Hi I'm just looking for some advice on my pup. Basically I've got a young Yorkshire Terrier that's just over 7 months old and over say the last 3 weeks or so he's had a bit of a limp. Up until Saturday night just gone its was a bit on and of with the Limp and not that noticeable. Saturday night and Sunday day though the poor lad seemed to be very down and in pain when i picked him up. Monday he got much better but he still had a bit of a limp.

Anyway i took my pup to the vets today and within a minute or so the vets was telling me he's probably got legg calve perthes disease and he needs an operation. He can't tell though if he has the disease until he has an xray (£150+). The thing that got me though is the vet seemed to be jumping to conclusions when i was trying to explain things to him. He also said not to worry about the operation on the hip as he's done hundreds of them (young vet) and its very common.

Basically after the visit to the vets all sorts of alarm bells were going of in my head telling me that the vet is a crank and trying it on. So I've went online and looked up legg calve perthes disease on the net and except for the pain and limping my pup has none of the symptoms. In fact the affected leg where the muscle should be withering is in fact slightly swollen compared to the other leg which the vet never checked.

Here's the kicker though, once i got back home, after getting my pup to stretch a bit and giving him a massage and his favorite treat, garlic chicken. Well the little bugger is running around now as if nothing is wrong with him no limp no pain nothing. He's fighting with my other pup and generally running around on all four legs like a little lunatic. He's also stood on his supposedly bad back leg to pee, it's like he was never hurt.

I just don't know what i should do. I genuinely do think the vets trying it on but I'm also really worried now that my pup might really have this degenerative disease.

I know nothing of the condition that your vet spoke of but it seems quite a diagnoses based on one examination. I do think that a second opinion would be worthwhile perhaps at a specialist referral centre. There are many causes of lameness and some of the more common should be ruled out first.

Sounds like it could be luxating patellae, which I would have thought would be the obvious first thing to check for. Get a second opinion.

Thanks for the reply sue

That's exactly what i was thinking he would do as in he would run through some things first instead of jumping to the worst case scenario. I was actually expecting him to say we needed the xrays i just didn't expect him to say outright straight away my pup has a disease and i need an xray to confirm it. Except for the back leg which had the limp he barely touched my pup. So i was taken aback when he said my pup might have some disease.

You don't happen to know do you. If i get the xrays done at my vets tomorrow, if i do decide to get a second opinion can i ask for those xrays so i can take them to another vet to have a look at ?

EDIT: Thanks Goldmali I'm defiantly leaning towards getting the second opinion.

My first thought also would be luxating patella (slipping kneecap) which is quite common in small and toy breeds.

I'd want a referral to an orthopaedic vet, especially if you are insured.

Agree with Barbara

Based on the breed I would guess luxating patella - common in your breed , often described as a'skipping' limp.
We had a Newfoundland with it once - in a giant breed it makes them almost immobile - thankfully not so in smaller breeds

It is unfortunate that some vets are like this, unfortunately for them we have the internet at our finger tips so we know more about conditions than they sometimes do. :-D

There are many reasons for limping to happen, sometimes it can go as soon as it arrives, other times it can be something more serious.

Always go with your instincts and remember you know your dog, I agree with everyone else though as a first instinct I would not be surprised if it is L.P as it is so common, if your dog continues to have pain you will need to see 'another' vet, this one acted too fast on wanting that op for me too, but read up on the differing degrees of L.P as they do not all require surgery infact being so young he may just need some more muscle growth to hold things in place, if it is L.P. ;-)

Best thing is to go by word of mouth from other dog owners as to which vet to use. :-)

Unfortunately I'm not in your area, but would want to have a different practice look at this pup.  Any experienced vet can confirm LP without an x-ray.  And it was the first diagnosis I would have expected for the breed.

I've had the patella op on 3 toy breeds with a very satisfactory outcome.  The first in the early 70's and my last one was about 3 years ago.   The secret is to do as your told, and crate the pup for 12 weeks.  Yes, I do mean 12 weeks, after the surgery.  My last successful operation was a Yorkie bitch who was a bloody nightmare to keep still.  At one point I thought I would have to nail her feet to the ground.  But it was worth it. 

Any people who have told me that the surgery was not a complete success, when questioned, have admitted to me that they didn't have the strength of mind to contain their pet for the full 3 months.  Big, big mistake.  I never begrudge paying for x-rays that are needed, but my vet has always been able to slip the kneecap in and out, and tell if it is not going to go back in naturally by itself.  Referral may well not be needed if you're using a veterinary hospital like me.  Do, however, be assured that if LP is the diagnosis, they are not trying to fob you off with price.  I have had one bitch that needed both done, and two that got away with just the one patella.  Do expect to pay around £700 per knee.  It is not a simple operation.  Indeed, with my last bitch my vet said that he was glad he wasn't newly qualified when he saw just how bad it was, as he wasn't sure he'd have had the nerve to go ahead.

Well i took my pup to the vets this morning to get his xrays done and i should get him back around 3pm hopefully. They're going to be checking his hip and stifles according the the paper work this morning.

I'm really gutted for the poor lad. Last night he was running around completely normal. This morning though he was all hunched up, limping and shaking . Well until he i coached him into doing some stretches (arched back) and gave him a bit of a massage. Then the little bugger was running around again with virtually no limping, happy as anything chasing his teddy.

I know something is not right with him i just hope it's something not that serious. I'm just really really gutted for the poor guy.

Has anyone heard of Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head ?

No but Avascular sounds like it means lack of blood and necrosis is tissue dying so it sounds like tissue is dying on the femoral head due to lack of blood?

Yeah that's exactly it Smithy, the the ball joint on his leg has died due to lack of blood. My pups has got that in his right rear leg and has signs of it in his left rear leg. For now the vet just wants to remove the right ball joint and monitor the left.

I'm just trying to find info on quality of life and life expectancy when a pups has something like this.
  

Dogs can certainly cope very well with the head of the femur removed, as long as the muscles build up to hold everything in place. 

It is one method used, with Hip dysplasia, as the lameness and pain are caused by the grinding of the misshapen/worn bones, so once removed no more arthritic pain.

http://topdoghealth.com/library/orthopedic-surgery/articles-surgery/femoral-head-osteotomy-fho-dogs/

>Has anyone heard of Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head ? .

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/necrosis-of-the-femoral-head-in-dogs/843

"Necrosis of the Femoral Head in Dogs

This condition is also known as Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, Legg-Perthes disease, Perthes disease, coxa plana, and aseptic or avascular necrosis of the femoral head."

We had a pug come to us needing this op the owners didn't want it coz it needed this done so we took it in had the op done and then my friend took him on this was a couple of years ago. You would never know the dog ever had anything wrong with it runs around with the best of them.

Oh well the vet was right and we were wrong here -at least that is reassuring, you now know you have a vet on the ball. :) I have had a cat in the past who had to have the hip joint removed (one side only, due to injury) and the muscles compensated. She had an entirely normal life and you'd never have known anything was wrong with her at all.