys and interaction are your friend. We recommended clients decrease their dogs food while on crate rest to prevent weight gain, especially since they were often getting added treats to stay occupied. For the starving labradors, replacing the volume of dog food with a vegetable like green beans or carrots helped them feel full. Just transition slowly or you’ll have lovely, carroty diarrhea. Gross.
Good luck at the referral vet! Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. My 12 year old chiweenie actually has bilateral luxating patellas, grade III on the left and grade IV on the right. However, they don’t bother her in the slightest. She doesn’t even do the luxating “skip”. Probably because they’re out all the time so they don’t get stuck and bother her. We elected to just leave them, since she’s older and not uncomfortable. But there are a lot of dogs out there who are bothered and should probably have it done.
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See if you have a water therapy facility in the area. Swimming is one of the best exercises wether it is a luxating patella or a cruciate tear. Even after surgery (if needed) that kind of low impact but strengthening exercise does amazing things for them.
Hi there. I read your post and found it super helpful as I’m considering luxating patella for my 4-year old boxer mix. Was wondering if I could ask you a few more questions.
