Limping Yorkie Terrier Dog: Do Patellae Known as a Dislocated Patella Slip?
Have you noticed your Yorkie Terrier limping? If your Yorkie recently jumped out of a chair or perhaps out of bed, that could be the reason for the limp. Hopefully the injury is not serious. Check carefully that nothing is stuck between the toes or on the pads; you should be able to quickly tell if you need to seek the assistance of a vet.
If none of the above seem to be the problem, does your Yorkie have a condition known as Patella Dislocation, meaning the kneecaps on the back leg are dislocated or slipped? This happens because the groove of the femur must be deeper. Treatment for this condition is surgery to deepen the grove.
This condition is usually hereditary. A Yorkie can have very slippery kneecaps and show no signs of pain or discomfort when jumping, walking, playing, or running. My first Yorkie had this condition when I got it. My vet told me to wait to see how he was doing before having surgery. He was four months old then, and he didn’t seem worried or uncomfortable about it. I was running, jumping and playing all the time. It could jump up, about 3 feet, and land on its hind legs. I always wondered how he could do that and have slippery kneecaps, as his legs were always supporting him when he jumped.
Periodically, his knee would slip and he could straighten it himself, if not, he could gently move it into place. As the years passed, he seemed to worry less and less. He was already 13 and a half years old. Then one day he got up and continued lifting his back leg; he was lame. I looked at it carefully. He could no longer climb the stairs. Otherwise, it continued as normal. Finally, he was able to lower his leg and lean back. But, there was no more running and jumping.
During his life, he had 6 different vets and none of them suggested surgery to treat his patella slippage. I took him to different vets, looking for someone who truly loves animals and shows caring and compassion. I finally found one in January 2007, when my Yorkie had an emergency on a Sunday. The point here is that not all vets are the same. If your Yorkie seems to be bothered by any condition that needs veterinary help, be sure to listen carefully and observe how the vet and assistants treat your pet. If you’re feeling a bit uncomfortable with anything related to caring for your Yorkie, keep looking for another vet.
It is commonly thought that a dislocated kneecap can lead to arthritis if it is not surgically repaired. That may be true as in the last 2 months of his life my Yorkie would lose his balance as his back leg was no longer supporting him and then he would fall over which would eventually lead him to scream in pain. It would be on its side, very stiff, when I would rush to pick it up. Then the pain would subsidize him and he was “normal” again. This happened a couple of times during the night; You can imagine the panic that stopped in my heart when I was awakened by her screams. I was so scared for him and didn’t know how to help him. Of course I asked the vet about this and he said it was arthritis and there was nothing I could do. At her age, she felt that surgery was out of the question.
If your Yorkie or any other dog is dealing with this condition, you need to consider what the best course of action is for your pet. Learn about Yorkie’s health problems. Search the Internet, go to bookstores, and find veterinary books on dogs. This way you will understand some of the things that your dog may be facing. You must clearly understand what your vet tells you about the treatments. Today, many health problems of our pets are genetic. Breeders need to pay close attention to how they are reproducing and stop doing so. Maybe one day these wonderful little dogs will no longer be bothered by slipping on the kneecaps.