Luxating Patella is when the dogs kneecap is dislocated from it's normal anatomic position in the groove of the thigh bone.
There are grades:
Grade 1, A kneecap that can pop out but pops right back in on it's own
Grade 2, A kneecap that pops out and doesn't always pop back in on it's own, many need manuel help.
Grade 3, The kneecap sits out of it's groove most of the time, but can be manually put back in the groove, stays temporary.
Grade 4, The worst case, the kneecap sits outside the groove all the time and wont stay in the groove when popped back into place manually.
Luxating Patella may become worse over time if you dont do something to help. But it depends on every dog, some may not show any symptoms and it may not bother them at all.
To improve your dogs Luxating Patella
Supplements
- Green mussel powder, natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin, helps with inflammation.
- Golden Paste, helps with inflammation, reduces pain etc, has many other benefits.
Diet
A low carb diet is the best option to elimate inflammation. Low carb diets include, Raw, dehydrated raw, home cooked diet. Kibble (dog food) is usually high in carbs.
Exercises, weight
It's really important that your dog is ideal weight, the less weight on the legs the better.
- swimming, the best option, keeps your dog at a good body weight and is great for the whole body. Helps with joints, relieve pain, maintains muscle mass. You can do this in your bath tub at home. Safest workout!
- short walks 10-20 minutes, depends how bad it is...
- Strength exercises, Sit pretty, army crawl several times and have your dog ascend and descend stairs.
Talk to your vet and see what the best treatment option is for your dog, some require surgery, some dont.
* Hugo has grade 2 Luxating Patella, we do swimming with him 3-4 times a week.
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