RE: [Chihuahuas] New Member/Mary/ Luxating patella

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Nonnie,   It may and it may not get worse it depends on the deformity.  When our older dog was young and our ex-vet wanted to do the surgery that we didn't have done she would also just limp every once in a while.  She is fine although due to her age I am sure she has some arthritis but she is not in any pain nor has she limped in quite a while.  This is just my opinion but if it were me I wouldn't worry about his skip if it is every once in a while but if you want to get a medical opinion I would definately go to a orthopedic vet and not a regular vet.  If you have a vet school around you that would possibly be a good place to check out for an orthopedic vet too.  Four years old is very young.  I have heard from people that have had the luxating patella surgery on their dogs and 18 months later the dog has arthritis or have had to have the surgery again because the knee starts slipping again.  If Punk isn't lame or in pain I wouldn't worry.  You could give him one fourth (1/4) tablet of  glucomine 500 mg/chondroitin 400mg/MSM 166 mg (Walgreens brand is what I use)  once or twice a day because that would help build the cushioning between the bones of the knees.  Like I said though if its only one in a while I would just watch and see.   Emi ----- Original Message ----- From: Nonnie To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 9:06 PM Subject: [Chihuahuas] New Member/Mary/ Luxating patella well if its a back leg every once in a while i see a skip in the Punk's step but it sure doesn't bother him and its very infrequent.  Does it get worse as they get older.  He will be 4 in August?   Nonnie -----Original Message----- From: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of EMI-MAIL Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 9:55 PM To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] New Member/Mary/ Luxating patella   Nonnie & the Punk & Darla,   I am talking about back legs as it could be best described as a trick knee.    Emi ----- Original Message ----- From: Nonnie To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 12:08 PM Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] New Member/Mary/ Luxating patella are you talking about a front or a back leg?   Nonnie & the Punk & Darla     -----Original Message----- From: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of EMI-MAIL Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 12:59 PM To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] New Member/Mary/ Luxating patella Mary,   Dog's bones don't fully set until they are three years old. I wouldn't schedule any surgery just yet and I would consult a orthopedic vet if you decide as you would not let a family practice doctor replace your hip.  It is hard in my area to find a vet that isn't out for the money and wanting to do this surgery. I have two dogs one which is eleven years old but when she was young our former vet wanted to do that surgery on her.  I researched it and we never did the surgery. (We also found a new vet)  She is fine.  If Pixil seems to be limping I would give her one fourth (1/4) tablet of  glucomine 500 mg/chondroitin 400mg/MSM 166 mg (Walgreens brand is what I use)  once or twice a day. With my dog after  2-3  weeks she was fine.  Sometimes I will give it to her up to a couple months after she quit limping just to be sure.  Or you could also try Consequin and walk her short walks every day, like 4 times for a month and see if that helps.      Luxating Patella comes in four degrees 1-4 with 4 being the worst. They can go through their whole lives with grades 1 & 2 and never have a problem other than an occasional limp.  Surgery isn't usually recommended unless it's a grade 4 and is painful to the dog.  Grade 3 is up for grabs.They usually put them on rimadyl and confine them for a couple of weeks.   The patella is a disc shaped bone held in place over the front of the knee joint by a tendon at the top and at the bottom. There is a groove in the femur that holds the tendon in place. In luxating patella, the tendon has slipped out of the groove, or in the case of a congential luxating patella, the groove was not deep enough to keep the tendon in place. Normally the vet does not operate until the condition reaches grade 3. This is when it is out of place most of the time but can still be put back in manually. The limp comes from the knee cap slipping out of place, not necessarily pain.  Once it slips back in they are ok  Patellas are made worse by overweight.   Did your vet do xrays? Did you see them? On the xray, you should be able to clearly see the patella out of place.  It is a very long rehab and you have to keep them in an x-pen for 6-8 weeks.  So think hard on it.   Sorry this is so long but I hope that helps   Emi         ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2006 11:41 PM Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] New Member/Mary   Hello, My name is Mary.  I am the proud owner of Pixil (name spelled incorrectly, she is a Pixel but we want to be able to   I dont know a lot about the lux patellas but welcome to the group.  Pixil is such a cute name! katie=) " Lets talk about our wonderful little friends! Join today! " SPONSORED LINKS Breed charm dog italian Dog breed gift Dog breed jewelry Dog breed charm Dog breed flag Dog breed t shirt YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "Chihuahuas" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! 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