judy69 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 My Chihuahua Bud is 15 months old and has been diagnosed with luxating patella. It doesn't seem to bother him. When we go for a walk his does a bit of a skip every now and again. I was wondering if glucosamine would help him and if so how much do I give him. He weighs 2.4kg. I have glucosamine tablets at home which are 1500mg. I have read that other people use the ones for humans but have no idea of the dosage to give him. Any help in this matter is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 It doesn't seem to bother him. When we go for a walk his does a bit of a skip every now and again. That means it hurts to walk on it I don't think glucosamine will do much to help - as the patella is actually loose- not fitting in its groove properly ...and glucosamine can not tighten ligaments or deepen the groove in the bone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judy69 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Oh dear I didn't realise that it was probably hurting him Is there anything that would help with the pain?? Other than this he is a happy healthy pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Oh dear I didn't realise that it was probably hurting him Is there anything that would help with the pain?? yep surgery to repair it ...or at least a second opinion from an orthopedic vet . There may be exercises to help strengthen ligaments..BUT surgery to put it back where it belongs does work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Hi Judy, what did the vet say about poor Bud? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 My chi used to skip and was diagnosed similarly to yours, I changed his diet from what I call 'crap-in-a-can' to incorporate more raw, high quality kibble, fish etc and he hasn't skipped for years (he's 8 now) so I would look at his diet first as this can be a factor, I don't know the mechanisms of it but I know that there are consistent good results associated with improving diet. If his diet is already high quality then yes I would look at surgery try to get a surgeon who either specialises in this type of surgery or has done a lot of them with good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I know that there are consistent good results associated with improving diet. what foods/supplements are consistent in these diets,W&H ? It would be an interesting study .. are there large dogs involved, or only littlies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judy69 Posted August 6, 2011 Author Share Posted August 6, 2011 Bud is a bit of a fussy eater. He doesn't eat canned dog food anyway. He has raw pet meat (kangaroo,beef,lamb etc) which I mix with a small amount of his kibble (this is the optium brand) and some vegies. He has bones every now and again. He would have cooked chicken breast every night if he could but he gets this ocassionally. He wont eat fish or eggs. Loves cheese and raw carrot. He has a small bowl of kibble out all the time for when he wants something but doesn't always eat from this. What else could I try to add to his diet to help him? The vet didn't really say anything when he said that he had luxating patella. He just told me had it and that was that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 The vet didn't really say anything when he said that he had luxating patella. He just told me had it and that was that. it may be useful for you to get a second opinion .. luxating patellas can be of varying severity ..and have varying effects on the dog. if it were me I'd be off to another vet or uni clinic and have him properly checked out - and have someone answer your questions ..like : Is it bad? What can we do so my dog isn't in pain? How can I help fix it? Does he need surgery soon, if at all ? all that sort of stuff ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minxy Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Did they give you a referral to a specialist? If not, ask for one. You'll probably need to get x-rays done so that the specialist can determine what grade it is, and whether it needs surgery, or whether there is potential for him to grow out of it etc. My boy is going through the same thing now and the specialist said there wasn't any point giving him any sort of supplements or anything like that. He said there was no harm in doing so, but that it wouldn't do anything. Which I suppose makes sense, since luxating patella means that the groove is too small, so that's not something that can be helped with supplements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Most vets can fix a luxating patella with surgery. It should not require a specialist, however you DO need a vet YOU trust and communicate with well. If you didn't feel things were explained to you maybe call them and ask for more detail. Surgery is the ONLY thing that will fix this, a good diet is important in any dog but it will have NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER on your dogs condition. If after you have called your vet and asked for more information you are still not happy with the diagnosis or understand what is happening then I would definately seek a second opinion. Luxating patella (in my opinion)is fairly a fairly straight forward diagnosis, but then I nurse for a vet who sees these all the time. We probably fix on avarage one a fortnight at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 I know that there are consistent good results associated with improving diet. what foods/supplements are consistent in these diets,W&H ? It would be an interesting study .. are there large dogs involved, or only littlies? From memory it was member toy dogs I was talking to about it (it was a while back), she has gathered a fair bit of info on LP in chihuahuas and had seen improvement with diet, I don't know if there is one specific food or supplement which makes the difference or if it's just a balanced quality diet as a whole which improves joint and ligament integrity. It certainly seemed to help with mine, didn't remove the condition but appears to have reduced severity and delayed progression. It may only help in the instance where you have a really crap quality diet in the beginning (like my fellow was on) and then go to a higher quality you are going to see an overall improvement in general health but yeah it would be interesting to do a specific study on ligament integrity in relation to diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Thanks Woof It's interesting ... yep . I guess with young growing dogs , strengthening ligaments would def. help hold things in place - so a worthwhile plan ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I agree that a good diet will help as far as general joint health goes. That goes without saying, however it will NOT repair damage done nor FIX the problem. In any case...I really hope the little mite improves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 It's a mechanical problem, so surgery is the only fix. Is like a sliding door coming off it's track- need some hardware to fix it. It cost me ~$1500 all up for a 26kg dog. Medications are by weight, so should be bit less for small dog. One vet I saw said that older, smaller dogs seem to cope OK once patella (knee cap) is permanently dislocated BUT you need some vet advice for your dog- s/he is young and if only intermittent they're nowhere near that stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfthewords Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 My girl, Mischa, is 8.5 and she has had a luxating patella for at least a few years. It was definitely more pronounced when she was younger, and barely noticeable now. She does skip sometimes but I don't think she's in pain. If she was I would have the operation done. It's mostly about management with Mischa. I keep her extra lean (such that a two ribs can be seen) to ease the stress on her joints. She is getting older and slowing down a bit and it's clear in the way it takes her a while to get out of bed in the morning, although she's as active as she's ever been. I don't let her run on concrete; we do brisk controlled walks and she gets offleash time on grass. She walks 6-10 kms a day and loves it. In summer I take her swimming almost every day (she has learned to love it!) and that makes up a lot of her exercise during the hotter months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judy69 Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 Thanks for all the replies guys. We took Bud for a walk today and he didn't seem to skip much at all. I only saw him do it once or twice at the begining of the walk and then for the rest of the walk he walked perfectly. Will certainly be keeping a close watch on his walking from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy82 Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 (edited) The point of the supplements is not to fix the LP, but to lubricate the joint and minimise damage done by the kneecap constantly rubbing on the cartilage. Lifting the leg isn't a sign of pain, they only do that to pop the kneecap back in place. The condition is painless unless the cartilage wears away, but once it's gone, you have bone rubbing on bone, which is painful and unfixable. The kneecap can still be surgically put back in place and ligaments tightened etc, but without the cartilage it will be prone to arthritis. Personally I would treat a mild case with supplements and ensuring good muscle tone around the joint, and by keeping them nice and lean. Surgery should be a last resort, as it's a very painful recovery that required crate rest for 6-8 weeks, and I think the surgery is overkill for a mild case that might never become painful or get worse. For example, my poodle x has a grade 1. She was diagnosed a year ago, and hasn't gotten any worse. I wouldn't even consider surgery for her. My JRT x is a grade 3 or 4, and has had LP since he was 9 months. I plan to have surgery on him as soon as I save up the money. Edited August 7, 2011 by fuzzy82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Just keep in mind that if the luxating patella is anything more than what they classify a Grade 1 then you are predisposing your dog to arthritic changes at a very young age which are irreversible and painful. I would find out what grade the problem is and deal with it earlier than later. Also most of the time the other leg will have the same problem but may not present at the same time. I am watching my Dobby very closely for this as it is very common in Chi's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judy69 Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 Ok I spoke to the vet and it turns out his is a grade 1. I am going to monitor Bud and see how he goes and am going to get some glucosamine and start him on that to try and prevent him from getting arthritis in his joints. Will keeping a close eye on him when we go for walks to make sure it isn't getting any worse. Thanks again for all the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now