Poodles and
Patellar Luxation: Your Dog's Leg Is Out of Joint

In a human, the dislocated joint is almost always caused by trauma to the joint – overextension or a violent blow, for instance. In dogs, the dislocation can happen spontaneously, when you're outside playing or when he's just running down the stairs. Seeing it happen is frightening. In mid-motion, your dog yelps, then lifts one of his rear legs off the ground, running on three legs. A few minutes later, the joint corrects its own slippage and he uses it normally again, seemingly in no pain.

If you don't treat it, however, patellar luxation is a progressive problem. Your dog's rear leg joints work on a groove system; the patella (knee) bone is fitted into a groove on the femur, the large bone that attaches to your dog's hip. Joint fluid lubricates the whole joint so it moves smoothly. If the groove is too shallow, either due to trauma or due to a genetic problem, the top bone can jump out of socket during normal motion, generally toward the inside. When this happens, the large muscles attached to each bone contract, preventing the dog from moving his or her leg normally until the muscles relax again.

The first instances of the condition will be during more extreme play, when the joint is extended more than usual, but as time goes on, the groove will be increasingly worn away. After a while, your dog may have it happen every day, and in the worst cases he may have it when on a sedate walk with you. One or both hind legs may be affected.

This can grow increasingly painful. Some dogs simply stop using that leg. You've seen the films of the dog that walks on his front legs? Dogs with severe patellar luxation in both hind legs may begin to do this. Though the condition itself is not painful once the joint is shifted, the dislocation freezes the leg into its abnormal position. And over time, arthritis is likely to develop in the afflicted joint, causing much more damage and almost certainly shortening your dog's lifespan.

Patellar luxation is often a problem in miniature breeds and dog breeds with very short or oddly shaped legs are particularly susceptible. It's often a genetic problem, so breeders advise that you do not use dogs with this problem for breeding, especially if it crops up early in your poodle's life. Middle aged dogs are more likely to have this problem, as you might expect, secondary to the progressive wearing of the groove as the dog ages. If you've already bred the dog, it might be nice to warn any owners of puppies you have a record of so they can watch for the problem.

Treatment for Patellar Luxation

There is no medical treatment for patellar luxation. Instead, it must be treated surgically if it is treated at all. Fortunately, not all dogs will have the condition severe enough for it to need surgical intervention, so if it doesn't seem to bother your poodle too much, mention it to the veterinarian but don't feel obligated to correct it.

The surgery involves changing the structure of the groove and cap so that the knee cap fits down into the femur better. In some cases, the veterinarian may “tie down” the knee cap so that it can't slide out of joint when your dog overextends his leg. In some dogs, a bony protrusion is the real culprit, interfering with joint movement so that it knocks the patella out of alignment; the veterinarian may cut this off and reattach it in a better position. The precise treatment depends on the animal and the experience and judgment of your veterinarian.

In all cases, your dog should recover from patellar luxation surgery within a month, and begin using his legs again in a normal manner, but without the shocking disjoint.

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