All About Patella Luxation in Dogs

There are dog breeds more susceptible to certain diseases or health ailments. For example you will find the Shar Pei suffer from swollen hock抯 syndrome, while other dogs suffer from cushing抯 disease. The point is that most often it is very hard to take care of a dog that has a disease or disorder that is common to them if you are unprepared. You need to make sure when you adopt a dog that you have understood some of the genetic defects that they can have. For some dogs a genetic defect is the patella luxation. In this article you will learn about the issue with the patella luxation and some of the things you can do to alleviate the pain your dog may feel.

Most commonly there are breeds that are more susceptible to the patella luxation. This means they are genetically predisposed to having the joint in the knee lock up or slip out of the socket. In some cases there may have been trauma to the knee of this dog and that is the reason for the issue. If you dog has suffered from an accident or broken limb they are more likely to have this issue spring up. The best thing to do is make sure you are aware of the issue and modify the exercise according to what they can handle rather than what is the most fun. Most of the small breeds such as miniature and toy poodles, and the miniature schnauzer are going to be more susceptible to the issue overall. It seems to be related to their short legs. You will also find the basset hound and Daschund are easily hurt in the knee area.

The symptoms may not occur until they have reached middle age. In most cases you will see a lameness develop in the leg or legs depending on how serious the disease is. It is also more common in the hind legs than the front. Remember that it is most often seen during play when the dog all of the sudden yelps in play while chasing after something.

First of all patella luxation is going to be a problem with the knee. For example say your small dog was running to chase a ball. In the next instant the dog yelps and kind of falls over. When you walk closely up to the dog you see his hind leg is off the ground. In this case the dog抯 patella, which is part of the knee has slipped out of the socket where it is supposed to stay. The pain the dog feels is from the joint moving and causing pressure on the leg and muscles. There are many reasons a dog may suffer from this issue.

There is treatment for this issue. You can surgically have the dogs knees fixed so that the pinching of the nerves and the patella no longer slip out of the socket. This can be a fairly expensive method. The surgery will also adapt the groove at the base of the femur to help the knee cap stay in place. It is best to have the knee surgically fixed than having your dog in pain for the rest of their lives. While it can be fixed without surgery if it slips out it will not prevent the issue from continuing. You may also have to provide some anti inflammatory drugs to help the surgery as well as during a time when it has to be reset.