Hi, We have a wonderful Toy poodle named "Happy". Happy has a leg problem that the vet says is common in smaller dogs. His knee goes out-of-joint, and he tends to lift it up when he is walking down stairs.

My problem is that I don't know if the solution, a thousand-dollar operation, is really the solution, or my share of my vet's next holiday. What is worse, is that the vet is recommending it for both legs.

I want the best for my dog, but I can't be sure that this is the best. Does anyone have any ideas on this subject?

Sincerely, Stuart Fleming

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999

Answers

HI Stuart, Would you consider getting a second opinion for Happy's leg problem? What is the name of this problem? Is is possible to speak to the breeder of Happy and ask about his relatives, is this common, if so, what was the outcome? Your breeder might be interested in learning about this, so that this breeding would not be repeated, or the problem could be identified and irradicated. Is Happy in pain? If the cost of the surgery is a concern, would your vet consider a barter of some kind? I have read where an owner would offer to do work at the office, labor, computer help, to reduce the cost of the surgery. If Happy's health is in the vet's best interest, he/she should (hopefully) be willing to work something out. Good luck and I hope you can find the answer you are looking for.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999

Hi,Stuart. My dog, Benny, had this problem. I don't remember what the scientific term for it is, but his patella would slip out o fplace,locking his leg in position, so he would lift that leg until someone could ocme rescue him. He also lifted one rear leg going downstairs - very entertaining for those behind him!

A few things to consider: How old is Happy? Benny had the problem almost from the get-go, but only about once every three or four months - not enough to actually interfere with his daily life. If Happy is older, it may not be beneficial to him tohave such a stress put on his system. If he's younger and the problem occurs often enough that you think it actually bothers HIM, then you should consider the surgery. Also, you don't want to get more than one leg done at a time (the boy has to move!), and multiple exposure to anesthetic might be of concern - it was to us. Finally, as with people, knee surgery isn't a "sure thing." Everything will depend on Happy's body's response to the invasion.

As you can probably tell, we opted not to put Ben through the surgery. He was lucky in that, although he was born with an extremely high level of this disorder, it did not degenerate through his lifetime, which may be unusual. We watched the situation and decided that if it got bad enough for it to affect his daily life, we'd do it, but it never did. He happily climbed stairs on three legs forever, and I don't think anyone ever told him that wasn't the right way to do it!

-- Anonymous, September 06, 1999

stuart & emily - our poodle is 14 years old and the problem started very subtley but now we have a big problem. one of our dogs legs is about useless and the other is getting worse. EMILY - I would consider the surgery. Anyone know where we can get a device (like a 2 wheel wagon) to help our dog walk if we get to that point?

-- Anonymous, March 27, 2002