Important Info on Luxating Patella

Hi there, I've brought this up several times with vets and radiologists in the past. Glucosamine and chondroitin is intended to slow cartilage damage that causes joint problems such as with hip dysplasia. In the knee, the cartilage in between the patella and the knee socket is usually not what is causing the luxation in young dogs, it has more to do with the socket conformation or tendon location itself, and unless the dog has arthritis or some other degenerative joint disease along the stifle, the glucosamine/chondroitin is not likely to play a huge role in improving luxating patella in young dogs. I can see the benefit for an older dog to take G/C supplements if the patellas are aggravated by arthritis, but otherwise, none of us can understand how it might help.

The only studies that I have been able to find on AVMA, JAVMA, and VIN are related to using glucosamine for arthritis and osteochondritis. Perhaps I am missing something, I would love to know which article/experiment your vet obtained the information from so that I could read up. If it helps out your dog, that would be wonderful! It would be great if small dogs had a way to avoid painful surgery with daily supplements. However, if G/C was the simple answer for 80% of patellar luxation cases, I think it would have been published as an effective treatment. My only guess is that chronic luxations can cause some joint cartilage problems, and supplementing with G/C buys the joints some time before arthritis occurs so that surgery is not as necessary, but does not solve the luxation problem.

Confused, Curious, and Thinking a Million Miles a Minute. -Nate

I really don't have anything medical to add, but Walmart now carries a treat that is called "Daily Smart Bites" made by Ol'Roy. They have :

Glucosamine (min) 350 ppm
Chonodroitin sulfate (min) 200ppm
Omega 3 fatty accids (min) 0.60 %
Vitamin E (min) 125 iu/kg
Ascorbic Acid (vitamin c) min 40 mg/kg
Crude Protein 12%
Crude Fat (min) 4.50%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.5 %
Moisture (max) 30%

For dogs over 12 months. First ingredient Chicken then corn flour. Feed one per 20 pounds per day.
Price Paid - Approx $3 for 8 ounces.

I bought them for my GSD X, who loves them. Pebblz the Chi isn't even interested. (not that I would allow her to eat them, she is just a puppy) :lol: :lol:

Davena

Definately bring it up to your vet, but both Tequila and Kylie take Glucosamine, actually the product name is Cosequin. It has Glucosamine, Sudium Chondroitin Sulfate, Ascorbate, and Manganese. The one I have is for small dogs and I sprinkle a half a capsule into their food once a day. I also have Ligaplex. There is two forms....Ligaplex I and Ligaplex II.
Ligaplex I is for receint injuries and you only take it for a certain amount of time and then u switch to Ligaplex II which is for cronic problems. Kylie takes the Ligaplex II. Tequila no longer needs it.
Tequila also got Adequan Injections before and after her knee surgery. They gave her one shot about a week before and the remaining 12 after. The combo of everything I think really helped her. She also had luxating patella surgery and today is a new dog. You would never know she had knee surgery and the vet has cleared her to do agility again.
If (or I should say when) Kylie has her luxating patella surgery I will use the same products and cross my fingers it helps her.
If you do end up having the surgery there is a product called Tramiel. It is a tablet or a cream and it cuts the time of bruising in half! I used it on Tequila because after knee surgery you have TONS of bruising and swelling and it went away real quick.

Sorry I am kindof a pharamcy over here, but thats because I worked at a vet-rehabilitation center and all we saw were post-surgery patients.

Hope this helped!
-Jessica

PS - I really hope your chi doesnt need the surgery! I will keep my fingers crossed

Im not sure the name of the study, but I will ask him and post it later.
The Vet said that since they are still doing studies on Glucosamine and the effects/help it can have on certain disorders on animals/people they are still not able to say it will work. This is because it has not yet been evauated by the Food and Drug Administration.

According to the Vet, since Peanut is still growing, there is a chance that the pills will help him build new cartilage, synovial fluid and other connective tissues. When I asked him when he will need surgery, he simply said that we should wait 3 months before taking about it because there is hope that he will get better.

There is a case on the study he showed me of a surgen who started to get pains on his fingers and he was of the lucky ones that showed improvement after only 2 weeks. The Vets mother was told by her doctor that she needed to get her leg amputated, her son told her to take these pills and a year later, the doctor told her that she was fine and that she didnt need the surgery. This was 10 years ago, and she is now 81.

I am also very confused but hope it does work for him.