# Luxated patella



## sweetheart (Oct 7, 2006)

My five year old mare was just diagnosed with a luxated patella on her back leg. I thought at first that she had broken her leg - she was dragging it and it was turned at an odd angle. Thankfully x-rays showed that nothing was broken, but the tendons that hold the patella (kneecap) in place either stretched or ruptured and her kneecap is around the side of her leg instead of in front where it is supposed to be. They said to put her on stall rest and banamine for 2 weeks, and beyond that there's nothing we can do. She may get somewhat better, or at least learn to adapt to it and not limp quite so badly. Has anyone dealt with this before, and if so, do you have suggestions on any ways to help the mare improve/adapt? The vet said if she had been a regular-sized horse, we'd have had to put her down, but because minis weigh so much less that they can learn to get around on 3 legs...




:


----------



## rabbitsfizz (Oct 7, 2006)

There is actually LOADS you can do and I suggest, respectfully, that the first thing you do is get a second opinion!!!!


----------



## Kendra (Oct 7, 2006)

One of my 4H member's horses locked his stifle at a show this summer. I'd just been reading up on it with one of our vets, and in order to unlock the stifle the treatment was to back the horse. So we did, backed him up, stepped him forward, backed him up, stepped him forward, and sure enough it unlocked! Not only that, but he was sound enough to compete in most of his classes that day, and they soon after had him to a physiotherapist that helped them with strengthening exercises to prevent it from happening again.

Stifles tend to lock when the horse is confined to a small area and not getting a lot of exercise, especially when they're growing. According to my vet and his book, the followup treatment (following unlocking the joint) is exercise, as much as is appropriate for the horses age and conditioning, and increasing as their conditioning improves, including lots of hill work.

I agree with Jane about a second opinion. Based on what I've seen and read, stall rest would not be a beneficial treatment.


----------



## Ashley (Oct 7, 2006)

Luxated patella and locking stifles are two different things.

I have only seen one horse with it. She was given away as a pet. THey need to be kept is decent shape and not carry to much excess weight. Also if it is something she has always had and not due to injury she should NOT be bred.

I also had a dog with this. HOwever he out grew it but it is I beleive something that can be inherited(not positive but that was what I was told)


----------



## Minimor (Oct 7, 2006)

Please, please PLEASE get a second opinion. Treatment consists of putting the patella back into place, and this needs to be done as soon as possible after the injury. The longer it is left the more scar tissue will form in the joint capsule--I believe it starts filling in with connective tissue very soon after injury, so time is of the essence. I'd have to go look in my vet book, but I think the horse must be under anesthetic--heavy sedation at least--because unless the horse is totally relaxed it will be very difficult to put back into place.

Once the patella is back in place the horse is on stall rest for awhile; hmm, yes, according to my vet book recovery won't be complete or quick, but given time & care the horse should become pasture sound.

This is just so wrong for your vet to just leave the dislocated joint as it is & say that the horse can learn to go on 3 legs!


----------



## sweetheart (Oct 7, 2006)

Hmmm.... well I took her to supposedly one of the best vet clinics in the state. People drive for hours to bring their horses there



: . We discussed putting the patella back into place, but the vet said that because the tendons are so lax, it wouldn't do any good and it would just pop back out of place (the patella is literally on the side of her leg - you can feel it under the skin). I can slide it back over to where it's supposed to be, but it just slides back out. This happened from an injury. She is a very sensitive mare and doesn't like having her feet handled. Our farrier is very gentle, but he just picked up her foot and she flipped herself over backwards, which caused the injury. He initially thought it was a locked stifle, but I could bend the leg so I didn't think it was that. I took her right to the vet and they did xrays to determine that it was a luxated patella.


----------



## rabbitsfizz (Oct 8, 2006)

Please read this-

http://scholar.google.com/url?sa=U&q=http:...EP/2000/130.pdf

you need to scroll down to find the right section, in is on, I think the second page.

This can and has been fixed.

Although the present injury may be due to her flipping over it is more likely that the actual cause was that the patella was already luxating and so was able to lock out due to the sudden trauma.

I had a gelding do this when he somehow managed to get his leg through a gate and then fall over with the gate and the leg under him (not Mini Big horse very, very BIG horse!!)

When he got up hi leg was almost at right angles to his body- I thought it was broken but called the Vet as I was not sure - hey I was 16 OK??

The Vet tried backing him up but that did not work, told me to leave him alone- outside NOT confined, and it would get better or it would not- surgery was not, in those days, an option.

It stayed like that for three days then my little mare got cross with him for standing in her way and lunged at him- he forgot his leg could not move and so he moved it- pure instinct can be a useful thing sometimes!!

Once it was unstuck I worked on getting some weight on him- in his case it was caused by his being so thin, not excess weight so it does work both ways- and more importantly, MUSCLE that is what will keep your horse sound- ask Leia - her Kody has luxating patellas and they started locking up, now he is worked he is OK.

There are very simple operations right through to actual removal of the patella- you do need another opinion, honestly.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 8, 2006)

I had a foal born here with both patellas out. Based on the advice of a vet from UCD to give him exercise to correct the situation, he tore more of the ligements/tendons/muscles before someone else recommended a different equine clinic. We did take him to Loomis Basin and had surgery performed and both were corrected successfully. It wasn't an inexpensive surgery - $2-3K, but has been performed on minis there quite successfully.

I have been told that there are a couple of medications/minerals that will tighten tendons you might discuss with your vet.

Also - I live 15 miles from UC Davis, one of the best know Equine Hospitals. They're not always correct in their diagnosis. It can vary from vet to vet - you really need to be your horses advocate. Vets are people - some know alot and some just think they do and are not open to other ideas or options that are available. I would strongly urge you to get a second or third opinion.


----------



## bpotze (Oct 8, 2006)

Earlier this year I had a nine month colt operated on for a badly luxated patella...Our vets consulted with OSU and one of our vets has done this surgery on large dogs, so he operated on my colt.....actually did both legs, one was more severe than the other. The surgery cost me 1400, and the results were amazing. Granted this was a young colt weighing 89 pounds at surgery time. Recovery wasn't totally uneventful, we had some problem with one incision coming open...but like I said....the results were outstanding. I, of course, had the colt gelded and actually sold him to a wonderful family. He is doing great and runs and jumps and you would never know how bad he used to be. I sold the colt at a loss, but to me it was well worth it...to see him running around now is amazing.

Becky


----------



## hobbyhorse23 (Oct 8, 2006)

rabbitsfizz said:


> ...and more importantly, MUSCLE that is what will keep your horse sound- ask Leia - her Kody has luxating patellas and they started locking up, now he is worked he is OK.


Hi there. Jane asked me to come comment on this thread but there really isn't much I can add. Kody has locking stifles, not luxating (thank God!) and as you've already heard those are two very different conditions involving the same body part. Muscle does help keep him much sounder but this year even that's not enough and I am reluctantly pondering surgery. He is six years old.

I do agree that from the sound of things you should get a second opinion. It never hurts and it might help. I can't see leaving the patella floating around out there, I think that would cause major scarring and inflammation as well as being very painful to your mare.

Best of luck, I know it's really hard to have an injury like this! You have my sympathy and prayers.

Leia


----------



## sweetheart (Oct 8, 2006)

Thanks for all of the suggestions and positive thoughts! I have called two other vets to get their opinions on this. As for it being painful for her, the vet said it is just mechanical and not painful for her. I can move it all around and it doesn't seem to bother her, but I agree that you'd think it would irritate the muscle that it's rubbing against.


----------



## wildoak (Oct 8, 2006)

Assuming you went to Elgin? They have always been tops, but as everyone said a second opinion can't hurt. I'll be glad to give you my 2 cents worth as far as vet referrals nearby. Email me [email protected] if you like.

Jan


----------

