1 year old with luxating patellas & elbow incongruity

[lauragrace]

At 11 months old, my puppy, Murphy, was diagnosed with bilateral grade 2 luxating patellas & mild elbow incongruity in his left forearm. Because of this there's a greater chance he'll develop hip dyslpasia or other joint problems. He does not yet have arthritis.

I decided to treat Murphy medically in the hope of avoiding surgery. I feed him organic chicken (& turkey), mixed with carrots, broccoli, zucchini, squash, Maggie's Mix of vitamins & minerals.

Into this healthy food I add Cosequin, Ester-C, flax oil (with fish oil & marine lipids), The Missing Link & Canine Musculoskeletal Support (Dr. Royal Lee's fabulous product, by Standard Process). I tried Syn-Flex but it didn't work.

Murphy turned 1 on 5/9, & has been on this 'cocktail' for about 5 weeks. His limp has greatly diminished. He looks great (shiny coat, bright eyes, incredible energy). He continues jumping from my couch, chair, bed like there's nothing wrong (although after a 'heavy' jump he will sometimes limp for a short time) and I'm buying 6 inch thick pieces of foam this coming week to put in front of each piece of furniture to 'break' his jump.

I take him on 2 long leash walks daily and am thinking of adding hydrotherapy to this routine.

Murphy's 'cocktail' is the result of days and weeks of internet research. But I'm only 1 person trying to help her puppy. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Remember, Murphy doesn't have arthritis at this point, which is probably why Syn-Flex didn't work (despite their claims to the contrary).

I would be very grateful for any feedback and suggestions, and will gladly discuss, with any pet owner, the trials & tribulations of treating a pet with the same issues.

[critters]

group; you might look down the bb to find it. It sounds like they kind of specialize in joint/tendon type problems.

[Bobbie]

You might look at Sam-e (S-adenosylmethionine) as a supplement as it has antiinflammatory properties and might help.

[A warning]

I went over to orthodog and posted about my dogs problem and discovered that they are not interested there in intelligent discussion! There are a lot of knowledgeable people but the sense of the board is to ignore science and go with what a few less than well-educated individuals pontificate. Don't waste your time.

[lovemyshorkietzu]

Murphy - what's his breed? I just found out that my shorkie tzu has medial luxating patella. Her vet suggested glucosamine. He mentioned that if that doesn't work, my shorkie will need to undergo surgery.

I too am looking for an alternative. The "cocktail" treatment you gave/are giving your Murphy sounds interesting. I just want to find out your dog's size and if you can give me more information about your research.

Thanks, Lina

[critters]

I just wanted to tell you that that post is from 2004, before email notification, so you may not get a response.