Luxated Patella: Do you take your dog to the vet for an occasional Limp?

You are in the middle of playing with your Chihuahua of 2 years, when suddenly, the dog screams in pain, and begins to show a limp in his leg. He hobbles a little bit with the other three legs, and then goes back to before like nothing had even happened. This has happened a couple of times before, but seems like it is increasing in frequency.

Do You Need To Take Your Dog To The Vet?

The answer to this question is Yes! What you just witnessed could be signs of a luxated patella. Luxating patella, also known as "trick knee" or "slipped kneecap, is an inherited disorder in which the kneecap (patella), dislocates or moves out of position regularly. This condition happens frequently in both legs , typically in varying degrees. The patella is located in the middle of the knee joint. In a healthy knee, the kneecap (patella) lies in a kinda deep groove. This groove allows the patella to slides upwards and downwards in a contained fashion. However if the patellar groove is not deep enough, or not shaped properly. then the patella can move out of this groove and can then move freely from side to side. This excessive lateral movement can result in the locking of the leg. This locking of the leg because the patella has too much lateral movement can result in limping and lameness.

Luxated patella occurs primarily in small dog breeds, but it can manifest itself in medium and large dog breeds. Once this condition affects the dog, it results in lameness and pain in your dog. In less severe instances, the kneecap slips out of the slot, then glides without complaints or long lasting pain. The dog might yelp and holds the affected leg up for brief period, then feel fine again once the patella moves back into the groove. Sometimes the patella dislocates for a long time, or more often, this results in damage to the knee joint. The pain will last for longer and the dog typically looks bowlegged.

Luxated patella is a congenital anomaly, which means that the condition is present at birth. However this problem does not alone result in your dog being disabled. Your dog can still live a typical and contented dog life, with the possibility of still doing all the activities that were done previously. However, please note that untreated or inadequately treated luxated patella can lead to more complications and more serious problems for your dog, such as a torn ligament in the leg. As your dog ages, the continual shifting of the patella over the years can result in diseases of the knee joint such as arthritis.