LUXATING PATELLAS: GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES
Patellar luxation in Toy breeds can have both genetic causes, or environmental causes (luxation due to injury). If lux appears at an early age, it’s likely to be due to genetic causes. Parents with perfect knees can produce a puppy with weak knees traced back to a great grand relative that had luxating patellas. Veterinarians can be fast to jump to surgery so you may wish to wait 6 months or longer to see if the condition corrects itself with proper measures such as supplementation, providing sets of stairs and training to stop jumping as well as exercise to strengthen the muscles on the side of the knees. Surgery is most times done to prevent future arthritis. Most cases are not painful and puppies can outgrow the condition if the lux is a grade 2 or below.
If luxating patella's developes after 6 months old then it usually environmental sources of injury which can include too much jumping (i.e. jumping off furniture), or too much stress on the patella and surrounding ligaments (ie. when a chihuahua dances on its rear legs) The groove that keeps the knee in place is shallow in small breeds and the groove can be damaged, allowing the knee to slip. We have a customer who took their dog to the groomer to have the nails clipped and painted. They witnessed their dog slip on the table and fall which resulted in damage to the knee groove. The Vet confirmed the lux patella was injury induced from the fall.
Provide NUVET supplement from 4 months of age onward. This supplement can be ordered from my home page
Adult Chihuahuas can also damage their kneecap by a forceful hit or blow as we discussed above, so with age looseness might also be recognized, especially in Chihuahuas that are overweight as there is constant pressure on surrounding ligaments that help to hold the knees in place. Luxating patella's is not always genetic.
MOLERA : PART OF THE BREED STANDARD
The Chihuahua's molera ( fontanel) is considered a breed characteristic and not a defect, although Veterinarians consider it a defect and some will act as if the puppy can die simply from having a molera. Most Chihuahuas have a molera — a soft spot on the top of their head similar to a human baby's soft spot. The molera on Chihuahuas usually coses by 12 months of age.
HYDROCEPHALUS
A dog with hydrocephalus (water on the brain) may have an unusually large head for size. Other signs of this fatal condition are frequent falling, seizures, a lot of white showing in the eyes, an unsteady gait, failure to grow.
Some Vets may do surgery and place a vent to frain off excess fluid. If the puppy would live long enough and grow enough to handle the surgery. Hydrocephalus puppies rarely live past 6 months of age.
GENERAL ANESTHESIA
The possibility that your dog may someday need anesthesia is one main reason why you need to choose a veterinarian who is accomplished in treating Toy dogs. Although anesthesia-related deaths are rare, and usually the result of an allergic reaction, its use is potentially dangerous. Your vet uses anesthesia only when necessary
Some Vets are experienced with simply gassing the small dog down so as not to give the normal combo of pre medications. It is my understanding that the pre medications are the cause of most reactions related to surgery and anesthesia. If you can avoid the pre meds it would lower the risks of reaction. Always spend time discussing options with your Veterinarian.
