Marty has lateval luxating pattella
 

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Marty has tricks knees and it's making it difficult to lift his hind legs to pee. I am taking him to a vet Monday and it's going cost me a lot of $$$! The office visit is $140 , $200 per x ray and surgery for both knees about $3,200 Has anyone had this kind of surgery done on their dog and did it help your dog in the long run? I called another vet any they wanted $4,000 for surgery and that does not include the cost of x rays and office visit. I wish it did not cost damn much to bring a pet to the vet.

Barkingdog I know 2 people with little dogs that had this issue. In both instances they did not do the surgery. Both dogs are living normal doggie lives. They do both however have the odd bought of discomfort because with the trick knee it can sort of pop out while running around etc. It doesnt seem to happen too often either. Both dogs that I knew were yorkies, one mini and one standard and it is apparently very common in that breed??

I guess it would depend on how bad the dog is but both of these folks said the vets were not big on this type of surgery either??

Good Luck!

[QUOTE=Winston;1062750]Barkingdog I know 2 people with little dogs that had this issue. In both instances they did not do the surgery. Both dogs are living normal doggie lives. They do both however have the odd bought of discomfort because with the trick knee it can sort of pop out while running around etc. It doesnt seem to happen too often either. Both dogs that I knew were yorkies, one mini and one standard and it is apparently very common in that breed??

I guess it would depend on how bad the dog is but both of these folks said the vets were not big on this type of surgery either??

Good Luck![/QUOTE]

Marty is a mini poodle mix and I am not sure what he is mixed with. He is having a hard time lifting his hind legs to pee and it taking him forever to pee.
I will not feel like standing outside in the winter for Marty to pee. The poor dog. I found a vet that will do both x ray for about $200 and the office visit is only $55. They could tell me how bad Marty's knees are and I can decide what to do. I wonder if knee braces will help keep his knee from popping out of joint. I just read some reviews for the second place and some where not too good.

Good luck tomorrow. I know some folks have used a hind leg brace for their dog. Don't know if that is in place of surgery, for post surgery healing or what the cost is but you could google.

Poor little guy. I will be interested to hear what the vet thinks should be done.

A friend reminded me about an another vet office , I forgot about the office I took my last dog there and they're good . Marty will be going to this vet on Monday ,they had an appointment at 5:00 PM Friday but I can't drive when it getting too dark . The vet will see how bad Marty's knees are and if he will need x rays . If Marty does need x rays I will to put him on fast as he will have to put under for the x ray he will also need a blood test to see if he healthy for this. A friend of mine has a friend that use to work at this vet office and she said if Marty knees are not too bad the groove in his knee joints could made deeper so the joints will stay in place. I am hoping this will be the case as it would not cost as much and I hope Marty will be able to recover faster. It is a good thing I can pick Marty up and carry him outside to do his business . Thank you guy. I will let you what the vet said after I see him on Monday. I only wish I could Marty to swat down to pee , it would be a lot easier than trying to lift his hind leg over and over . He just can't get his leg up the way he want to . I think he does not want to get pee all over himself.

Poor fellow. He obviously is a clean boy and that makes life rather difficult for him. I'll keep fingers crossed for him.

[QUOTE=Goldfields;1062788]Poor fellow. He obviously is a clean boy and that makes life rather difficult for him. I'll keep fingers crossed for him.[/QUOTE]

Yes that is true , he is always giving himself a bath like a cat. Thank you .
To made matters worst while I was sleeping last night I woke up in pain when my right knee popped out of joint. Now I am not able to get around very good.

I took Marty to the vet today and the vet said Marty joints pop outward instead of popping inward like it does in most small dogs. It's unusual for this to happen with small dog joints to pop outward according to this vet. The vet popped his joints back in place and they popped right out of place. So popping his joints in place does not work. Marty does not the support in his knees to lift his leg to pee and this is making it hard to pee like a boy dog.
The joint groove is not deep enough and he will need surgery to made the groove deeper and both knees need surgery. The vet is going to let me know in a few days how much the surgery will cost. I may have find away to help hold up Marty rear end so he will have more support. I been looking for a harness that I could use but not have not found one yet.

A cheap way for now is a towel or a scarf and just place it under the mid section and hold it there. Good Luck and give Marty a gentle hug for me please!! :thumbs up

[QUOTE=Winston;1062849]A cheap way for now is a towel or a scarf and just place it under the mid section and hold it there. Good Luck and give Marty a gentle hug for me please!! :thumbs up[/QUOTE]

I was trying to find the leash I had from my last dog , your idea it good too.
I wish he would swat like girl dog but Marty really hate to pee that way. I hope the vet will quote a better price than $3,200 or $4,000 for the surgery.

I'm so sorry about the knees, that's really awful when they are in pain, and surgeries are so expensive :(

When my boy was having back problems (we thought it was a knee at first), I used a harness for the front end, like the comfort flex harness, or the webmaster, and being able to hold some of that pressure helped some. I made one of these by cutting a duffle bag, but I wasn't strong enough to use it (max was 80 lbs): [url]http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=11896[/url] I think they have some for the back end that go around the hind legs too, but I don't have the link handy.

I hope that the vet has good news about the price!

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1062855]I'm so sorry about the knees, that's really awful when they are in pain, and surgeries are so expensive :(

When my boy was having back problems (we thought it was a knee at first), I used a harness for the front end, like the comfort flex harness, or the webmaster, and being able to hold some of that pressure helped some. I made one of these by cutting a duffle bag, but I wasn't strong enough to use it (max was 80 lbs): [url]http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=11896[/url] I think they have some for the back end that go around the hind legs too, but I don't have the link handy.

I hope that the vet has good news about the price![/QUOTE]

80 lbs. is heavy, Marty only weight 17 lbs. I use a cane and have Marty on a leash all time so I am trying figure away to have a harness long enough so I can lift it up a little to give Marty some support when trying to pee. I really
need one more arm , so I'll have one to hold my cane , one to hold the leash and an extra arm to hold up Marty rear end.
The office visit was $57 .60 for the , that is a lot better then $140 so I hoping the surgery will be less than $3,200 or $4,000. I would have to bring Marty for checked up and that will cost more $$$. Damn , I wish I could find that money tree my dad planted!

My dog was diagnosed with the early stages of that and the vert recommended glucosamine. I have noticed it has stopped her limping from when she would stand up. I don't know if it would help in an advanced case; it took a few weeks to see the change but she's doing really good on it.

Yes, I forgot if Marty is on any supplements?

The backend "lifts" have long handles, but seem awkward for both dog and owner. Maybe a sturdy leash and a good harness, keeping it tight when he pees, would give enough support, or at least some? My folks both have mobility problems, so I'm trying to think what they might be able to use...I know at training, I can use the leash to lift jazz up some (she is 20 lbs), and I use a comfort flex harness on her, though it does support the front more than the back ( [url]http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1771[/url] ).

In the US, I have used Care Credit, which has allowed me to charge and pay off interest free. It has helped me with these bigger unexpected dog expenses, mine or family member's. Even if it's available where you are, your vet has to use it, so maybe something worth asking the vet?

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1062872]Yes, I forgot if Marty is on any supplements?

The backend "lifts" have long handles, but seem awkward for both dog and owner. Maybe a sturdy leash and a good harness, keeping it tight when he pees, would give enough support, or at least some? My folks both have mobility problems, so I'm trying to think what they might be able to use...I know at training, I can use the leash to lift jazz up some (she is 20 lbs), and I use a comfort flex harness on her, though it does support the front more than the back ( [url]http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1771[/url] ).

In the US, I have used Care Credit, which has allowed me to charge and pay off interest free. It has helped me with these bigger unexpected dog expenses, mine or family member's. Even if it's available where you are, your vet has to use it, so maybe something worth asking the vet?[/QUOTE]

No Marty is not on any supplements , the vet did say some people hold their dog tail up a little to give some support while peeing . I tired to do this today and Marty gave me a dirty look , and said "what do you think you're doing? I got the prices for one knee the low end price is $938.31 and the high end price is $ 12018. 08. The vet is not vet board certified , he said this be the best care for my dog but I do not have $3,200 -$4,000 per knee.
I would also have to bring Marty back for checked up and that will cost more $$$. Why does it cost so much money for vets bills??

Barkingdog I was wondering if there are any vet teaching type schools nearby that might do it at a more reasonable price. We have the Guelph University that does certain testing etc?? just a thought??

[QUOTE=Winston;1062929]Barkingdog I was wondering if there are any vet teaching type schools nearby that might do it at a more reasonable price. We have the Guelph University that does certain testing etc?? just a thought??[/QUOTE]

I was going to try calling one and a friend suggested I call this vet as it's easier to get to, I would drive into the city and that too hard for me to anymore. Thank you for thinking of it. I should call the University and see if they can give an idea much it would cost.

I am using cosequin plus chewables here for Jazz, they have glucosamine, chondroitin and Msm in them, but no vitamin c like the regular cosequin does. Sometimes she holds her leg up, vet thinks that she is in early stages of knee issues.

The joint supplements do help with knee pain, and hyaluronic acid added I think helps more. I knew a gsd owner that injected glucosamine. It won't change any of the grovve, but it will lubricate the joint and help with the pain.

I would not use the tail to hold up the dog, you can cause nerve damage at the base of the tail.

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1062986]I am using cosequin plus chewables here for Jazz, they have glucosamine, chondroitin and Msm in them, but no vitamin c like the regular cosequin does. Sometimes she holds her leg up, vet thinks that she is in early stages of knee issues.

The joint supplements do help with knee pain, and hyaluronic acid added I think helps more. I knew a gsd owner that injected glucosamine. It won't change any of the grovve, but it will lubricate the joint and help with the pain.

I would not use the tail to hold up the dog, you can cause nerve damage at the base of the tail.[/QUOTE]

I was not able to use Marty tail ,he made it very clear I was not to touch his tail when he is trying to pee. I did have some cosequin from my last dog and gave some it away after my dog dies. I really feel awful about having my dog go through all that pain from surgery and he has a terrible time taking meds , they give him the runs. I will see if I have any cosequin left and try giving Marty some.