Hoping To Help Others With Dogs With Hd & Luxating Patellas.

[mygirlruby]

Hi there!

Recently i had to make the most difficult decision of my life....and that was to put my much loved 5 year old girl to sleep. I have been reading some topics here, and thought a quick explanation of her life and the decisions I made may help others (as I regret some decisions with hindsight).

When purchasing Ruby, I thought I'd done my homework - I wanted a non-shedding small/medium sized dog, that wasn't a pure poodle (as I had had them in the past). Silly me decided on my gorgeous girl Ruby, a miniature 5th generation(apparently) australian labradoodle. I bought her from breeders in Vic - who were well known as one of the 2 leading breeders of labradoodles in Australia (now I wonder if it was really a puppy farm??) They have since closed their doors - go figure!

Anyway, at around 6 mths old, we noticed she would yelp and flick her back legs from time to time. This was diagnosed as severe luxating patellas, and we were referred to an orthopaedic vet who recommended operating on 1 leg, and then the other 6 weeks later. Ruby had her 1st surgery at 9 mths old, and 5 days later when the bandages were removed and I was lead walking her, she collapsed, and we rushed her back to the vet, and the surgery had failed - back in for more surgery - he took a more aggressive approach this time , and it was successful. (at a cost of $4000 all up!)sked for hip Xrays, as I wanted to claim on my "genetic disease" refund from the breeders - these Xrays showed severe bilateral hip dysplasia, with there being no ball and socket at all on her left, and a poor resemblance of one on the right. We decided to put off the other knee surgery, and had a few great years with our beautiful girl, until we noticed she was having more episodes of flicking her right leg while running. We took her to a more wholistic vet , with a great reputation here in Perth - for hips, elbows, knees, and also for recommending more conservative treatment options. He recommended she needed surgery on the right knee for the luxating patella, which she had at 4 1/2 yrs old. (at a cost of $1300) Ruby had been on jointguard, and fishoil all her life really, and was now having cartrophen injections, and taking metacam also! ($$$ - ouch!) This vet recommended physio, which we did weekly - doing hydrotherapy and massage mainly. I feel that 6 weeks post op, during hydrotherapy, she damaged her cruciate ligament on the leg that was operated on at 9 mths. Back to the vet - who diagnosed cruciate ligament disease, and recommended cruciate surgery - at a cost of $3800. We had booked her in for the surgery, and the week before she was due for it, she snapped the other cruciate!! So we were up for 2 more knee surgeries (which apparently can affect the patellas too), and then staring down the barrel of 2 hip surgeries in the future. The vet said that Ruby had the worst knees he had seen in his 30 year career, and the worst hips too, and that she really had a poor quality of life, and so we made the decision to put her to sleep. ;)

In hindsight, I wish I had known about crossbreeding, for one, but also I wish I had known about the more conservative treatment options too! Perhaps if Ruby never had any surgeries, and we worked on building up her muscle mass, she would be lying next to me here in my study, rather than me being here alone, researching dog breeds for our next pet!!

I don't want this to seem "poor me", I have just been reading many posts here about HD and elbow and patella issues, and thought my experience may help others! I hope so!

I did complain to the Victorian canane Assoc, and the Labradoodle Association - but none of it brings Ruby back, or stops this irresponsible breeding of dogs with genetic diseases.

Edited October 30, 2009 by mygirlruby

[poodlefan]

MGR, Labradoodles are not a registered breed and the breeder could not have been registered with the VCA (now Dogs VIC). They could not act on your complaint.

Yes, that place was a puppy farm.. as is the other 'notable' place in Victoria.

You know better now and you did your best for Ruby - far more than many others might have done.

I still reckon you need to meet the right poodles!!

Edited October 30, 2009 by poodlefan

[mygirlruby]

MGR, Labradoodles are not a registered breed and the breeder could not have been registered with the VCA (now Dogs VIC). They could not act on your complaint.

Yes, that place was a puppy farm.. as is the other 'notable' place in Victoria.

You know better now and you did your best for Ruby - far more than many others might have done.

I still reckon you need to meet the right poodles!!

That's funny - I love poodles.....just have to get rid of the hubby to get another one!!! The breeders weren't registered with Dogs Vic, and so, once again, you are right - there was nothing they could do. Interesting to me that u are aware of the breeders I am talking about! I asked the labradoodle assoc if they were aware why they closed, and I was told it was divorce, and illness - I reckon the illness was in their dogs!!

At the time, I looked at the pics on the net of the "farm" lifestyle the pups were raised in, and thought how nice that would be!!!! OMG - now I realise that a family environment in the real world is the best place to raise a pup. Ruby was so timid , and scared of walls, and reflections, and car noises, and city life really!!

Thanks for all your replies over the years! You are a wise poodle lover! ;)

Edited October 30, 2009 by mygirlruby

[Poodle wrangler]

Am so sorry to hear of your experience.

It sounds as though you did everything you could, and far more than many would do.

Very sad to PTS at only 5 years of age, but far better than extending suffering.

I would have made the same decision even if $ were no object. Is too much for any dog to be put thru.

We just decided to have surgery for a luxating patella on our standard poodle.

Another DOLer suggested a vet in Canberra who also does chiropractic- her suggestion was conservative management (cartrophen, anti-inflammatories, chiro and exercises) and see how it goes. But we planned to travel next year with the dogs and there was a fair risk conservative treatment wouldn't work in the medium term. I thought it would be even more painful for him when travelling. He's only 3, recently started to dislocate about 10 times a day causing more damage to both joint and cartilage. Advantage for surgery was was conserving the joint, ligaments and cartilage before any more damage was done.

I will certainly go for conservative treatment first if there are any further problems.

My husband was also very anti-poodle, but when it came to getting a 2nd dog, told me he didn't want to consider another breed.

I also thought some of the 'labradoodle' websites seemed good , but fortunately found DOL before committing to a pup.

Husband even walks the poodles- though went thru a phase of pretending the mini poodle nearby wasn't actually with him .

Most people really like poodles if they meet nice ones.

I had big, tough-looking Islander teenage boys patting our apricot standard when he was a pup and syaing how cute he was (looking like a teddy bear).

Best wishes.

[Jed]

I am so sorry about Ruby, so sad.

Sometimes conservative treatment works, sometimes not. A vet here was working on graduated exercise etc to build up the muscles, particulaly in immature dogs. It did seem to work. However, it may not have worked with Ruby. All you can do is your best. And you did that. Ruby knows.

It's very important to speak to the breeder, seriously, whether the pup is pure or cross bred, to ensure they understand HD and LP and are onto it before you buy. Even then, things go wrong. Pups from low scoring parents can have high scores, it's a matter of shit happens I think.

I have a chi x here who has the most appalling patellas and hips I've ever seen. She is a very stressy dog, and the vet is adamant that an op will kill her. Her hindquarters are quite wasted, I think the hips are worse than the LP but she does seem to manage, she is careful with herself. She is 6 now, and I am sure that the HD will be the end of her, but all you can do is give them the best life for as long as that life is a joy to them. And ease them out of it when the suffering escalates.

And accept, I think that some people, and some animals, have handicaps, and work with what you have.

Some of those websites are gorgeous, and you never find out the reality is vasty different, until you get caught. I do feel for you.

[mygirlruby]

Thanks everyone for the support. There is no such thing as too much information!

Ruby was lucky to have us, but we were blessed to have her for 5 years - she was truly the perfect dog - if it hadn't been for damn genetics and her hind quarters!!

[teekay]

What a sad sad story. Thank you so much for sharing and trying to help others at, what must be, a very difficult time for you. :D

I also succumbed to purchasing a crossbreed before I was educated otherwise on a couple of dog forums. We are concerned about her hips as we have been contacted by other people who bought the same kind of dog from the same place and they are having severe trouble with their dogs hips/ knees. We are restricting her diet and exercise and she has had a preventative surgey done on her pelvis which we really hope will have done some good. Only time will tell.

Take care and I hope you enjoy your new dog when you're ready.