Luxating Patella Scare

[Jennifer Tramell]

Okay, so my mom & dad finally got their mini goldendoodle puppy. She is 9 wks old and around 5lbs - just a doll. They got her on Fri and on Mon morning took her for her vet exam. This pup has a health guaranty, parents have the appropriate certifications, etc. The vet told them that the pup has severe luxating patella in both back knees. She said one leg was level 3 and the other leg was level 4. They were astonished. I had heard questionable reviews about this particular vet clinic. They seem to specialize in spay/neuter/shots at a very affordable price - I've used them for these services with no complaints - but as a diagnostician? I suggested that my parents get a 2nd opinion from a more "general care" vet. The 2nd vet said "no problem, absolutely healthy". Then my sister found a vet who is very familiar with mini gd's and he said that you can't diagnose luxating patella at such a young age. He didn't see any reason for concern and said the pup was a great little dog.

Does anyone know anything about this? Any experiences? My parents feel that they now have 4 vet opinions (including the breeder's vet) and the ruling is 3 to 1. I'd love to have any input as we are still puzzling over this experience.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If there is any concern, my suggestion is to consult a veterinary surgeon and pay the bucks for x-rays etc. from an expert.
My Springer just ruptured his CCL and had $4,000 worth of surgery. They say that there is a 50 - 75% of the other CCL rupturing if one does - this would be due to the dog. Don't know if this would apply to your mini, but our Springer had front socket issues when he was a puppy - that appeared to go away as he matured. My personal thoughts are that he has structural issues.

[Tammy & Gracie]

I have a puppy mill pekapoo that has (had) luxating patella in both knees. She is 6 years old and this was diagnosed as a puppy. The vet said because of her small size that it may or may not become an issue. The instances of her problems have increased over her years. I just had them fixed. We just saw a friend's dog go thru ACL surgery. That kind of tear can happen because of the moving kneecap. I decided that since she was 6 to fix them. I was worried about her recovery if she was much older. We have been going throught the recovery for months now, one knee at a time. Between the surgeries when she was at her best on the right knee she started acting like she felt better than she had in years. I figure she never let us know how bad it really bothered her. For a GD I would certainly address the issue, the larger dog is more prone to ACL tears. The surgery and recovery is not real easy but worth taking care of. Sorry, I just caught this post today.

[Cindy Herrod]

My mini golden doodle just turn 1 year old and she weighs 16 lbs. We took her for her one year check up on Friday and told them about two recent episodes were Belle was running and then all of the sudden would put her back leg up and wouldn't walk on it. Both episodes lasted about 1 minute each and then she put her leg back down and acted like nothing happened. The vet diagnosed her with Luxating Patella Gade 2. Per the vet, this is fairly common in small dogs, particularly in toy poodles (Belle's dad is a toy poodle). It is usually a congentital defect (probably hereditary caused unless by injury) and is diagnosed usually in late puppyhood or early adulthood (the higher the grade, the earlier the diagnosis). Some small dogs can live with it their entire lives without too much problem, particularly if it is grade 1 or 2. But, it tends to get worse as they get older and grade 1, turns into grade 2 etc. The vet told me to lets watch it and see how often it is occuring in the next few months, to determine a course of action. While most vets tend to recommend surguries for grades 3s and 4s, they are more divided on how to treat 2's. I was crushed when I found out. I notified my breeder this weekend since this is a genetic condition and my dog has a health guarantee. I will probably end up going to a specialized vet who has treated alot of these cases if I end up needed to do surgury to correct the problem.

[Jean Ritchie]

Trying to stay calm! Tomorrow Kenzie has surgery for her sliding knee cap (patellar luxation). After various consults, we were told that her left knee is a grade 2.5-3 on a scale of 1-4 and that if we do not repair it now, it causes more problems as she gets older (arthritis, et al). Please keep our sweet girl in your thoughts. It is a LONG recovery process and she is a happy, energetic gal who loves to run and play. Let's hope the next 8-12 weeks go smoothly and that she makes a full and speedy recovery. Her right knee also shows signs of a sliding knee cap. If surgery is needed, it will be next spring. Think positive thoughts for our girl. Leash walking and confinement for several weeks.  If anyone has experience with this type of surgery and recovery, please let me know.

[M Kol]

Sending positive thoughts to Kenzie and you.  Hope all goes well.

[M Kol]

Just wondering how Kenzie is doing? Hopefully everything went well.