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SA States are at Munno Para - MUNNO PARA OBEDIENCE DOG CLUB, VINCENT ROAD, MUNNO PARA

I have one of these which I use for my two BCs - http://www.ebay.com....t-/280861826969 ETA. I went back and looked at your links and it looks the same as those ones. Does the job and I have had it 4 years and its still going fine.

The collapse stuff has just got worse. Its always been there in the background to everything else and I guess I thought it would improve with the cold weather but it hasn't and thats really very scary and not much fun .

Yeah have been through the cool coat routine. She has tried a number and I am yet to find anything I am 100% happy with. I am still on the quest to find something I am happy to exercise her in. Most of them are fairly bulky or heavy and many impede movement which is fine if the dog is mostly sitting around in a crate or walking on-leash not so great if the dog is running around or exercising.

She finds it easier to avoid collapse when its cooler/when she has access to some where to swim. I was a little taken by surprise though earlier because it was freezing and she was still running into problems. Can't get enough fitness back on her unfortunately. I guess thats why the underwater treadmill was helpful to her. She could work on fitness without risking a collapse episode.

Seeana - my really fussy BC girl will eat the RHVC powder so long as its mixed in with something yummy. Mostly its tuna or sardines or yoghurt and she now polishes her bowl up.

Hmm so we can go ahead for a walk so long as its absolutely bucketing with rain - then we seem to avoid collapse. Not sure I like the idea of this . Took her out earlier and she started showing mild signs of an episode so we came home/

Yes the breeder has been informed. The interesting thing is the more I ask various breeders the more I hear of cases of the BC collapse which have ended up in pet homes so there are definitely more cases around. i am still not sure where the luxating patellas fit. Its a genetic condition in other breeders and the specialist has said its something Kenz was born with yet I am not sure if there may be a link to the BCC issue. Kenz seems to be the only BC around with bilateral luxating patellas. Just hope its not another emerging breed problem .

I gather none of her littermates have any issues - but I do know they are all in pet homes and apparently all fairly mellow and couch potato like in comparison (but thats just going on what the breeder has said).

Am currently hating BC collapse . Three days I have tried to let Kenz have a small amount of exercise - Mon she had what I'd class as a severe BCC episode, yesterday afternoon she managed to have a moderate episode and she wasn't really even doing anything. Today on a walk she was showing mild signs so it was straight in the car and home again . Poor little girl can't do anything much anymore .

Yeah its just hard and stressful I was really stressed when she collapsed and then the afternoon just went from bad to worse .

Drugged and sleeping at the moment. Has been mega clingy and sooky, thought she might have actually damaged her cruciate the way she was holding her leg (always a scare when you know the added risk having the MPLs in the first place) but vet agreed it was just likely the patella .

Not been a good day here - Kenz had a very bad BCC episode at lunchtime and her hind end seems to have continued to bother her since. Stupid left MPL .

There is no real further healing that can take place. Nothing will "fix" the luxating patellas short of further surgery. Apparently the meds and hydrotherapy can improve her comfort and function though but in the end it will only be as good as it can be.

Thanks hankdog - decision not made any easier by the fact her LH is the leg that has bothered her the most in the last 48 hours or so. I really worry given she had surgery the first time and it wasn't successful whether putting her through any surgery at all will end up resulting in a gain . I just keep worrying what next. Can't walk her everytime I try and do that her legs bother her. Yet she is so feral and needs a job. Its really not a great situation to be in .

Kenz had a good final session in the UWTM today :). About the only thing she seems to be able to manage and she figured she would make the most of it . Thanks again guys for the extra sessions it was nice to finally have a reasonable session and push the boundaries just a little bit. Now I have decisions to make and hate decision making .

Good news westiemum .

came home after work today and drove both dogs to have a bit of a walk in the afternoon sunshine. My soon to be 13 year old was racing around like a lunatic. Kenz was walking behind me at a complete snails pace. Then her LH went on her. She then stopped and wouldn't walk anymore. Heart broken .

Swimming is not a controlled enough form of rehab. Underwater treadmill may be of benefit but I gather you still need to rest first. Do you have access to a canine rehab place?

You can use conservative management to repair some partial tears but it depends on the stability of the joint. Conservative management normally involves 8 weeks strict crate rest at a minimum then gradual return to normal activity. If the joint is unstable then surgical repair is strongly warranted. I was told by an ortho specialist there was no real advantage to going in and repairing a partial tear if it was a cruciate it would go eventually and could be repaired then and the outcome would be no different. When in doubt get another specialist opinion would be my recommendation and work from there. Surgery isn't the end of the world but its not without consequences and risks. Its all about balancing a risk v reward scenario.

Thanks guys for all your kind words of support they all mean a lot to me. Unfortunately these things always seem to happen at the most inopportune time and I keep beating myself up over it when I am seriously trying to do my best by Kenz. When you get a pup and you do all your homework you don't in a million years think the journey will turn out the way hers has .

Thanks westiemum. Still not sure what to do with her she is still very front end lame (although seems to have good moments) and her back end is bothering her with either patella slipping just about every day .

Fantastic news westiemum and such a relief to have Mac back home

An NSAID is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (manufactured synthetic chemical). The rose-hip is a natural supplement.

If you wanted to check out the comfortflex one in person before ordering you know where to find me westiemum.