Patella Luxation in Cockers

[CockerCanuck]

And what pray tell were you doing

I was in my upstairs office on my computer looking for advice on a UK Gundog Training Forum. What did you think I was doing Ips????

[ips]

Ha, well I did wonder.....

[vicky payne]

Patella luxation is increasingly common in Cockers, and also Labradors and Springers. There are grades of luxation and grades of pain and lameness. Mild cases may not require surgical treatment but may benefit from a supplement to support joint and cartilage health as there will be abnormal wear. More serious cases, or those where a dog is experiencing pain can respond very well to surgery. My husband does a lot of patella surgeries as we have a high proportion of toy dogs registered...but he does a similar number on staffordshire bull terriers and gundog breeds!
An assessment by a vet experienced in dealing with them is a good idea, perhaps including x-rays of the stifles, but also the hips (as poor hips can predispose to patella luxation). Some breeds ask for patella luxation grading prior to breeding; breeding from affected dogs is not recommended.

[Gundogs11]

very interesting. Can you give us any more details about patella luxation grading? I assume it needs to be done by a specialist vet etc?

[CockerCanuck]

OK I have an update on this. I had Fergal at our Vet yesterday for his annual vaccinations. I told her I also wanted a complete physical examination of his running gear and that I suspected mild Patella Luxation. Since I first posted in September his condition has not changed. He seems very fit and agile. We have been rough shooting about twice a week all fall and he is lean and fit. He still gives his funny little skip step on the back legs (80% of the time on left) when he is in a fast trot. When he moves into a gallop his gate looks 100% normal. He shows no sign of pain or limping after a day in the field and in fact I have noticed he does the skip step less after he has been running for 20 minutes or so.

My Vet did a full examination with her hands of all his joints and back. She is quite familiar with Patella Luxation because she sees it a lot in very small and toy breeds. She is quite certain that this is NOT the cause. She says she would rate the condition of all Fergie's joints and hips as not just good but "excellent". In manual manipulation she could not budge the patellas in their normal grove at all. She says dogs with the problem it is quite easy to move them out of position.

She was at a loss to explain why he has the peculiar gate. He is of the type with a bit of a long back and once had a mysterious back injury which cured itself in a few days. She speculates he may have a pinched nerve that works itself out as he changes gate or warms up. Or it could just be a peculiar habit that he has fallen into and he just skips because he can. Recommendation is just to keep him lean and well muscled, which is easy, and a joint supplement with glucosamine, which I have been giving since I first noticed the issue.

Mine is the only WC she has seen in her practice and she is very impressed with him. She is used to seeing pet Cockers (mostly American) from show breeding and says most are a physical and mental mess with lots of issues with hyperactivity, overweight, skin, eye and ear conditions and joint problems. She commented that it was sad to think that these dog's distant ancestors must have looked a lot like Fergal and people have done this to the breed out of pure vanity.