Hi Moms,
I have a 4 year old PUG that has been limping lately. Once very active she now has a difficult time walking. New to the Queen Creek area, I took her to Power Ranch Animal Hosp. The regular doc's weren't in and she was seen by a "relief vet". He says she has Medial Patella Laxation! A problem with her knee that is off to the side of her leg and causes great pain. She would probably need surgery.
I am wondering if any of you have heard of this or experienced it with your pets.
I would like to get a second opinion and wondering if you recommend another facility or do you recommend a particular vet at Power Ranch Hospital.
We will take her to any are from Scottsdale to Queen Creek.
Thanks for your advice.
D. Z
I want to thank all the mom's that replied to my email. I am not sure if you got my flowers and thanks, since I am new to this and I got some of my replies returned.
Anyway, we have Chloe on pain meds and she can at least get around. This Thurs is an appt with a vet we have known for sometime in Scottsdale.
Will let you know...again, thank you so much for your response.
D.
We have been happy with Dr. Patt at Alta Mesa Animal Hospital. It is at 6704 E. Brown Road (Power and Brown) in Mesa. Their phone number is ###-###-####. Check out their website: altamesaanimalhospital.com. There is a pet library where you can read about medial luxating patella.
My favorite vet is Companion Pet clinic in Gold Canyon. I'm not sure if Dr Jeremy is there anymore though, and I don't like the female vet there. My dog limped and was told she needed surgery , but we couldn't afford it. She limped for about a year, but she has had no problems since then, healthy for two years. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on surgery, but your dog might need it more.
I own 2 pugs and lucky for me no major health issues yet! they are known to have hip, knee probs(cuz they are what i call tater tots on toothpicks)and even foot probs(cuz they wont let you cut their nails). My suggestion to you is ask APARN(Az adopt a pug and rescue network- google the acronym) they can be very helpful in these situations. Wish you the best :(
It could be medial patellar luxation, but it could also be valley fever or a torn cruciate ligament. The typical and correct course to follow if a dog shows pain in the knee is: 1) xrays 2) valley fever test if indicated 3) short course of pain medication If the xrays show no other pathology besides patellar luxation and the pain medication only helps short term, then surgery is probably a good idea. I don't know many vets in Mesa but Alta Vista did/does have a good reputation. I work at Scottsdale Ranch Animal Hospital, but there are many great vets between here and there.
Hi D.,
I hope you find a solution other than surgery. We're going through the same thing with our Yorkie, which is common to their breed also. His knee seems to slip out once a month, he becomes completely inactive for 2 days (to the point of dehydrating himself on purpose so he doesn't need to get up to go to the bathroom), then by day 3 he starts getting around and by day 5 he's 100% again. Our vet recommended anti-inflammatories as a maintenance, or surgery if it continues. We are not ready to commit to the surgery quite yet, but since he's only 2 years old it looks as though this problem will not be going away on it's own. I would be interested to know how your second vet appt goes.
Good luck, and I hope your little one feels some relief soon!
D.
Hello D. Z. My name is D. and yes i have heard of this problem your pug is having. It can be common in small breeds. I work at Arizona Pet Resort in Tempe, and we have a full time Doctor on staff. I think you should come in and have a second opinion. Our staff would be very happy to help you and your pug. Hope to see you soon.
