My problem child!
So for those of you who dont know, I have a pomeranian. Dont critisize me, he was free! So anyway little Bear the pomeranian was frolicking around the house one day last week and I heard this awful clicking noise. Thats not normal, so I took him into work to see Dr. Shelley. Turns out he has something called a luxating patella on both legs. The patella or kneecap, sits in a small groove on the femur (leg bone that connects hip to knee). It is attached to the femur and tibia (leg bone from knee to ankle) via tendons and ligaments. As the leg flexes and straightens the patella slides up and down the small groove on the femur. When a dog has a luxating patella, typically the groove on the femur is too shallow and the patella slides to either side. Kind of like a dislocated kneecap, if that makes any sense. This can also occur if the lower ligament is attached to the tibia in the wrong place. Anyway if you have ever seen a little dog that runs and every now and then holds his leg up and kinda skips on three legs? Most likely a luxated patella, apparently is it VERY common in small breeds. Anyway I can surgically fix this which will cost about $2000 per leg with my staff discount, or I can leave it. I checked some pet insurance companies to see if they would cover the surgery...they dont :( Anyway Shelley says it doesn't hurt it just limits movement for a short time. In the long run my dog may or may not develop arthritis...which does hurt. So for the time being he will just have to be a gimp. I do have to get the extra weight off of him though so help reduce the chance of him getting arthritis. This dog is a never ending cause of problems, its a good thing he is so damn cute or I would throw him out! So that's my veterinary medical lecture for the day, hope you all learned something new. I did!
