Luxating Patella's

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Permalink Reply by Devon Zone Admin on December 6, 2011 at 16:22

Hi Angela,

See this topic  Barbara was kind enough to share her experience with Luxating Patella and her Devon 'Lorke'.

It is a very informative topic. 

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Permalink Reply by Elisabeth on December 6, 2011 at 18:19

Sorry to hear your baby has this issue. I have no knowledge on it and wish you and your baby all the best.

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Permalink Reply by Barbara on December 6, 2011 at 20:49

Hi Angela,

nicole has kindly already mentioned the topic about my Lorke, I see .

Lorke has PL in both legs as well, and unfortunately her left knee got so bad this year, she's had to have surgery twice, about which you can read there. She's doing alright now, thankfully.

Sorry to hear about your boy . Hope his PL remains manageable and he won't be much bothered by it.

If there's anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to contact me.

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Permalink Reply by Angela on December 7, 2011 at 7:42

Hi Barbara,

My baby Denzil is doing ok..you wouldn't know he has it however i know as he gets older it may get worse.

I have him on Glucosamine powder & this seems to be working for him..i went to see one vet when he was 12mths old & this was when he was diagnosed..the vet want to operate on both legs & told me it would fix it..i took him to the breeders vet who told me there was no guarantee it would be fixed & recommended we monitor him & try the glucosamine.

I just didnt want to put him through the op, confine him for 6-8wks if it wasn't going to fix him..he shows no signs as yet of lameness or being in pain..in fact he bolts around the house like a mad cat..I have him checked yearly to see if his knees are getting worse & so far so good.. the vet is happy with his condition.

How did you find the surgery.. i see you said your baby had to have it twice so did it not work the first time?

 

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Permalink Reply by Barbara on December 7, 2011 at 20:16

Glad to hear Denzil is doing okay .

Yes, especially with PL in both legs it's bound to worsen sooner or later, since one leg cannot really compensate at times when the other leg isn't great. Fingers crossed things will be fine for a very long time yet!

Good that he's responding to glucosamine. What brand do you give?

I'm still in doubt whether to give Lorke extra glucosamine (she already gets a supplement with some in); my regular vet would like me to, but the orthopaedic vet isn't convinced it'll help.

We first noticed something was wrong with Lorke, and had her diagnosed at 4 months old. At that time the ortho.vet hoped the extra looseness kittens that age have, was just aggravating the situation, and that it might get stabilize again once she matured and surgery would not be needed. (He wouldn't have operated on her before at least 9 months of age anyway, not while she could walk). Lorke did get better as she matured, but sadly her left leg worsened considerably nearing her second birthday, to the point where something just had to be done.

Indeed, the succes rate of PL operations in cats is low, much lower than it is in dogs, and surgery in cats is (or should be!) the last resort. We had so hoped to spare her the ordeal, but we didn't have choice anymore, Lorke was in serious pain and discomfort.

Yes, she had 2 operations on the same knee. At the first one, the ortho.vet hoped to be able to stabilize the patella by strengthening and/or replacing the knee ligaments holding it in place, without invasive procedures on the actual bones, because so many things could go wrong involving the bones in these kinds of surgery. That operation in itself wasn't very hard on Lorke, she recovered quickly. But of course that was when she had to be confined to a bench for 6 weeks, which was tough on all of us. Luckily Lorke is a very sweet and gentle girl and has been relatively accomodating; I know another PL devon having had surgery who just wouldn't be confined, all hell broke loose as soon as he was recovered from the procedure itself and he just had to come out of the bench.

After Lorkes confinement the ortho.vet was not happy, her knee actually seemed to be worse off than before. He wondered whether perhaps those 6 weeks immobility was too long for our very small and slight girl, she just had no muscle strength left, very different to the other (usually much larger and heavier built) cats he treated. Specific exercise would not be able to fix it and he immediately scheduled another surgery, this time to fixate the patella permanently. Which he had so hoped to avoid because it would stiffen the leg a bit (which dogs don't notice, they don't climb trees anyway ;-)) which is undesirable for cats, and because of the complications associated with too much stresses on the knee bones; get it wrong and her leg could easily fracture in all kinds of ways, either then or later in life. Which is why one should always consult a proper vet specialised in these kinds of procedures (in cats specifically!), not many vets have the skills and experience to attempt these surgeries.

The second operation was a lot harder on Lorke; she didn't recover from the anaesthetics very easy, she was in a lot more pain and discomfort than the first time and needed a lot more painkilling and for longer. However she didn't need to be confined this time, in fact the vet wanted her to get as much exercise as possible this time, to build up the strength in her leg. Which made this time, after the first week or so, a much more enjoyable (if one can call it that) experience than the first one; it was good to have her up and about, seeing her recover.

Her patella is fixed now, so it simply cannot luxate anymore. Her leg is somewhat stiff still, although it has improved a lot over the last 6 months and she can do anything other cats can. She has some mild discomfort every now and then, for which we keep a painkiller in the house to ease her through it for a few days, but she's clearly not experiencing real pain anymore. That is a relief, as seeing her before and during the ordeal broke our hearts. Now she bolts around the house again too . We now have to keep monitoring her other leg of course, and her lower back, which is more vulnerable now, now she walks and moves a bit like pirate with a wooden leg ;-).

PL surgery in cats often doesn't get enough result, sometimes not even after a second procedure. It's a very difficult area to operate on, and cats bodies and way of life are really not 'suited' to having anything wrong with knees, making them all the more difficult patients.

Sadly PL is fairly common in Devons, veterinary studies show the breed right alongside Abyssinians, Coons and the like as being predisposed. That however, is not widely regarded as being a problem in the devon world, and vets, owners, breeders and show judges often just don't notice or recognise mild or not outwardly showing PL, or simply ignore it, thinking it won't have an effect on generations coming after. Since it's knocked on my door, my eyes have opened, and I know a number of PL devons personally and know of lots more, non related and non locally to my own. And that's sad. Sure, there are lots of cats carrying it or having mild forms who are not bothered by it at all, but the moment an individual cat pops up with severe PL, it's awful for the cat and owners and that makes this defect something to be reckoned with.

I do hope Denzil will continue to be okay, and if not, that surgery will help him lots

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Permalink Reply by Angela on December 8, 2011 at 11:35

Hi Barbara,

Thankyou for sharing your story with me & i hope Lorke will continue to improve.

I first noticed there was something wrong with Denzil around 1 year of age (now nearly 3) when i could hear him click when he ran. My other devon (jasper) who is a mth older than Denzil & not from the same litter was ok so i knew i had to have it looked into.

The vet i took him to confirmed PL & suggested we operate asap. I had to come home & think about it as i was devasted. I spoke to the breeder who had never experienced this before in her kittens & asked me to take him to her vet for a second opinion. she also took Denzil's brother for a check & he was ok & no reports of the kittens developing it from the rest of the litter. I guess Denzil was the unlucky one.

This vet again confirmed he had PL but wasn't recommending surgery as she couldn't give a guarantee it would fix it. She consulted the top surgeon here in Melbourne Aust & he couldn't give me any comfort as he had not done the op on a cat before & that sometimes it doesn't work.

We decided to put Denzil on Joint Guard to see how he goes- it has high levels of glucosamine & chondritin sulfate & he is responding well with this & has been on it now for 2years.

At this point i have him checked out yearly & just took him a couple of weeks ago for a checkup. The vet was very happy with him & his mobility in his hips & legs were good. I just need to watch for any lameness or signs of discomfort. She did mention getting an xray done to see if his knee bones are wearing..we also discussed injections down the track if required.

I know he wouldn't cope with the confinement as he is a very active little boy & he is also small..my fingers are crossed that he will be ok & we can manage it without anything other than the joint guard.

I'd love to keep in touch with you for some advice if i need it

I love these cats & they continue to give me lots of laughter & joy each day

I wish you, Lorke & your family all the best & have a great christmas

Angela

 

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Permalink Reply by Barbara on December 9, 2011 at 3:09

You're welcome Angela, and thank you. 

It turned out to be a rather long text, sorry ;-). But I'm sure you'll understand that this is quite the topic for me.

Good to hear none of Denzil's siblings seem affected, as it is hereditary. My Lorke has a littermate that's turned out even worse, sadly. Did the breeder have the dam and sire checked as well? In any case it would be best if this queen and stud combination is not repeated, I would think. Good that Denzils breeder was there for you, that's not always the case. Unfortunately I argued with Lorke's breeder for months before she came around to the idea that this was not something I did to Lorke or just an unfortunate circumstance. To give her credit, once she did have a better understanding of PL and the implications for breeding, she acted accordingly and decisively, and the air between us cleared quickly.

I've looked up Joint Guard and bookmarked it for future reference, thank you. Good to know it works well for Denzil, I hope it continues to do so.

What kind of injections are you considering?

Fingers crossed here as well, hope surgery wil not be neccessary for your little boy. If it does come to surgery maybe confinement will not be neccessary, as it was after Lorke's second :-).

Anyway, do keep in mind the theory of our ortho.vet, that such a long confinement could actually have been counterproductive for a cat this small; he thought next time he had a similar cat he would rather try something like 3 weeks confinement, with careful exercise building up afterwards. Lorke weighs about 2,5 kgs and that's even a bit on the chubby side. Certainly a lot smaller than my other devons. People meeting her keep thinking she must be a young kitten still :-). How big or small is Denzil?

Thank you Angela, all the best for you and yours as well.

Feel free to contact me

Barbara

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Permalink Reply by Angela on December 10, 2011 at 8:29

Hi Barbara,

I'm not sure if the breeder had the parents checked out but she has been fantastic & very supportive. We keep in touch with regards to Denzil's condition as this is the first kitten she has had with PL.

There are many joint supplements on the market here in Australia but the breeders vet gave me joint guard & she checked the ingredience & said there was no difference in the dog one to the cat except for the scoop measurement and the price. She said the buy the cat one for the scoop & when i need more just buy the dog one. I now buy the dog tub & use the cat scoop..it's wrong how they mark the price up just for the picture of a cat on the tub. Not sure if you have the same thing in your country but good to know.

Denzil is the same weight as Lorke. He looks very skinny at times but he eats well & the fact that he is active. The vet said he is a good weight & the less weight on his knees the better. 

We just touched on the injection subject as an alternative to surgery. I will look more into it if he worsens.

My other devon Jasper is healthly but he likes his food too much & has to be on weight management dry food. Jasper weighs just over 3kgs. He is from a different line & much bigger than Denzil.

They are good mates & Denzil is definately the boss.

I will keep you informed on his progress

Angela

 

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Permalink Reply by Curlycats on December 11, 2011 at 2:55

Hi Angela,

How sad that your Denzil has P.L., but I'm really glad that he's doing o.k.!

My Murphy has PL in both his hind legs as wel. He always walked a bit funny, even as a kitten, but he was diagnosed when he was 2 years of age. And only because I asked the vet to check it out, as I was worrying he might have P.L.

As with your Denzil he's not that bad that he has to have an operation yet. He does get a bit worse every year though it seems, so I'm afraid one day I won't have a choice. I fear that day, as he's nothing like sweet Lorke at all! I think he'll be very very miserable, and I don't think one of his furry friends will volunteer to be with him in a cage.

I followed Lorkes progress closely, and it's wonderfull that's she's painfree now. It was a long road, but worth it in the end!

Murphy is checked every year, last time was 6 months ago. He has some days that he's clearly not comfortable, but mostly he's doing fine.

His breeder decided it was a fluke, and has done nothing with the dame or sire, other then not making the same combination again. It makes me sad some breeders don't seem to take this serious. It won't kill our sweet devons, but the pain it brings should be enough to make a real effort to try breeding P.L. free devons.

Hope your Denzil will be running around with no problems for a very long time!

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Permalink Reply by Angela on December 11, 2011 at 10:30

Hi Curlycats

Thankyou for your well wishes.

Im so sad to hear Murphy has PL. My fingers are crossed he doesn't have to have the operation. I too fear that one day i may not have a choice either.

I am lucky at the moment that Denzil is walking & running normal & the only way so far you can tell he has PL is the clicking noise he makes when he runs.

 It helps that he likes the Joint Guard in his food although he tries at times not to eat it & want his lamb hearts instead..he knows i don't give in & he has to eat his wet food first before he gets his precious lamb hearts. (cheeky bugger)

I can't say a bad word about my breeder. She has been there for me & i was glad she asked me to take Denzil to her vet for a 2nd opinion. Denzil is checked every year too & just recently got a good report.

I wish you & Murphy all the best & hope that he can be managed without surgery.

 

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