Patella Surgery for Charlie

Little Charlie Bean has been in our care since November 2016. On intake she was diagnosed with muscle atrophy. We put her onto a great diet, gave her plenty or exercise and more love than she could ever have imagined. Sadly her limping and unusual gait didn't seem to get any better. After x-rays and further investigation she has been diagnosed with grade 3 bi-lateral luxating patellas in both knees.

A luxating patella occurs when the knee cap moves out of its natural position. Initial symptoms include occasional limping, an intermittent skip in the gait, sudden loss of support on the limb, abnormal sitting posture with the knee placed outward; all of which are usually intermittent.

Grade 1 is the least severe and the knee cap easily slips back into place on its own whereas Grade 4 means the knee cap is actually stuck and fixed outside its normal resting position in the groove of the femur.

Grade 3 or 4 luxations normally require surgery as greater pain or discomfort will be involved, along with reduced function of the leg or associated damage such as a cranial cruciate ligament rupture.