Rescue dog/luxating patella/knee cap slipping

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Marigold4

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Oh dear! The new rescue dog clearly has a medical issue. We drove for hours to pick her up on Thursday, didn't see her outside (feel really stupid about this) as it was raining and so didn't see the problem, although as it is off and on maybe we wouldn't have seen it anyway. She is hitching on her right hind, not all the time, but it's very noticeable when she does it. Her right leg is turned out. Took her to the vet last night and she says her right patella joint is larger than the left and she thinks dog has some pain in her hips. She thinks possibly her kneecap is slipping and/or something like hip dysplasia. Booked for £500 worth of xrays on Wednesday. BTW she is a nearly 2 year old border collie, we think she was used to work sheep from age 1. We were told she just didn't take to sheepwork but now I think probably this has been a problem for her before.

Didn't sign up for a 3-legged dog. And saddled with lots of bills. Contacted the lady who had her before and she says no, there was no problem with her before I took her.

Feeling really, really stupid for not checking her out more thoroughly. And for getting a dog from Freeads. If it was a horse I'd have been on my guard more, checked her out moving, had a vetting etc.

So ... anyone had this issue with a dog before? How serious is it? What would you do? Return dog to the rescue? Pay the bills for investigations? AAAAaaaaH!
 
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Not very helpful but this can be a problem with ‘rescuing’ a dog through a freeads paper. If you use a registered rescue they will vet check dogs before they’re rehomed. Unless you really want/have the resources to pay for treatment maybe best to return. You might be able to get some help from one of the breed specific rescues - we have dogs coming in that people have acquired through freeads and can no longer manage, some as soon as a week after picking up. Surgery for hip dysplasia is likely to costs ££££s. In your situation if the person who had her before doesn’t want her back it would be sensible to look for a breed specific rescue - that’s not to say you or l would do the ‘sensible’ thing 😆
 
gallopingby said:
Not very helpful but this can be a problem with ‘rescuing’ a dog through a freeads paper. If you use a registered rescue they will vet check dogs before they’re rehomed. Unless you really want/have the resources to pay for treatment maybe best to return. You might be able to get some help from one of the breed specific rescues - we have dogs coming in that people have acquired through freeads and can no longer manage, some as soon as a week after picking up. Surgery for hip dysplasia is likely to costs ££££s. In your situation if the person who had her before doesn’t want her back it would be sensible to look for a breed specific rescue - that’s not to say you or l would do the ‘sensible’ thing 😆
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I tried so many rescue charities over many months though and got no reply. We think it is because we are too old at 62.
 
If it were me, I'd do the investigations and have a full and frank chat with your vets depending on prognosis. It might not be as dire as you understandably fear.

Patella repair (I can't remember the proper name of the op!) is not extortionate and usually successful if recovery protocols are followed. Hip replacements are mega bucks but anecdotally, 90% of the dogs I hear of with hip dysplasia are managed with things like meds and hydrotherapy rather than major surgery. Realistically, it'll still cost but not thousands all at once but we all know that our animals like to spend our dosh one way or another...

Either way, I'd not be returning the dog. Once they spend a night under my roof, they are my responsibility although you're not wrong if you decide to but be aware that the previous owners are unlikely to fund expensive treatment because if they were, they'd already have done it! If she can be comfortable with maintenance, I'd go ahead with that but if she can't and I couldn't find the money for ops, I'd consider PTS as she is very young to be so compromised.

Hopefully, it's just a vet giving worse case scenario and the xrays will give enough clarity to make an informed decision.
 
I only have experience of breed specific rescues but someone of 62 who was fit and maybe retired would get extra brownie points from many. What you can’t do with a reputable rescue is roll up and expect to take a dog home the next day. Most also charge a rehoming fee currently around £400- £500 to go some way of meeting expenses. For this you should expect a dog to have up to date vaccinations, to have been neutered, by chipped and had health checks completed. If the dog is likely to have ongoing health needs then the donation could be less. We always assess dogs before they come in and also home check before placing a dog.
Many rescues are desperate for ‘foster’ families, in these situations you’ll know less about the dog and will be expected to look after it while the checks are ongoing, some rescues will let you keep the dog if you want to, others will only do so if you’ve fostered a few for them. It costs in time/expenses to train volunteers and the number of dogs coming through is increasing at an alarming rate. If you have experience and someone is around most of the day l would pick a breed you have experience with and search for a suitable rescue. Many advertise on FB BUT won’t respond to comments on there as they don’t have time to sort through everything. You have to fill in the forms, and follow the procedure. As an example l have just rejected someone who took a week to respond to an initial enquiry, then said free to contact by phone anytime. After THREE voice mail replies and no returned calls they go into the archive.
 
Tbh… I’d PTS. It’s going to be a forever and expensive issue that even if you operate will end up with arthritis etc. You were conned by the former owners and sadly it’s the dog that’s suffering.
You aren’t that invested in her yet… or not as much as you will be in 6 months.
It’s always been my proviso, when rehoming, that PTS is a front and centre option.
I’m so sorry.
 
gallopingby said:
I only have experience of breed specific rescues but someone of 62 who was fit and maybe retired would get extra brownie points from many. What you can’t do with a reputable rescue is roll up and expect to take a dog home the next day. Most also charge a rehoming fee currently around £400- £500 to go some way of meeting expenses. For this you should expect a dog to have up to date vaccinations, to have been neutered, by chipped and had health checks completed. If the dog is likely to have ongoing health needs then the donation could be less. We always assess dogs before they come in and also home check before placing a dog.
Many rescues are desperate for ‘foster’ families, in these situations you’ll know less about the dog and will be expected to look after it while the checks are ongoing, some rescues will let you keep the dog if you want to, others will only do so if you’ve fostered a few for them. It costs in time/expenses to train volunteers and the number of dogs coming through is increasing at an alarming rate. If you have experience and someone is around most of the day l would pick a breed you have experience with and search for a suitable rescue. Many advertise on FB BUT won’t respond to comments on there as they don’t have time to sort through everything. You have to fill in the forms, and follow the procedure. As an example l have just rejected someone who took a week to respond to an initial enquiry, then said free to contact by phone anytime. After THREE voice mail replies and no returned calls they go into the archive.
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Well I don't know what we did wrong then. I started another thread on this on here. We did all the application forms, only standard replies. Nothing more. We have had two Dogs Trust dogs before and been homechecked with flying colours. But this time round no interest whatsoever so gave up. Hence Freeads.

Anyway, we can't go back in time now. We have what we have.
 
Did you buy/collect a dog off the internet as opposed to 'rescue' it? Was it an official charity/rescue? What is the back-up/support like?
This is why it's sometimes better to wait.

Luxating patella is a big thing in JRTs so hopefully someone with more experience can comment...but there's a lot more weight-bearimg involved with a larger dog.
HD is treatable but requires conservative management, she won't be able to do high impact things, and if she's young and on three legs already it will be difficult.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Did you buy/collect a dog off the internet as opposed to 'rescue' it? Was it an official charity/rescue? What is the back-up/support like?
This is why it's sometimes better to wait.

Luxating patella is a big thing in JRTs so hopefully someone with more experience can comment...but there's a lot more weight-bearimg involved with a larger dog.
HD is treatable but requires conservative management, she won't be able to do high impact things, and if she's young and on three legs already it will be difficult.
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It was a freeads. Many of us have taken the gamble.
 
So sorry to hear this. You must be so upset after trying so hard to find a dog.

Slightly different, but just for reference, my dog had cruciate surgery a year ago and the total cost was around £6,000.
 
Not a rescue as such. Apparently, the RSPCA were called on the farmer who was keeping her and others in very poor conditions. The RSPCA said the dogs have food, water and shelter so wouldn't do anything. A local rescue persuaded him to give her up but didn't have room, so this lady who takes in foster dogs had her for them. She has offered to take her back so that's a plus!

My thinking at the moment is that I will do as cbmcts advises and see what the xrays say on Wednesday. She looks OK today but then that's the nature of a slipping patella. Looks OK until it doesn't.
 
Our terrier rehome had luxating patella in both hinds. The left was operated on and he had a tibial plateau osteotomy and the groove for the patella tendon and patella to sit in deepened. It was about 5K 8 years ago at Fitzpatricks Referrals. The right hind was left as not sever and non painful.

The operation was a success for some years then he developed arthritis about 6 years post op. He is now on Librella for this. He also has wonky front legs. He was around 9 months when we got him and between 1 and 2 when operated on. The rehab was horrendous as he was not crate trained and was fear aggressive about everything.

My other terriers have hitched their legs ( skipping behind as N Fitzpatrick described it). NF was adamant they don't all need addressing so maybe get the xrays, get a really good orthopaedic vet to look at them and go from there.

If it is going to be major stuff and either the cost too great or the dog unsuitable for surgery temprement wise etc the I would PTS. My boy currently has IVDD and will not be having surgery though he is having conservative treatment and if it doesn't work will be PTS.
 
Marigold4 said:
Didn't sign up for a 3-legged dog. And saddled with lots of bills.
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A couple of years ago, my husband took one of our young pointy dogs out for her usual morning walk. Same route that they went on every single day. But this time, there was a bit of loose barbed wire lying in the long grass. Dog came home with one of her front legs partially degloved. Blood everywhere, dog distraught, and unwilling to let anyone touch her leg. Naturally, this required an emergency trip to the vets, sedation, surgery, stitches, medication, etc. Dog made a full recovery, which is the only thing that matters. All's well that ends well.

More recently, our Labrador was attacked on a walk by a bull breed dog. Again there was blood everywhere, again the injured dog was distraught, but at least she was a good patient. Anyhow, this required another emergency trip to the vets, but this time it was after nine o'clock at night, and so the poor vet had to come back from his nightly rounds and open the surgery to tend to her. Again, dog made a full recovery, which is again all that matters. Also the attacking dog (a rescued animal, who is equally loved by his family) is now kept muzzled on walks. So all's well that ends well there too.

And much longer ago, we had a dog take a grand mal seizure after eleven o'clock at night on a Sunday. He was too heavy and seizing too badly for us to get him into the car. Vet therefore came to us, having gotten out of bed. Sadly this one ends with us taking the decision to let the dog go the next morning, as despite treatment he never came round from the seizure.

My point is that unexpected vet bills happen, and that £500 is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Although personally, I'd want her x-rayed sooner than Wednesday, and might very well be seeking a second opinion from a vet who wouldn't expect me to wait that long to find out what was wrong with my dog! As for the person you got her from saying that she was fine before you took her, this may have been the case. For all that anyone knows, the problem may only just have presented, or the vet's current guesswork could turn out to be wrong and the leg damaged in some other way. But you won't know for sure until the x-rays are done, because nobody can definitely know what's gone wrong structurally inside a dog with just their eyes and/or a bit of feeling around with their hands.
 
Well, in the end, this is what we have decided to do. The lady we got her from is happy to have her back and wanted to give us back our donation as it hadn't worked out. On observing the dog some more and how she moves, I think she has a sore hip. She turns her right leg out and sits with her right hip rotated. I think sitting in the car for 5 hours when we got her made it worse and that is why she was limping the next day. I think the knee slipping is probably a red herring but would explain the hitching we saw. It's difficult to know without xrays etc. There is a problem, though it looks less significant than on Friday. She is a really lovely girl and so sweet, but we have decided to send her back. The lady who we got her from seems genuine and I saw the home and the dog was happy there. Her son adores this dog and she sleeps on his bed. We have asked her to keep the donation and use the money to take the dog to the vet. We have spent the last couple of years nursing our old dog through her final days and we don't feel up to dealing with lots more medical issues and vets again. We walk our dogs a lot and were looking for an athletic dog not a lame one that would probably need restricted exercise. Obviously, if anything happened to any of our own animals, we would go the extra mile and look after it, no expense spared, but we've decided against taking on a dog with an undisclosed issue. I know that may seem harsh to some, but it seems to us the most sensible thing to do in the circumstances.
 
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