Does Your Dog Have a Luxating Patella?

What To Do If Your Dog Has A Luxating Patella

It is a beautiful day outside and you and your dog are playing fetch in the backyard. You throw the ball and your dog takes off running after it. But somewhere in midstride, you hear him yelp as you see him lift one of his hind legs off the ground. Not stopping, he continues to chase after the ball running on only three legs. Once he’s got the ball in his mouth and is bringing it back to you, you notice that he is running on all four legs now.

With a dawning realization, you remember that your dog did almost the exact same thing the last time you were out playing fetch with him. Even though it doesn’t seem to bother him too much, it starts to bother you because you don’t want to see your dog in any kind of pain or discomfort.

Does Your Dog Have a Luxating Patella?

You can bet that your dog has a luxating patella , especially if he is a toy or small dog breed. Usually occurring in dogs that have relatively weak muscles, tendons and ligaments, a luxating patella can also occur in medium and large sized dogs whose kneecap groove is too constricted or shallow. When this happens, your dog’s knee will slip inward and then lock up, preventing your dog from bending his leg.

Luxating patella is just a fancy way of saying that your dog has a dislocating knee. Otherwise referred to as a ‘trick knee’, it describes a situation in which your dog’s knee, the visible joint on the front part of the hind leg, slips out of its socket.

It affects each dog in a different way. Sometimes a dog will simply lift his leg off the ground for a few seconds and then continue walking or running on it. Other times, he may keep his leg off the ground for a few days. If a dog has a luxating patella on both of his hind legs, it may cause him to seemingly hop like a bunny.

For some dogs the pain and discomfort of a luxating patella can force them to not walk at all, or at the very least attempt to walk solely on their front legs as they keep their hind legs in the air. A luxating patella can lead to arthritis in a dog’s later years.

Treating a luxating patella

You should always have your dog’s knees checked at least every two years by your veterinarian.

*If you suspect your dog has a luxating patella, the first thing you should do is try to keep your dog as still as possible. No running around and playing fetch – at least until you are able to see a veterinarian.

*Your vet may prescribe a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory or even a steroidal anti-inflammatory. Keep in mind that these medications contain chemicals that have horrible side effects and will usually only deal with the inflammation and not the actual problem.

*Your vet may suggest surgery. However, make sure that your vet is a qualified orthopedic surgeon. Also consider that, besides the surgery costing thousands of dollars, there will always be a 50% chance that the luxation will reappear in the future. Before considering a potentially dangerous surgery, try less evasive measures like as all natural remedies.

*Give your dog a natural supplement that has collagen. Collagen is a protein that is found in joint cartilage that is proven to help in building new cartilage and reducing damage to your dog’s joints.

*Help your dog remain lean or lose weight by cooking fresh foods with lots of vitamin C, and allowing him to have moderate exercise. If your dog is overweight he will experience more discomfort because of the extra weight bearing down on his knee. Take your dog for a walk up a slight incline as this helps strengthen the muscles surrounding the patella.