Puppy with bad knees.

[fullhouse]

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The best thing you can do is keep her thin and active!

 

[whitecra]

My moms boston terrier had this. The vet said that she could do surgery or just leave it. Mom couldn't afford the surgery and guess what. He is fine now. He is 8 years old and doesn't have a problem with it anymore. So I would just give the puppy a chance to grow and see what happens. If you don't want to do that then call the breeder and see what they will do for you.
Chris

 

[whitecra]

Quote:
The best thing you can do is keep her thin and active!

Also limit her jumping.
Chris

 

[ninjapoodles]

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I wouldn't give her anything, pain-relief-wise, until and unless she starts having symptoms of pain. It could be that she'll be just fine until she's much older. Did your vet tell you what "grade" (1, 2, 3?) of luxation was present, and if it was equally severe on both sides? Did he mention Legg-Calve-Perthes at all?

There are many glucosamine/chondroitin supplements on the market that can help keep inflammatory conditions in check, but I'm not sure how those things would help with luxation, which is basically that the joint is "slipping" in and out of place. It's not like arthritis, really. Hopefully some people who've managed dogs with slipping patellas will be able to give you advice on that. Definitely keep her weight in check, and I know that you'd absolutely want to train her while she's young to NOT jump on and off of furniture, and that could be a real challenge with a poodle. They love to jump. You might be better off just having steps and ramps adjacent to her favorite spots.

I think you should definitely get a refund from the breeder, and just in my opinion, from a breeder's standpoint, they should be more than happy to let you keep the dog AND give you your money back. That's what I would do. Otherwise, they'll be looking for a pet home for a puppy who already has a lifelong health issue. That would be ridiculous on their part, since you're kind enough to be willing to keep the pup as a loved pet.

 

[Smoky73]

Well, I never wanted money back for my Corgi. That never even crossed my mind.
She is certainly the bottom of the gene pool when it comes to many things and I seriously wonder about inbreeding.
Anyway, I have seen the x-rays we did were from our second opinion on her problems, and her hips are very bad. Before that, she couldnt hardly walk, and cried out or snapped at us when we touched her. Her front foot is now permenately deformed due to increased pressure from favoring the back hip so much. She is now on Rimadyl every day and a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement every day as well. With these treatments (My vet wouldnt give me a prescription for Rimadyl) from the second vet, she will not need surgery until the meds and supplements stop working for her to relieve her pain. Once that happens (If it does) they are going to not do a hip replacement, they are going to surgically remove the ball and let the ligaments and scar tissue form a new "soft connection". Should be a more comfortable connection for her if we need to cross that path down the road.

 

[Featherland]

It is just one leg and she did not mention what grade or Legg-Calve-Perthes at all.

This is what is on the report:
Right hind luxating patella - luxates medially. Did not get left to luxate.

 

[ninjapoodles]

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I would give her a call and just ask "what grade" the luxation was, in her opinion. The lower the number, the better. And did it slip out easily, or did it have to be manipulated pretty well? And very importantly--when the vet slipped the patella, did it pop back into place on its own, or did the vet have to put it back in place?

If she couldn't even get the left to luxate when she tried, then that's good news, for now! I'd have it checked again in about a year, and see where you're at then. I have one dog who tested with a Grade 1 luxation in one leg when she got to be about 3 years old, and she's never exhibited symptom one.

Forewarned is forearmed, and you're doing great so far.

 

[Featherland]

ninjapoodles

I called the vet and she told me it is grade 2. It slipped out easily and did pop back into place on its own.

 

[s6bee]

She's so young, I would be careful about supplements, find a good vet that has a history or specialty in this. Usually Glucosomine, but she's too young to get her started I think. Just let her grow if you are keeping her. If you are fine with not breeding, the question is , is she the right fit for you? How does she get along with the family/kids, etc. If her knees are something that you can work with and be prepared in the future to help her with, then maybe being your "pet" is what she needs most.

Good luck!

Stephanie

 

[lorieMN]

she very well may outgrow it,many times I have seen vets push so hard on them they pop them out by pushing too hard,and then declare a problem,young toy breeds are very fragile and it is actually pretty easy to pop one out even if its good,that is probably why the breeders vet didnt get it to pop out..one thing is to keep her off of playing and running on hard slippery surfaces,make sure she has good traction,even good puppies can pop one out if they run and play too hard on slippery floors..the breeder sounds like an honest guy and like he is willing to work with you.