Luxated Patella Is Your Pet Suffering From This Debilitating Condition?
By: Kelly Marshall
Submitted: 2008-11-30 10:26:21 | Word Count: 490
Your dog could be suffering from a luxated patella or a slipped kneecap. If so, the best thing to do is take him to the vet as soon as you can. Even a slipped kneecap may not seem like a serious health problem to your young dog, it is a progressive disorder and can be debilitating if left untreated.
A friend of mine has been noticing that his dog was limping around the house for about 2 to 3 weeks. After telling me the symptoms, I told him that he should bring his dog to his vet immediately. Three days later, I asked my friend how his dog was doling and he told me that it was fine and he didn’t feel he needed to take him to the vet. Two days later, my friend had no other choice than to bring his dog to the vet. His dog was diagnosed with a slipped kneecap.
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Five Common Symptoms Of A Slipped Kneecap
Most symptoms begin to appear when the dog is young between the ages of 6 months to 1 year. However, in some dogs, symptoms can even develop as early as around 8 weeks of age, but remains unnoticed until the dog reaches maturity. Signs include:
• Problems squatting down.
• Problems climbing stairs.
• Intermittent skipping or limping during a routine run.
• Sluggishness on the leg, especially on the rear, that happens frequently and ends suddenly.
• Unexpected yelping out in pain while walking or running, usually lasting for 2 to 4 steps.
In more serious cases, the kneecap dislocates more often and lasts a long period. Your dog will show uneasiness and pain, seems bowlegged, and will display a crouching way of walking.
Luxated Patella Is Your Pet Suffering From This Debilitating Condition?
Luxated patella is categorized in four grades, depending on the severity of the condition:
Grade I: This is when your dog’s kneecap manually dislocates but goes back into place once the pressure is free. This is considered as a mild case with treatment not required. On the other hand, you need to keep a watchful eye on your dog in case the condition gets worse.
Grade II: Your dog’s kneecap dislocates more often, either manually or automatically, when the joint is being flexed and continues to be dislocated until the joint is extended and the leg is twisted into the opposite direction of the dislocation. Considered as middle ground between mild and severe, dogs with grades I and II should be closely monitored in case the condition gets worse.
Grade III: The kneecap dislocates more frequently, whenever the joint is flexed and extended. Dislocation happens when the joint is extended. This is referred to as severe enough for surgery.
Grade IV: The kneecap is permanently dislocated and is unable to be manually be put back into place. This is happens because the groove is too deep or, in some cases, completely missing. At this point, surgery is needed to correct this problem.
