Well, I had a bit of disturbing news todayLuxating is a fancy word for dislocating. Patella is your dog's "knee", the joint on the front of her hind leg. So a luxating patella is a dislocating knee or trick knee, a knee that keeps slipping out of its socket. This can happen in yorkies with weak ligaments, tendons, and/or muscles. It can also happen in Yorkies whose kneecap groove is too narrow or shallow. The knee usually slips inwardly, toward her body, and locks so that your Yorkie can't bend her leg.
Suspect luxating patella if your Yorkie sometimes lifts one hind leg while she is running, or if she often moves both rear legs at the same time, like a hopping bunny. Sometimes the knee slips only for a few moments, then slides back into place. Sometimes the knee slips out and stays out, and your Yorkie will hold her leg off the ground and limp, perhaps tucking her thigh into her body. Luxation may occur in one knee, or in both. It is seen in many other toy breeds, and in both sexes, though it seems to be more common in females. No matter how firm the knees seem as puppies, toy dogs are liable to injure their knees.
Any advice?
Home Remedies?
Vitamin or food suppliments?
I wish I could tell you some good advice. Have you tried doggy acupuncture? Maybe there is a professional in your area who you could consult. It doesn't hurt my human, so I expect it would not be painful - and definitely non-invasive. That is all I can come up with. Wishing you the very best! Your friend, Fisher
ReplyDeleteI have only heard of surgery for luxating patella and hip problems. Have you been checked for liver problems? Yorkies have those all too commonly too. Breeders need to check for this and not breed dogs that have luxating patellas, hip problems or liver problems.
ReplyDeleteAwww, I'm a yorkie too and I know just how hard it is too be so tiny and have such a big injury. I have no advice but a hope everything goes well. Wish u the best of the best!
ReplyDeleteWith love,
Yorkie Shooby.
My name is Corkie the Yorkie, and my humans had to take me and have surgery first on one knee, then approx 1 yr later the other knee. Thank goodness for my humans. I can walk better than I could when my knees were messed up. I am a little stiff legged, but the pain is gone.
ReplyDeleteDog Friend, Corkie
My name is Corkie the Yorkie, and my humans had to take me and have surgery first on one knee, then approx 1 yr later the other knee. Thank goodness for my humans. I can walk better than I could when my knees were messed up. I am a little stiff legged, but the pain is gone.
ReplyDeleteDog Friend, Corkie
was the surgery expensive? Is there insurance to cover it??? And how old were you when they did it??
ReplyDeleteWhen my Yorkie was 3 she began to carry her rear left leg. I took her into the vet, who said she had a luxating patella. We decided to do surgery. As they were taking x-rays for the surgery, they saw she had a bone spur on her left rear hip as well. The vet felt that this was more serious so we chose to do that surgery first to remove the bone spur. She never fully recovered, so we assumed it was because her knee cap wasn't staying in place. 9 months later we had surgery on her knee. She still refused to use the leg after two VERY expensive surgeries. I took her to several vets in the area and no one could provide any answers. We then went to Iowa State University Vet School, where I learned somewhere along the line during one of the two surgeries, the vet had cut her nerve. My yorkie coud and still cannot, feel her rear leg. This is why she never used it. It's hard to say what surgery this occurred in. She went to rehab for two weeks at Iowa State, but nothing seemed to help. She gets along great on three legs and is not slowed down by it one bit. We have debated having the leg amputated since she just carries it, but at the moment it isn't causing any problems and I feel like I've put her poor little body through enough. It all was a very expensive and emotionally difficult time. Not to mention frustrating. I live in a rural area. Perhaps this lack of experience has something to do with why my vet messed up. Who knows. I guess I just assume they know what they are doing when they suggest surgery. Hope things turned out better for you!
ReplyDeleteWow - thanks for sharing that. How awful! - My dog never seems in pain. She runs and chases the cat just fine! We are just going to observe her and keep an eye on it. The vet suggested we give her a glucosomisine liquid in her water and see if that helps.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteHope you are still replying to posts. My yorkie Nina has a problem with her left leg during the past 2 weeks. I do not think she is in pain but whenever she lays down for sometime, she starts to limp. Did the medication you added to the water helped your yorkie?
Thks,
Ig shes not putting it down then its painfull
Deleteyes - I think the glucosomisine does help a little - I try to give her a few drops in her water every day.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your blog by Googling "luxating patella images". My 10 year old Yorkie has a luxating patella. She had surgery on her right hind leg for the same thing, and she also had cranial cruciate ligament surgery at the same time. It's common for the other knee to blow within a year of the first. 10 months later, here we are. I think she's going to have surgery next week. Poor baby feels so bad right now. I'm looking forward to reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and reading - good luck with your little baby :)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI would be very cautious about have a luxating patella surgery as the problem may come back again. There are no gurantees. The most conscious vets advise to wait and see whether it will get better without surgery. Last year little Nina was limping.I went to the vet and she prescribed Glyco-flex. I did not let her jump and reduce the walking and she is OK again - walking and jumping fine :-)
my yorkie has a luxating patella too and my vet told me there was a physical therapy thing you can do to help your yorkie, do it whenever your sitting down watching tv or when the yorkie is resting, but make sure she's standing:
ReplyDeletetake the leg with the luxating patella and bend the knee and the ankle and bend it back so youre stretch his/her thigh muscle. do it 2sets of 3 or 4 reps and take a break. your yorkie might freak out at first but they'll get use to it, it's like a yorkie massage ^_^
I have a 12 year old female Yorkie who has had luxating patellas in both legs her whole life. She never seemed painful, just sometimes walked a little "funny". Vet told me not to do surgery unless absolutely necessary. Well, now that shes 12 her ligament behind the knee cap tore into two. Now she won't walk on it at all. Any advice? I know hopping on 3 legs isn't good for her other knee. Do I do surgery at 12? Ive heard they can eventually learn to walk on it.
ReplyDeleteoh no! How awful. I don't know what I would do.....
ReplyDeleteHi my name is digby and I had my surgery on Thursday. Today is Sunday and I'm already feeling a little brighter. I know my mummy wouldn't have let me have the surgery if she didn't think it would help me stop limping. Hope everything goes well for you guys xxx oh and mummy told me it was about £1200 in total so far but lucky my insurance covered it all xxx
ReplyDeleteHi my little yorkie had bilateral knee surgery for Acl tear. Ortho guy did a fantastic job. Westville Hospital. Recovery is hard but soo worth every penny
ReplyDeleteMy name is boo I am a shorkie my sister febe a pug got a little rough with me and now he only puts leg down when standing won't put much weight on it daddy has been moving it and icing it will it get better. My daddy's name is Phil I am 10 years old
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon my to all my sisters from another mister and brothers from other mothers... I'm Buddy and 6 months old. Every one get better.
ReplyDelete