BostonGirl
Well-known member
We are back from the vet and they have ruled out luxating patellas - they said her patella seem very tight. She determined the pain was coming from her hip. They took x-rays and said it does not show any signs of hip dysplasia and that this pain and limping could be one of two things. Best case scenario is that she has some soft tissue damage which we now have medication for and should subside in a week. Worse case scenario she could have something called "legg calve perthes disease." This is a disease where blood the femur suffers a loss of blood supply and because of the blood loss the bone dies. I just did some research on this and it affects puppies ages 4 to 12 months (which she falls into) and is always in toy breeds - most common in terriers, poodles, min pins, etc. I could not find much online of it ever affecting a Cavalier. Also, all the research I did said that it is believed to be genetic and a OFA certification on the breeding stock should likely prevent this disease. Our breeder did all health testing and certs out there. I am praying she does not have this as it is a very painful surgery with a recovery period of up to a year. Has anyone ever heard of this disease or experienced it in a cavalier before? Any information or warning signs I can look for would be most appreciated.