Dislocating leg????

by **Ariel Payopay** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 5:52 pm

Well this is how it happened. A week ago I was playing tug with Stitch. And when he tugs he plays real hard. I'm sittin her tuggin with a 70plus pounds of Stitch. Then all of a sudden he lets go and starts limping on his back right leg. He tries to step on it but then brings it right back up. So I'm thinking maybe he pulled a muscle. So I massage it and it goes back to normal. I took him for a run the next day and his legs were fine. Day after that he was fetching around the house goin up and down stairs. Then all of a sudden he's limping on the same leg. Massage it and it goes away. Next day i throw him on the treadmill. He's running fine for a couple of minutes. Then he starts limping on that same leg and I massage it and it goes away. Then today I took him to the park. Playing fetch. Same problem happens on the same leg. So I go back there and I'm thinkin what the hell is wrong with that leg??? So I grab it and bend it and I hear a small pop! Like I was poppin his leg back in his socket or somethin. Then his leg is back to normal. So now I'm thinkin if he's pullin muscles or poppin his leg out. Have any of you ever heard of this???

:huh?:

by TB » Sat Mar 20, 2004 6:17 pm

You might consider having your vet check Stitch's stifles. Of and on lameness can be a sign of luxating patellas, which is a condition where the kneecap doesn't ride in the groove it's supposed to, but pops out. It's most commonly seen in toy breeds and small dogs, but it can happen in any size dog. It will often manifest as this occassional lameness, apparent weakness in the affected leg and difficulty jumping up. If it's a low grade, it may not even present symptoms most of the time, but this usually worsens over time as the stifle joint gets arthritic. It's really simple and easy for your vet to diagnose.

I've seen this in quite a few of our rescue dogs, usually chihuahuas or other toy breeds. Just something you might want to check out. Cruciate tears also produce lameness, and a vet could check for that at the same time. The lameness associated with cruciate tears is usually pretty noticeable and dramatic and then improves over time if not surgically corrected.

Just a few ideas

by **pitifullove** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 6:43 pm

I had the identical situation with my girl last summer. We had a big play day in my yard with some friends dogs. After about 4 hours of non stop fun my girl is sittin in the middle of the yard not movin. I stood her up and walked her around she was limpin on her rear right, I massaged it she was fine. Well it happened another few times. The next day she wouldnt walk on her rear leg so off to the vet we went. After x-rays and $370.00 later they said she had a luxating pattela (knee cap slips in and out of place). Theres different grades of it. our min pin has it in both legs and hers just pop back into place after a couple of skips. Anyway my pitty had problems for about 4 or 5 months randomly popping out and I had to pop it back in. Know almost a year later she is fine hasnt had any issues the vets told me that sometimes it just gets better and since she was/is still growing it probably just did??? Id still go to the vet though just to be sure.

by **Ariel Payopay** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 8:37 pm

They didn't give you any medicine or supplements to help with it?

by TB » Sat Mar 20, 2004 8:53 pm

If it is indeed a luxating patella, it's a conformational problem, so it can't be treated, or cured by supplements or drugs. It can probably be managed by such. Off the top of my head, anything that's good for joint problems would be good for this, like glucosamine and chondroitin. The joint affected is the stifle and the loose kneecap moving around eventually causes arthritis. With very low grade conditions, it may take years and years for that to happen. With puppies it might correct itself, but in adult dogs it won't just disappear. It may or may not be a problem, depending on how active the dog is.

With that said, I didn't actually think to ask what leg is lame, and if it's a foreleg lameness, a patella won't be the cause :))

We adopted out a purebred APBT last October who had a mysterious on again/off again lameness. However, his lameness would last for a week or so and then disappear. And it switched legs. We x rayed and got nothing. The vet put him on Rimadyl, which is an NSAID, like say, ibuprofen or aspirin, only stronger. From what I last heard, the lameness has vanished. This dog was just over a year. So sometimes you can't discover a cause.

Your vet should be able to tell if the patella is loose by manually manipulating it. No x rays necessary for an initial diagnosis, so it shouldn't cost much. Now, surgery to correct it, that's another story. Very expensive, as all orthopedic surgery is.

As you may have noticed, I'm extremely long-winded :naughty: And I'm not a vet, but I hope this sheds some light on the subject.

by **HugABull1** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 10:14 pm

Ariel,

That sounds EXACTLY like luxating patellas - I've been all down that road with Angel - so have a few people on the other board. Can be managed through physio in some cases, others require surgery. The key to avoiding surgery is to get on it fast. I'd have a vet look at it, but don't let him bully you into surgery (most vets will - I was told angel absolutely needed surgery or she would be completely lame by 2years - I did physio and she was completely recovered until I slacked off, now we're back to the physio). If it is a luxating patella, and you want some info on excercises and such, email or PM me. In the meantime, don't let Stitch run at all, and minimize heavy activity such as tugging, b/c if it's a luxating patella, everytime it goes out it stretches the supporting tissues more and makes the whole joint looser and weaker.

by **Ariel Payopay** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 11:47 pm

Damn it just happened again! He just got off my bed and I saw him lifting that same leg again. So I grabbed it and slowly bent it and it popped into place! I'm gonna try to get him to a vet next week. I guess him doing some weight pull is out the door.

:sad:

by **Ariel Payopay** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 12:17 am

Is this hereditary? You think food could play a factor in this? I switched from Wellness Super 5 Mix Chicken to Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato prolly a month or two ago. I just read the ingredients on the Fish and Sweet Potato and it doesn't contain Glucosamine Chondroitin. But the Super 5 Mix Chicken does carry the supplement and he's never had this problem when he was on the chicken.

I just read this...

http://www.sbtfun.com/Dani_1.html

:sad:

by **CinderDee** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 12:41 am

My dog has it too. He was just at the vet a month ago with the same symptoms as Stitch. They just popped it back in.
My dog has a low grade lp and they said that he doesn't need surgery.

I don't know about weightpulling. :sad:

I had an Affenpinscher that had it too. I never had to have surgery on her knee and she lived to be 15 with no problems.

http://www.easysource.com/synflex/syn_pets.htm?id=

Check out this link. I bought this for Kato, but I haven't tried it yet. Redpitbull uses it, so you may want to ask her about it.

Good luck,
Dee

by **pitifullove** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 12:50 am

They did give me some pain meds but that about it. I dont know if my case is a rare one but I havent had any issues with my girl for a long time know. We still bike ride 3 times a week, spring pole every other day and Im weight pullin with her (just in the yard with light weights). Any way dont get to bummed, I know I was but all is well now!

by **moto1320** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 11:27 am

Rel,
A friend had a rescue male that went through this at one year old. He was authritic to the point of lameness in both legs. His vet put him on Nutro for the supplements with additional Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements. After he started to get better he went to just the food. Buster is very active now and had no further incedents. So, for what it's worth I have seen the supplements help. I plan to put Daisy on them soon since I switched from Nutro to Innova and Innova doesn't have them. Good luck, poor Stitch :sad:

by **HugABull1** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 2:39 pm

Ariel,

I replied to your PM about Stitch's leg, then looked at this thread again:

DON'T bend the leg to pop it back in!!! You stretch the ligaments and tendons and make it worse then. You need to straighten the leg completely (extending the hip and toes and pulling gently), then gently put the knee back in with your thumb. I cannot stress enough - DO NOT put it back by bending Stitch's leg.

If you're going to the vet next week - for now, no running, no jumping, period. Try to keep him off of those back legs. Limit his use of stairs and climbing up onto furniture, because any time those back legs go straight his knee can slip out. To keep him busy, play "find it" with treats, walk lots, do obediance drills, and you can have him crawl after a ball or toy (under a couch or table or whatever). Anything that has those back legs bent is good, straight is bad. If he's a dog that tugs with his butt down, tugging is good, if he's a bum-in-air-while-tugging kind of guy, tugging is out for now. I know it's easier said than done.

Weight pull is okay with light weights at a walk - helps build up those supporting muscles. But Stitch may never be able to compete in weight pull if he's got bum knees - then again, he may. depends how bad they are and how good you can fix them. If he needs surgery I'd guess weight-pull would be out, but if you can correct it naturally through physio and such, he may be able to compete, if your vet okays it.

by **Ariel Payopay** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 6:38 am

I hate talkin about this stuff. I get a weak stomach when it comes to surgery and crap. I cringed when I saw his leg click together like that. I know I admit... I'm a wuss. :tongue:

Thanks for the advise chili. It happened to him again yesterday when he jumped off my bed and I just stretched it out. I took him for a walk about 2 miles and he did fine. Is that okay or too much? I hate seein my dog in pain like that. :sad:

by **HugABull1** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:52 am

Walking is okay as long as he doesn't seem sore after. If he seems sore, cut the walks down to shorter distances. He can even trot, but no full-out running; when they run the leg bends and extends too fast and the knee pops out (if they have a slipping knee).

When are you going to the vet? I can give you our physio regime, but you need to see a vet first to make sure that a)that's what it is, and b)how bad it is. If he's torn an ACL, then the physio won't work, you need to do surgery. If it's just stretched, or the joint is misshapen (like in Angel and all other dogs who inherit this or have too much activity as a pup causing it), physio can help.

Is he still on puppy food? If he is, get him off it and onto an adult food. Puppy food with it's high protein content can contribute to the bones growing too fast for the muscles to keep up, which causes weak joints. Also, you can gently massage his quads for a few minutes a few times a day - it'll help increase blood flow to that muscle, to help strengthen it, and he'll think it feels great!

And remember, until you know exactly what it is and how bad it is and what you want to do about it, NO RUNNING OR JUMPING! If Stitch gives you lip about it, tell him those are my orders hehe.

Try not to worry too much, he'll be fine

by **Ariel Payopay** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 10:53 pm

Went to the vet on friday. Vet said he has luxating patella. But it's not serious. So he doesn't need surgery. He said he injured his leg and I kept on making him do physical stuff when his leg wasn't healed up. He has to rest for 14 days and the vet gave him some pain killers. I also bought some glucosamine chondroitin too.

Dislocating leg????

Dislocating leg????

Who is online