# Repeat luxating patella problem



## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Just wanted some advice. My dog is 4 in February but at 9 months she had an operation to correct luxating patella as she could not put any weight at all on her leg. Since then she has limped a bit on & off as the vet & others warned that it would not mean her leg was perfect so since then we have been quite alert to the fact she was not able to walk much without limping & being in pain. 

Fast forward to this week and she was taken for a walk on Monday (in snow & ice) & has come home with a SERIOUS limp. Cannot put weight on the leg (same leg as the operation) and clearly is in pain again. I am going to give the vet a call today about it but wondered if anyone has been in this position before? I am of the opinion that operating on it would be pointless since she has had it done already & has not been a success in my eyes. I wondered what else could be done as she seems to be in a bit of pain at the moment & I don't think that is fair.  She's also not the most healthy of dogs (she was the runt of a litter & has never been wonderfull healthy) so putting her under general anaesthetic is something I have avoided as much as I can in her short life.


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

I really do need some insight into this from anyone with experience. My dog had x-rays today & the vets said this has been happening longer than previously thought. They are talking about 4 months on painkillers & seeing how she goes - this to me sounds like there are little in the way of options.


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## Jane2212 (Dec 19, 2010)

Hello Messyhearts,

In the late 80's I had a one-year old Cairn Terrier with this same problem - first of all in one leg which was operated on at the cost of £450 - a fortune at the time - and then it happened on the second leg ..... I took her to another vet who did an slightly different operation on it for £55 ...... bit of a difference there but both successful ..... all I'm wondering is could you ask another vet for a second opinion on this as I know veterinary science has moved on a lot since the late 80's but it appeared even then that different vets may have different ways of approaching this problem ? 

By the way - I have an 11-yr old Cairn now who three years ago had a severe knee problem (but not luxating patella) to the point where we had to look for a vet. hospital who could do a knee replacement but our vet found that most knee replacements result in amputation because they are still in the early stages with this technology. So our vet gave her several injections into the leg over several weeks (anti-inflammatories I believe) and since then she has been on 1/2 tablet per day of Prednoleucotropin (PLT's) which is a mild steroid. The vet tells me without this medication her leg/knee would become useless very quickly. She hasn't put on weight with the medication as it's just a very low dose of steroid and she doesn't crave food or anything. She trots along ok - though gingerly but this could because she is also blind - and doesn't seem to feel any pain when the leg is manipulated. PLT's could be the answer along with anti-inflammatories and see how it goes ?

Just a thought.
Jane


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Thanks Jane. Certainly something to think about. She's been put on anti-inflammatories for the next month with a view to seeing how she gets on. Fingers crossed it will get better. He also said she has arthritis setting in on top of it all too.


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## Sophiex (Jul 27, 2008)

Hi there. I just posted a thread asking about this and I'm in a similar position to you. My 2 yr old toy poodle had an operation to fix a luxating patella in Feb and was fine until a few days ago when it slipped and it wouldn't go back in. We panicked and ran to the vet but after about half an hour, it popped back in and he was fine. I felt a tad silly but the vet explained that they've tightened the groove, so if it does slip out, it will take longer to go back in. I saw our usual vet today and she said if it starts happening again, he'll need another surgery. Not really what I wanted to hear.  My vet suggested anti-inflammatories for when the knee is bothering him. Is your dog on any medication?


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

She's only on anti-inflammatories at the moment. They want to see what she is like in Feb before deciding on the next step. I really don't want her to have surgery again - she's not a very strong dog so I am hesitant for her to go under GA again and it's a BIG surgery which clearly hasn't been completely successful.


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## Amethyst (Jun 16, 2010)

I've had a dog had a patella repair and nearly nine years on they are doing great, no issues at all. We went to one of the best orthopaedic vets in the UK.

If I were in your position I would ask for a referral to a vet specialising in small animal orthopedics .... If original vet is not a specialist. If they are, you can still ask for second opinion.

Our vet said many vets mistakenly deepen groove in patella, with poor improvement, when really it is a problem with misaligned ligaments or similar. 
He said he spent a lot of his time correcting surgeries on patellas that had been badly done by general vets ... So a second operation might solve the issue.

Hope your dog is okay.


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## Sophiex (Jul 27, 2008)

messyhearts, was your dog operated on by an orthopaedic vet? Mine actually was and still he's having issues.


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Sophiex said:


> messyhearts, was your dog operated on by an orthopaedic vet? Mine actually was and still he's having issues.


Don't think he was, no, & can't ask as he left. There is an orthapaedic vet in the surgery group that they are willing to refer us to.


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## Jane2212 (Dec 19, 2010)

Hi Messyhearts, 
Both the vets who did our Buttons' "flipping kneecap" problem were general vets who do all sorts of ops but I understood that the main problem is with the muscles alongside the kneecap which keep it in place rather than the bones/cartlidge either side of it. We did find there is a specialist in canine knees in Solihull, near Birmingham if that helps, at the "Willows" practice, he is a friend of our vet.
Jane


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Yeah they mentioned the muscles. I suspect that she hasn't been using it like she should have done due to limping. May discuss hydrotherapy with the vet next time I go. Not entirely sure if my dog would like it as it may freak her out....


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## husky (Nov 29, 2010)

i have a pup with this problem, she is 7 months old now, i am just waiting to find out if her insurance will pay for the ops that she needs on both her rear legs. our vet is going to refer us to a specialist orthapedic vet in our area as soon as i hear from our insurers. i would ask to be refered to a ortherpedic vet for a second opinion


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Well, she has been on drugs since I started this thread. She has been fine, completely fine, since the new year except last Thursday when the weather changed & it was freezing cold. I think it is arthritis based.


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## Sparkle (Jan 28, 2010)

So sorry your pup is going through this it's horrid

Do you give er glucosamine and chrondrotitn (sp) supplements and a good quality fish oil (salmon or cod liver) they really help in joint support


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## Petloversdigest (Dec 10, 2010)

I wonder if some physio will help to build up the muscles a bit and support the patella a little better? Would need to be a physio who really knows their stuff re animals though......


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## husky (Nov 29, 2010)

my pup had an op to deepen her knee cap to avoid her knee dislocating again, this was 2 weeks ago and she is doing fine on the leg now, she goes back in another 2 weeks to have the other one done. she is on loxicom for her pain and will be on this long term.

the cold weather can make the problem worse as when the legs get cold they then start to feel the pain.


i wish you the best of luck.


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## Bulldog600 (Jan 22, 2011)

My little staffy had to have 4 operations on her luxating patellas and she had to have the pins removed aswell ,luckly our vet was amazing and did a good job ,but she started with osteoarthritas in both joints and other medical problems.
She was on painkillers for a 30kg dog but she ws only 19kg .she had other problems aswell ,so hopefully yours will be fine ,might just need some good pain relif ,keeping my fingers crossed for you ,big hugs xxxx


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Thanks everyone for the support. 

She is going to the vets on Saturday anyway so I will raise the issue then & see what he has to say. I suspect he will want to refer us to the specialist they have in another practice so I may try that & see what he says.


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## Bulldog600 (Jan 22, 2011)

I really hope it goes well for you ,will be thinking of you on saturday


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Well, it was the locum so a different opinion again. He has decided she needs to be referred to their specialist in the surgery group's hospital. He believes she will need an op to fix the original op and an op for the other knee because it has been coping with a bad knee as well as not being too great itself. He said both knees were very swollen though functioning.


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## koki (Feb 3, 2011)

messyhearts said:


> Yeah they mentioned the muscles. I suspect that she hasn't been using it like she should have done due to limping. May discuss hydrotherapy with the vet next time I go. Not entirely sure if my dog would like it as it may freak her out....


Sorry to expose my personal case: I suffered a knee distention of the ligaments. Hope this is correct in english. The firemost thing to watch for is to avoid letting the muscles atrophy, otherwise the same injury can happen again. This may be another issue with your doggie. better take her to a specialist otherwise the other vets may ruin her knee.

Best wishes for your baby dog.


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Went to see an orthopedic specialist this week.

He has confirmed that the knee that had the op has a grade 4 LP & that her OTHER knee has a grade 3. He has recommended doing an op on the grade 3 as the grade 4 may be a possibility it is so bad there is little hope of any success whilst the grade 3 has some hope. 

Not the best news. 

So we are waiting for a pre-authorisation for our insurance before going ahead with an op on the "good" knee, which will be in the next few weeks hopefully. Long term - need to see how bad knee copes with an op on good knee.


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## Petloversdigest (Dec 10, 2010)

Oh dear, sorry to hear your news, I'm sure you hoped for a different outcome - if surgery works well I guess three good legs should be fine for many years to come, so that is something to hold onto. I hope the op goes smoothly and recouperation too.


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## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

I am sorry to hear about your girl - one of mine has a dodgy knee - the patella started coming in and out on it's own and then went completely after a rather heavy session at the beach 

Knowing what a nutter she was and the inability to keep her calm post surgery without getting a visit from the RSPCA (We even tried high dose valium for a day or two - with absolutely NO effect whatsoever ) 

After some enquiries, we opted for physio (an underwater treadmill) and acupuncture along with Cartophen injections - the difference was slow to start with, but has made a remarkable difference - she's now down to physio once a month and on regular lead walks - she can trot, run, it's just free running on beaches she probably won't do much of - but I am surprised how well she has adjusted (maybe at 5 she's finally growing up ) 

Hope you can manage to sort it out - the failure of the surgery was one of our major concerns - because she is the sort of dog who rules everything in our house (including the other 6) so she decides when it is food time, bed time, walk time etc etc and anything which tries to take control of, or restrict her simply wouldn't have worked as our futile attempts proved  and as your girl seems to be showing, if the surgery failed - our options would be even more limited


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Petloversdigest said:


> Oh dear, sorry to hear your news, I'm sure you hoped for a different outcome - if surgery works well I guess three good legs should be fine for many years to come, so that is something to hold onto. I hope the op goes smoothly and recouperation too.


Thanks. That's the train of thought. At least try to have some functionality in her hind legs.



swarthy said:


> I am sorry to hear about your girl - one of mine has a dodgy knee - the patella started coming in and out on it's own and then went completely after a rather heavy session at the beach
> 
> Knowing what a nutter she was and the inability to keep her calm post surgery without getting a visit from the RSPCA (We even tried high dose valium for a day or two - with absolutely NO effect whatsoever )
> 
> ...


We were very lucky! She's very calm & laid back & loves sleeping anyway. Think we would have gone mad if she was anything like your girl with my girl's bad legs. :scared:

I'm sure yours will be fine & I'm the exception that makes the rule.


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## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

messyhearts said:


> Thanks. That's the train of thought. At least try to have some functionality in her hind legs.
> 
> We were very lucky! She's very calm & laid back & loves sleeping anyway. Think we would have gone mad if she was anything like your girl with my girl's bad legs. :scared:
> 
> I'm sure yours will be fine & I'm the exception that makes the rule.


Thanks - we opted not to have surgery in the end - if it looked like we had no alternative, then obviously we would have considered it - thankfully in our case there was an alternative.

Hope you get your girl sorted


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Well, she had her surgery yesterday. She's very quiet and groggy today - the same as last time she came home really. No pins but she has staples this time [different vet]. I have my fingers crossed but this really has to be the last time for an op like this.


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## Petloversdigest (Dec 10, 2010)

messyhearts said:


> Well, she had her surgery yesterday. She's very quiet and groggy today - the same as last time she came home really. No pins but she has staples this time [different vet]. I have my fingers crossed but this really has to be the last time for an op like this.


Hugs and good wishes for a speedy uneventful recovery


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## husky (Nov 29, 2010)

my dog has stage 3 LP's in both her knees, she had the standard op on both her knees, deepen groove and tighten the ligaments. this failed on 1 of her legs and she had to go back in and have the leg pinned. then on saturday she went and torn her tendon on that leg so went back under the knife today. will pick her up tomorrow


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Good luck. Know how you are feeling at the moment.


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