Luxating patella or something worse? Please forgive the wall of text

purpledoggy · Apr 4, 2015

So over this past winter Hotchkiss came in from going potty outside and was limping on his back leg. I assumed he slipped on the ice so I put him on crate rest. When it didn't improve I took him to the vet the next morning. They told me he might have a possible acl tear but their x ray machine was down. They gave me steroids and pain meds and told me if it didn't improve in a few days to bring him back.
After a few days he was doing better but by the next week he started limping on his one leg again so I took him back in. This time they told me it didn't look like an acl tear but Luxating patella in his left leg. They said it didn't look bad enough to need surgery and gave me steroids again. He was fine for a month then again out of nowhere started limping again. Back to the vets again and this time X-rays show nothing abnormal in either hind leg so they refered me to an ortho doctor. The earliest appointment they had was a month away.
We'll Thursday again he started limping and over the past 24 hours began to walk with his back hunched over and looks to be lame in both hind legs. I tried to get an appointment with my vet but the earliest they have his Monday. They gave me another perscription for pain mess and steroids which I started him on this morning and he doesn't look as bad as he did last night. He looks stiff in both hind legs. I'm concerned that this is something more than luxating patellas, maybe possible spinal problems. He is only 16 months old and no know trauma other then a possible fall on ice two months ago. He seems to have full feeling and movement in his hind legs he just walks like he is stiff. No problems with loss of bladder control and he's not dragging his hind legs at all. Could he just be stiff from the left side lameness or do you think it's something more serious? I can't get him to the vet until Monday and the pet ER does not have a neurologist. I just don't know what to do

blushy · Apr 4, 2015

I really have no idea but it actually does seem like more of a spinal injury...

I am so sorry your baby and you are dealing with this. Just hang on! And don't over think it til you get more tests and such!

Good luck & we'll be sending lots of love!

2bullymama · Apr 4, 2015

You are doing everything you can at this point.... my EB had very bad spine (arthritic) from a very young age, she lived a full, energetic, life with pain management and laser therapy.

try not to panic, keep her calm, and even if the ER does not have a neurologist, if you need the peace of mind -- take her in to be checked / x-ray her back.

sending lots of hugs, prayers and positive thoughts

purpledoggy · Apr 5, 2015

He seems better today after two days of strict crate rest. He's not limping as bad but it's still there. I think when I take him in Monday I'm going to insist on a spinal X-ray.

Mavis · Apr 5, 2015

After we got Bambi, we took her to the vet for a check-up. The vet manipulated her back legs and said she has a luxating patella in both to varying degrees. He said it is relatively common in the breed. He described it as a tendon that sits in a groove and when it luxates, the tendon slips out of the groove, usually temporarily. He said by manipulating the leg/knee, a lot of times it goes back in the groove. He said dogs can put it back naturally (not with intention), but during the course of moving around. Although Bambi has the condition, I haven't noticed her limping or anything. Whenever they have something, it is a worry. I hope you get some answers about what it is and what you can do about it. Good luck.

PugandTwoFrenchies · Apr 5, 2015

I've had a pug with a luxating patella, and from what you're describing that doesn't sound like it. A luxating patella would display itself with an on/off limp. Not a hunched back with both rear legs being lame. (My pug had surgery for it and recovered just fine)

But even prior to that, he'd have these "spells" where for no reason at all, he'd have a hunched back and would look like he's in pain. His tail would be down (not that you can see that on Frenchies), and would suddenly not be able to go up/down the stairs. I believe we took him to the vet the first time it happened, they didn't find anything in his x-rays, and he recovered in a couple of days on his own. No idea why it happened, as he never fell, etc. He'd just get whatever it was every so often, and it'd resolve on its own with rest.

Being in Calgary, we do have access to various vet specialists, but in all honesty, they're a ton of money, and any type of testing they offer is just $$$$. "Well, you could do an MRI for $2000 to diagnose the problem). Um...and then what??? I think you're just fine.

Your pup *may* have a bit of hip dysplasia (our male pug was diagnosed with that at quite an early age), and all of a sudden wasn't able to go up the stairs. We started putting him on Cetyl-M, which is not only glucosamine, but contains other fatty acids that the pet physiotherapist (oh yes, we took him to one of those too) recommended highly. She said it'd take approx. a month to work, but once it did, he was able to move around like he used to.

So, until you know what it is, you could drive yourself crazy trying to guess (I know...I've been there!). Get some x-rays done first and go from there. Usually that'll be able to identify whether it's musculoskeletal vs. neurological.

Hang in there. I know how scary it is. Just try to deal with what you know rather than what you think it could be.

*big hugs*

davidh · Apr 5, 2015

He could have pulled something, and it is going to take time to heal. I would give him a week or so of staying quiet, maybe even crating him to keep him quiet to see if that helps with the healing process, sometimes it takes several weeks for a joint injery to heal. If if doesn't get better after a week of rest, then I would take him to an ortho to see what they think.

purpledoggy · Apr 5, 2015

When all of this first started it was just an on and off limp in his left rear leg. He had X-rays done and they showed no abnormalities. The hunched over back was totally new and something he had never done before so I was very concerned. He has been on strict crate rest since it started and is much better now but still has the left rear leg limp. My vet originally said they didn't think his patellas were bad enough to need surgery but I'm thinking they are wrong because of how frequent this has been happening.

Jakeyjake · Apr 5, 2015

I had a bull terrier with a luxated patella. We took him to an ortho. and upon examination it was determined that he needed surgery. Prior to the surgery, my bully wasn't really in too much pain, he would just limp intermittently and then the knee cap would pop back in on its own. He was a very strong, muscular dog. The surgery went fine, but the hard part was keeping him calm afterwards to recuperate. I would highly recommend seeing an ortho if you think this is the problem. They will examine him and be able to tell what grade it has progressed to and whether he needs surgery. My bully never had any further issues and lived until he was almost 13 years old jumping, running and playing. Good luck and keep us posted with what you find out.