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Patellar Luxation treatments to stave off surgery longer?

Charleen

Charleen

Well-known member
Are there treatments that I can do to stave off Patellar Luxation surgery? I have read everything I can find on the internet and it is really vague about preventative treatments.

Pippin has a grade 2. He is able to do everything right now and I would like to prevent him from getting worse. Or at least try.

I saw you you can keep the weight down.
You can minimize exercise and jumping.
Give anti-inflammtory medication.

When my basset hound started having problems going up and down stairs I gave her Cosequin (glucosimine & condroitin) and that really helped her stay mobile.

But are there some supplements that would help with the patella luxation?
 
Some feel that glucosamine and chondriotin and fish oils are all worth a try. Some knees will tighten but others may grow worse. In general unless the knees are really bad and causing pain I'd be incl;ined to wait til the dog reaches 12-18 months to see if it grows into the knee problem (eg the knees tighten). That's the advice of some good breeders and vets familiar with the problem but it is important to have a vet evaluate an individual dog for the best treatment options,
 
Charleen,
I just looked on Linda's list of Cavs and their ages, and it looks like Pippin is 3 years old.

Depending on the vet, they may leave it up to you, but I would talk to a board certified orthopedic vet surgeon, or a vet who does lots of patella surgeries and is very experienced. My concern would be that the patella movement will cause premature arthritis in the knee, ruining your chances of getting it corrected. If Pippin has had a grade two for some time, that is a risk.

At the very least, they would want to watch his knee closely.
 
If you haven;t read this advice, do:

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=523

Dr Mike is good and I like his advice, which is balanced and offers other vet perspectives too. I think as cathy notes that a grade two in an adult is probably a case where you'd want the advice of someone who really knows patella surgeries well on what is best to do.
 
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