acarabias
New member
- Sep 15, 2011
- 1,551
- 90
- Bulldog(s) Names
- Aldo Chocolate, Katara Fiona, Bruno Cannoli
As some of you may know Katara has been limping for about a week, quite a bit and not getting better. I took her to her vet this morning. She was diagnosed with a grade3 luxating patella. I was afraid this was a neurological damage, so I guess I am somewhat relieved. However, this condition will not correct itself, and she will have to learn to live with it. The only thing we can do for her right now is pain medication. She said they grade the condition Grade 1-mild to grade4 severe, Kataras is grade 3 now because the patella goes back to its socket, but she says it will eventually become grade 4 when the socket has completely eroded and the patella will slide from one side of the knee to the other continuously. The vet said there is surgery for it, but it is a last resort thing, when the quality of life is very diminished. Katara can run play and keep up with Aldo, just looks funny doing it, so right now it is not an option. She told me her pug has this same thing and she decided to do surgery since he wouldn't even lower the leg at all and was in so much pain. She said it took him about 10 weeks to recover but now is fine and the leg much improved. She also told me that Katara will develop early arthritis to that knee and that at 18 months we will start her on joint supplements. She is not even 9 months so she believes it is congenital and told me it's a good thing I am not intending to breed her. The other thing is that I need to keep Katara slightly underweight her whole life to prevent extra damage to her knee.. She said about 43-45 pounds fully grown.. So she is 41 lbs now.. when she turns one I will lower her food intake from 2.5 cups to 2.. maybe less if she starts gaining.. Does anybody have any experience with this?
The vet did say this is not breed related, but more common in small breeds, but any breed can get it, even humans.. my poor baby
The vet did say this is not breed related, but more common in small breeds, but any breed can get it, even humans.. my poor baby