Chihuahua leg problems (advice???)?

just wanted to see if i could get any information from any other chihuahua dog owners on this board.





as some of you may know, chihuahua's are notorious for having leg, hips and knee problems since their bones are so tiny and brittle.





last summer, i went to let my chihuahua out the front door for a walk. it had been raining earlier so the ground was wet. when he got outside, he noticed another dog on the street and immediately ran to the front gate. however, when he touched the grass coming off the deck he slipped and did a bit of a tumble.





he cried for a few seconds, looked up and then proceeded to play in the front yard. i brought him inside right away and touched his knees and he seemed to be fine.





about 5 days later, i noticed that he started to limp on his left leg. (the leg he took a tumble on.) i immediately made a call to the vet and took him in to get looked at.





the first thing the vet did during the exam was reach around and touch his kneecap. as soon as the dog felt the hand get near that area, he let out a low growl.





the vet said that the knee cap most likely had slipped out of place and that's why the dog was limping from time to time. he said he could put it back into place, and with a slight touch on the kneecap he said ';ok, it's back in place.';





he said this injury is extremely common in smaller dogs and he sees it all the time. he recommended that the dog have surgery to fix it, since if it wasn't fixed it could end up causing arthritis for the dog. however, the surgery would've been anywhere from $1200 upwards.





fast forward 6 months later. (2009)





i continued to walk my dog ever since he took his tumble, and from time to time he will lift his back leg. however, this only happens for a few seconds and then he walks normal again. (this is most likely due to the knee cap simply going back into place.)





he never cries. he is happy and playful and runs and is very active. none of that has changed.





so my question is; do i get the surgery done or do i just continue to monitor this?





i obviously don't have the $1200 + to pay for any surgery as of now. and again, he seems fine and doesn't limp that often. when he does limp, it is literally for a few seconds and then he puts his leg down. and it doesnt even happen too often.





thoughts?Chihuahua leg problems (advice???)?
My Keeshond has this problem, and it's quite common in smaller breeds of dog. Generally, surgery is only recommended when the kneecap is luxated permanently, or the joint itself is stiff and immobile. So long as your dog is not in pain, the bone will move back into place quickly by itself - this is why your dog hops a couple of steps then walks normally again.


You may need to consider surgery later in life, or if it starts causing problems for your dog, but since the surgery itself can cause problems with arthritis and mobility, most vets will wait until the risks are worth it, before performing this operation. My dog is at about the same stage as yours, and my vet has advised against surgery at this stage as he believes it would cause more problems than it would fix.Chihuahua leg problems (advice???)?
the surgery itself can cause arthritis. my pom has the same issue. as long as your dog is not constantly lame and is not in constant pain, i would not do surgery. you can put your dog on a glucosamine supplement to help with joint support.
If your dog isn't in obvious pain I suggest you monitor him. I think what I would do is start saving up the money for future intervention / surgery. But mean while just monitor your dog and make sure he isn't in pain. You could try things like massage or T-Touch therapy on him yourself, whilst you are saving up. I bet you wish you have taken out pet insurance now! Hindsight is a marvellous thing!
Your Chi probably has Patellar Luxation - The kneecap slips out of place, Dog lifts it's leg %26amp; it snaps back into place...BUT If you don't get the surgery, your chi will eventually get horrible arthritis in that leg....I would start saving for the surgery so your doggie doen't suffer....
I wouldn't do the surgery at this time.


I have a friend that has a small breed dog (although not a chihuahua) and had this very thing happen. He decided to go with the vets and went with the surgery. His dog STILL has the same problem. The vets now want to do a second surgery. They are going to wait until they see if its an ongoing problem or if it is just rarely that this happens. I would suggest you do the same. The surgery they had was cheaper than that they found a vet for $800 so be sure to shop around if you do decide to go ahead with it.