It all started with a limp. Rocco was a healthy young chihuahua, active in sports, going for regular walks, when he suddenly started to limp. He would be running along normally one moment, and the next he’d pick up his left back foot and skip along for a minute before it went back to normal.
Concerned, we visited our veterinarian, who diagnosed him with a grade II luxating patella, sometimes called slipping patellas. The limp happened when his knee dislocated, and stopped when it relocated itself.
What Makes a Patella Slip
The patella is a small bone inside your dog’s knee joint. It is located underneath the patellar tendon, and runs along a groove in your dog’s thigh bone, or femur. Normally, the patella’s job is to keep the patellar tendon in place as your dog moves the joint. When the groove in the dog’s femur is too shallow, or the knee joint is injured, it can cause the knee joint to stop working properly.
When the patella slips out of the groove, the knee is dislocated. In mild cases, a person can manually put the dog’s knee back in place through manipulating the knee joint. In more severe cases, this can’t happen.
There are many causes for luxating patellas, ranging from genetics, to injuries, to misalignment of the limbs. Although there are many possible reasons for a luxating patella, the most common is a genetic issue. It is advised that dogs who have slipping patella’s for any other reason besides a traumatic injury to the joint, should never be bred.
Grades of Slipping Patella
| Grade | Description |
| Grade 1 | The patella will slip out with manual pressure, but otherwise stays in the groove. |
| Grade 2 | The patella can slip out on its own, causing the dog’s knee to lock up. This creates that ‘skipping’ gait when the dog is moving. |
| Grade 3 | The patella is permanently out of the groove, but can be manually put back in. |
| Grade 4 | The patella is permanently out of the groove and can’t be placed back in manually. |
What Does A Slipping Patella Look Like?
In Rocco, the symptoms appeared as a skipping gait. He picked up his left back foot and carried right along with a few hop-like steps before putting his foot down again. This is a very common symptom in slipping patellas.
In more serious cases, the dog may be unable to put the foot down, with the knee permanently dislocated and unable to bend.
Limping is a common sign. Your dog may yelp when this happens, and if you’re close by you may hear a popping sound. These are all possible symptoms, but they don’t always show up. In general, if your dog is limping, it’s best to have the dog seen by a vet.
If you can, get a video of the limping to show your vet, as dogs seem to have a magical ability to look and act fine when they’re in the examination room.
How do you fix a luxating patella in a Chihuahua?
Treatment can be divided up into two different forms. Surgical treatments, and non-surgical treatments. You will need to see your veterinarian in order to determine which direction is best for your dog.
Whether surgery is recommended largely depends on the severity of symptoms. Most dogs see improvement after surgery, with a study in the AVMA publication putting it at 92% of dogs being sound at their post-surgery wellness exams.
Surgery isn’t best for every dog though. If the dog seldom exhibits symptoms, it may be better to take a more conservative approach. A dog can be kept comfortable using non-invasive techniques. Possible options include:
- Anti-inflammatories to control any pain
- Crate rest
- Weight control to reduce stress on the joint
- Joint supplements to protect the joint from arthritis
- Massage or aquatherapy
- Joint strengthening exercises
If you and your vet feel a conservative treatment approach is best, they may recommend one of the above approaches.
Conclusion
Luxating Patellas are a common ailment in chihuahuas. If your dog has suddenly started picking up one of its back feet and hopping while trotting around the house, it’s worth getting their knee joint closely examined by a veterinarian.
Similar Posts:
- Collapsed Tracheas and Chihuahuas: Is Your Dog at Risk?
- Review of The Dog
- What is Pancreatitis in Dogs?
- Why Nail Trims Matter
- What are the odds of a healthy dog dying suddenly from anesthesia?
Oh no, that’s heartbreaking! It’s so frustrating seeing our little guys struggle like that.