Patellar Luxation in Staffies

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, so i'd like to start off by saying hi and introducing myself - I'm Tal!
I've had 4 Staffies throughout my life and am totally loyal to the little buggers!! ;p

My 9 month old boy Bonsai, just got home from a Patellar Luxation op today - He has level 3 and level 1 knees:(
We operated on the 3 knee first and will have to do the 1 knee once he's healed.

I was just wondering if anyone knows some good techniques to help him heal up faster? I wanna take him for hydro therapy when he's able, but is there anything I could do before then and to supplement this exersize?

I'd really like to speed up the process, coz keeping him in a cage just breaks my heart.
And both knees would entail 2 months in a cage... It really sucks!!

Any tips re: exercise, treatment, vitamins, nutrients etc, would be much appreciated!!

Thanks in advance,

Tal

Hello and welcome to the forum , sorry I have no experience but hope someone comes along so that can help

we have a link where you can introduce yourself properly here as people may not look in this post if its a health question they can't answer

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

Much appreciated Dave,

I'll be sure to do that!!

Hiya and welcome from me and Moo

So sorry to hear about the op, and I know too well about keeping dogs quiet! It is heart breaking. I'm afraid there isn't a way to speed it up.

I have heard good reviews on a natural pill 'Yumove', I have started Moo on them today.

Good luck with everything, I have a house bound dog also, so if you ever need to pass time I'm usually here lol

Hi janey and thanks on behalf of me, Bonsai and Juno - my girl, for that matter :p

Hmmm... That's somewhat unfortunate news... We'll just have to grit our teeth and work through it I guess, but i'll definitely look into Yumove!!

I'm sorry to hear your's is house bound too... Staffies are way too free-spirited and adventurous for it and I hope it passes soon!!

Totally!! I'm sure i'll take you up on that offer

T

This is Moo's story for the past week.

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t26620-moo-s-progress

So yes I feel the frustration, but as with me it is gonna take time. Xx

Thanks for sharing janey!

What exactly happened to your girl?

At least we can rest assured that there are a bunch of us going through the same feelings together... Support structure ftw!! :p

Big hugs and a fat smooch for Moo

Long story short, I really haven't a clue, she started to limp about 6 weeks ago, it wasn't worrying me tbh, so I kept her off it, and she improved.

I wanted to swap my insurance as mine is very low before I went to the vets, just incase, which would take about 4 weeks to get cover.

My friend in the mean time took her out for a 2.5 hour walk, and any improvement to the limp was gone.

As they say the rest is history.

So no, your not alone, I am just praying for a positive outcome as are the fab people here. Keeping them in kills me, but I don't think I did her any favours by taking her out for extra walks, even if they where 5 mins!

Lots of healing vibes sent your way XxXx

Sheesh... That's pretty odd.

I guess being the rambunctious species that they are, Staffies do tend to injure themselves quite frequently... Juno picks up the occasional limp from jumping off beds which worries me, but in the end there's really no stopping them... :p

Shame though, I do wish her better and holding thumbs soon!!

Healing vibes all the way!!

Have a read through the thread below there may be some useful info there for you, sorry i cannot help personally:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t3813-luxating-patella?highlight=patella

Thanks a bunch kathytake2,

Not sure there's much advice out there on how to speedup the recovery process / enhance the healing results, but i'll surely keep searching!

Always comforting to know that there are other's who have been through this all, so thanks for that!!

T

what was the advice from the vet ?? I would generally stick with that if you are happy with your vet for something like this. I know it's a pain but if you get it wrong you could take some real backward steps

We went to a specialist vet who highly recommended the operation... In fact, he suggested we do both legs at once...

The other vet who actually did the op couldn't believe it had been suggested it, saying he would have been completely incapacitated and unable to even stand - so thank goodness we only started with the one leg.

My mother went out and bought a Good Energies B-Cure laser. It relies on deep penetrating laser used for healing purposes. She spent the equivalent £500 on it!!! At first I was like W.T.F, but upon further research I found they're actually using them in hospitals around the world for a range of treatments from wounds, to burns, to muscle and tissue damage... I dunno, but we're giving it a bash.. Anything to speed up the process, esp because he still has to go in for the second knee..

Positive healing vibes from us, gotta say I never heard of it but I hope it helps, you end up trying anything! ><

Thanks Janey, right back at ya!!

Hi Tal
You cannot speed up the healing process, it is long and slow and you must be patient. Not easy I know when Bonsai is a 9 month old pup raring to go!!!!!!
Please please dont use any Laser Equipment you could do even more damage, this is equipment to be used by Professionals only. You had faith in your Vet to do the operation so stick to the advice he gives and I'm sure Bonsai will make a full recovery.

Anne

Hi Anne,

Thanks for your input.

The laser is in fact designed for domestic use and is certified with not having any side-effects or negative results.

I do hear where you're coming from though!!

T

Hi, welcome to the forum. Poor Bonsai! He must be feeling pretty sorry for himself right now.

I'd also recommend not using any lasers - let it heal slowly & naturally & you'll end up with a stronger result.

Hi and thanks Caryll,

Hahaha, quite the opposite hey... He's actually in great spirits! He's quite the complacent Staffie - nothing like the Independence of Juno my other Staff, which makes it a lot easier to influence his behaviour i guess.

I'm sure after a while of being caged he'll begin to feel the effects though, as it's only been 3 days since the op.

Here's a review on the laser via Amazon.com. There are also several white papers and research studies conducted on it, but again, I do hear your concerns.

http://www.amazon.com/B-cure-Therapy-Injuries-Revolutionary-Approved/product-reviews/B008MYTOEE

Thanks,

T

You're obviously going to use the laser treatment, so can I just pass on one bit of advice from my session trawling the internet? Apparently it's important to use the correct frequency of laser - failure to do so will result in a negative effect.

Have a look at this case study using this particular product on animals.

http://lasersociety.bg/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Dentacon/B-Cure-dental-laser/animal%20recomend%20booklet.pdf

I'm not quite sure whether to believe it or not, but it seems to be hosted on a "reputable-enough" platform.

What I find reassuring is that I haven't come across any negative reviews of this particular laser. But again... Who knows...

Not so sure I'd take too much notice of that link - I'm not being funny, but it's basically an advert, and we all know how adverts can be tweaked to look good for a company.

The main thing I found on the web, over & over again, was make sure the correct frequency is used or the laser will have a negative effect, which will make the injury worse & not better.

Now, I've no idea what the correct frequency is, and it seems to change from animal to animal, so I don't think I'd feel qualified enough to use it myself.

Hi Bella had her patella operated on 2 weeks ago. She has started toe touching on day 3 and has been walking on it since day 5 . Had her stitches out day 10. We had to crate her and she's never been in one, always on the lounge or bed which is a big no no.she had her first walk around the block yesterday and wanted to run ... Struggling to keep her quiet out of the crate. Our vet said from day 1 to let her walk around the house during the day but crate her at night and when we went out. She hates it.
Good luck!

Riverhaven Bella wrote:Hi Bella had her patella operated on 2 weeks ago. She has started toe touching on day 3 and has been walking on it since day 5 . Had her stitches out day 10. We had to crate her and she's never been in one, always on the lounge or bed which is a big no no.she had her first walk around the block yesterday and wanted to run ... Struggling to keep her quiet out of the crate. Our vet said from day 1 to let her walk around the house during the day but crate her at night and when we went out. She hates it.
Good luck!

Thanks for that. Is she coping well in herself, though?