Knee Problems In Dogs and Cats
by R.H. Henderson DVM: Eastside Animal Health Clinic 

Most of us have pets that live their entire life free of pain or injury. Some pets, are not as lucky. For instance, many small breed dogs  and now even larger breed dogs suffer from a condition called Luxating Patellas. Put simply the knee cap pops out of place. This problem often follows breeding lines and remains in breeding families.
 

The clinical signs of this are simple as well. The pet will jump off the couch, or be running full speed across the yard and without warning cry out in pain and come up lame on one of their rear legs. They my hold it up for a few moments then put it back in use. Soon they are back to full speed again.

They may continue to hold it up and some time later bring it back on line to use. Sometimes , it will not be put back in the game until some manipulations to help replace the knee cap in its rightful place has been accomplished.

In times past, this was a disorder associated mostly with poodles and other toy breed dogs. But of the last few years, we have seen it more in labs and other large breed dogs.

Rarely in our practice we see this in cats. However, in cats it tends to be bilateral and more sever in nature. Often it is associated with a previous injury or a breed defect. The repair in cats can be a bit more tricky than in our canine friends.

The problem is usually associated with a growth abnormality where the groove that the knee cap lives in is not properly developed. It is shallow and the knee cap will pop out over the tiny ridges like a marble rolling off a shallow dish. Sometimes it is an alignment issue where the patella ligament is not attached at the proper location on the tibia. The ligament pulls to the side and pulls the patella out of its track.

We grade these luxations on a scale of 1 to 3 with 1 being spontaneously reduced or returning to normal without help. A 3 will require some intervention to reduce the luxation. Surgery is often indicated with a 3. Also, what was graded as a 1 in a younger dog can develop into a 3 as time and wear stretch the structures that hold the knee cap in place.

There are several surgical repairs and the prognosis for these are very good. Left untreated, a serious luxation will cause unnecessary pain at the least and can lead to more sever damage to the knee at the worst.

If your pet on occasion acts like his or her back leg hurts, let your veterinarian have a look. It might be an easy fix, or it might prevent more advanced damage. At any rate, the outcome for your pet will be a positive one.

If you have a question for Dr. Henderson, please send it to us at contact@fortsmithmoms.com.

Pet Health Tips and information provided by:
Eastside Animal Health Center
9600 Rogers Ave
Fort Smith, AR 72903
479-452-5700
R.H. Henderson DVM
L.M. Lynch DVM
L.C. France DVM