# I Feel So Guilty....Poor Pip



## span (Nov 11, 2012)

Pip has been suffering with an intermittent limp for about 3 weeks to a month now, normally after particularly energetic exercise. She would chase a ball and run around like a nutter for hours if I let her and there's no sign of a problem but as soon as she's on the lead, heading home, I noticed that she was walking as if there was no coordination in her back legs and kind of hopping almost. She did this for a couple of paces and then be completely normal! Some days she wouldn't do it at all and when I asked others if she looked like she was limping no one could see it. I checked her legs and pads over and over and found nothing, I was beginning to feel a little paranoid!

Over the past few weeks I've watched closely every time we've been out and although very slight, she was limping. I decided that we would try less strenuous walks and maybe not take a ball with us to see if it made any difference before ringing the vet. It did seem to work, until we had a friends puppy visit on Wednesday. They played for hours and never really stopped. Once the pup had gone, Pip was limping terribly, worse than I'd ever seen. She came and stayed right by me, wouldn't go to anyone else and wanted lots of fuss! That's a sure sign something is wrong. I phoned the vet as soon as they were open on Thursday morning even though Pip was completely normal again. 

We have just arrived home, I had an idea what was wrong before we went and unfortunately the vet has confirmed it, Pip has a Luxating Patella  10 days strict rest, and a course of Rimadyl. If there is no improvement after that, we are going to see the orthopedic surgeon to discuss whether or not an operation is the best thing as it's not particularly advanced! I'm gutted and feel so sorry for Pip, she is such a lively girl and this is going to be really difficult for her! Although my vet said I'd done well to spot it early, I feel guilty for not taking her when I first noticed it! I should've gone with my gut and ignored everyone else saying I was being over cautious! Next time I will trust my instinct.

If anyone has any idea how I can try to make these 10 days any easier for Pip I would really appreciate it, she's always been allowed to run around and play in the garden and she never just walks, always trots, even in the house! I need to think of a game or something to keep her stimulated while she's cooped up   

H x


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Oh poor you, don't feel too bad about it, and poor Pip too. I don't know too much about the condition so can't give any advice. I hope it all goes well with whatever is decided. You'll just have to stick to training and maybe try teaching some new tricks for fun and playing hide and seek seems like a popular indoor game.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Oh poor Pip, hope things work themselves out before an op is needed.

As for home entertainment, you try working on games involving her keen sense of smell as this stimulates their brain and therefore exercises them mentally.

Get about 10 small ramekin dishes or similar and turn the upside down. Get a nice smelly treat and show it to Pip, then hid it under one of them. Mix the ramekins up and get Pip to find the treat. Over time you can train Pip to use her paw to show you which ramekin is hiding the treat too.


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi Hannah, just wanted to let you know we are going through exactly the same with Bess, who I notice is the same age as Pip.

She started lifting her paw occasionally when walking - I checked the pawpad but nothing was wrong. I took her to the vet a few days later and he couldn't really find anything wrong but gave 3 days worth of anti-inflammatories and said to rest her, ie. lead walks only. She was due to be spayed a few days after this so had enforced rest for a while anyway, and while under the general they x-rayed both legs. He also examined her leg again whilst under the anaesthetic and discovered luxating patella in the limping leg (only grade 1 which is the lowest grade). He said it's consistent with an injury but we are not aware of any injury at all ... I've been gutted about this.

After a few weeks of short extended lead walks only and no improvement we've been referred to specialists who took further x-rays and found nothing wrong, but on examination they confirmed the luxating patella. They said she may have twisted it or knocked it somehow (which we are unaware of). They have put her on 4 weeks of hydrotherapy, twice a week, to try and build extra muscle in order to hold the knee in place and, hopefully, avoid surgery. It's certainly worth a try. Then in 4 weeks they will see her again to reassess.

Someone I know said her previous dog had exactly the same but they managed to control it by giving glucosamine capsules each day and also using a Bioflow magnetic dog collar. When I go to Fitzpatrick Referrals tomorrow for the hydrotherapy I will enquire about both these ..... maybe worth a try.

http://www.ecomagnets.com/bioflow-dogcollar.htm


Re keeping Pip occupied while resting, chewing on meaty bones uses up energy, as well as games and training.

Good luck. I'd be interested to hear how you get on.

Sue x


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## mairi1 (Mar 12, 2012)

Aww so sorry to hear about poor Pip 

However, you were never to know it was this that was causing it. 

Hope the 10 days fly by 

xxx


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Just wanted to add, please don't feel guilty as this isn't your fault. I hope the 10 days rest does the trick for Pip, but if not, do look into hydrotherapy as a possible way of avoiding surgery.

S xx


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Poor Pip, I had to find things to entertain Bonnie when she had to stay in for a week due to kennel cough. I fill a medium sized kong with natural yoghurt then freeze it. Mine take a good half hour to lick it out, it tires them out and they just love it! Bonnie races hers around the kitchen and Dexter just sits with it between his paws!


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## span (Nov 11, 2012)

Thank you all so much for replying 

Julie, what a brilliant idea and we have never tried that one before. We'll have a go tomorrow. 
Also, a frozen kong! I just know that will kill some time for her. That's deffo on the entertainment schedule for the week 

Sue, Im so sorry to hear that you and Bess are going through the same thing. It must be horrible for them  It's funny you should mention being referred for hydrotherapy as I was looking at places near me that do it and found somewhere about 10 minutes away! I did wonder if this would be any good for Pip and now I know a vet has recommended it for Bess, I will mention it at our follow up appointment. I would ideally like to avoid surgery if at all possible. The vet also mentioned I shouldn't let her get too excited or play with another dog  I notice you have 2, how do you manage? 

Thank you for the link. I have heard of those collars before, will find out some more and if I find anything of any interest will let you know, same for the glucosamine. It is certainly worth a try! 

I hope the hydrotherapy goes well tomorrow and that Bess starts showing some sign of improvement. I will keep you posted about Pip. 

H x


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Get well soon Pip!


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

span said:


> The vet also mentioned I shouldn't let her get too excited or play with another dog  I notice you have 2, how do you manage?


Luckily Maisie is a gentle and quite timid girl .... also tiny (5kg) which is less than half Bess's size. So there's no rough play really, just the occasional tug game or chase round the garden. Interestingly, the specialist said there's no need to keep her on lead now, unless running makes things worse. She's so happy to have a run, but I am making sure she doesn't play with others dogs while out on walks.

I'll let you know how the hydrotherapy goes tomorrow ... she's never had a swim before!

Fingers crossed for both doggies to recover soon. xx


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## njml (Apr 21, 2012)

Dont feel guilty, sounds like you are doing everything that you can!

I bought Alvy one of the Nina Ottosson pet activity toys from amazon. It has kept him occupied although once they work it out, thats it, they can do it very quickly. Could be worth a try though. It involves using their paws a bit but Alvy mainly uses his mouth when playing it. Hope Pip & Bess feel better soon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nina-Ottoss...?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1353102498&sr=1-7


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Poor Pip and Bess - I hope that things improve for both with rest and alternative therapies... Years ago I had a GSD who was rescued as a pup - I quickly noticed that her action on one hind leg was poor and when she was being spayed her hips were x rayed and from that it was possible to see that one hip socket was very flat and as her leg moved the ball joint was rolling out... the vet recommended lots of small walks and allowing her time to build up the muscle to support the joint - she was a brilliant dog and going with the theory that she should live a happy active life we followed advice and as she grew up she was a fit and active dog who loved to swim and run and even jump, although watching her it was always obvious that she compensated for her weaker back end by using her front legs more - wonderful dog...
I wish both your girls a speedy recovery and a very happy and active future.


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## span (Nov 11, 2012)

I'm sure Bess will love swimming, I know Pip does. Can't keep her out of water!

Thank you for the link, I'm going to go and look for a similar game from PaH see if there is anything! 

It's very reassuring to hear that other dogs have lived a normal and active lifestyle so thank you for that! I don't give Pip the credit she due when it comes to how hardy she is! I see her a little tiny pup who still needs me to protect her all the time! Haha! Well she is my baby after all 😊

Thanks again for all your helpful posts, really appreciate it.
H xx


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

So sorry to hear about Pip and Bess. I have no advice to offer but wanted to wish you the best of luck. I'm always a bit paranoid and constantly looking out for limps etc...I even had Betty checked out at the vet once as was worried as had read this can be more of a problem in the toy mix( as well as hip dysplasia )


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Really sorry to hear about Pip and Bess.

Molly was diagnosed with pretty severe luxating patella around 12 months ago - instead of surgery I asked for her to be referred to a specialist rehab centre to see if they could help. The place is around 2.5 hours drive for me but they helped hugely with a previous dog so I trusted them totally. We attended around once a month for about 6 months and we were given physio exercises to do, acupuncture for pain relief and a hydro treadmill to assess how she was doing and get her to use her legs properly. After around 6 months we were discharged - she is not "fixed" but her muscles have built to an extent that she is able to manage the problem pretty well herself. She runs and plays just like any other dog and is back to her former bird chasing self.

The place we went to was http://www.smartvetwales.co.uk/


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

That's great to hear how much Molly has been helped with rehab and that she hasn't had to undergo surgery. Does she still limp much? How old is she? The place you went to looks really good and it's great to find specialists you trust. I've found a great place too which is 45 mins away so will go twice a week for four weeks. They are fab - http://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/

I did ask them if the Bioflow magnetic dog collars were worth trying, also glucosamine, and they said they certainly won't do any harm so worth a try as they may help.

She told me that green lipped mussel is meant to be really good - it's a natural food supplement ...... so I will have a look on Google!

Bess loved her swim today, by the way.

S xx


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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

MillieDog said:


> Oh poor Pip, hope things work themselves out before an op is needed.
> 
> As for home entertainment, you try working on games involving her keen sense of smell as this stimulates their brain and therefore exercises them mentally.
> 
> Get about 10 small ramekin dishes or similar and turn the upside down. Get a nice smelly treat and show it to Pip, then hid it under one of them. Mix the ramekins up and get Pip to find the treat. Over time you can train Pip to use her paw to show you which ramekin is hiding the treat too.


I did the ramekin game, jasper loved it 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Mogdog said:


> That's great to hear how much Molly has been helped with rehab and that she hasn't had to undergo surgery. Does she still limp much? How old is she? The place you went to looks really good and it's great to find specialists you trust. I've found a great place too which is 45 mins away so will go twice a week for four weeks. They are fab - http://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/
> 
> I did ask them if the Bioflow magnetic dog collars were worth trying, also glucosamine, and they said they certainly won't do any harm so worth a try as they may help.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear Bess enjoyed her swim!!

Molly never did really limp - even when he knees were really bad and coming out very easily under manipulation she was very good at compensating. She did hurt her leg badly last Christmas chasing a rabbit which delayed her recovery a fair bit though. She was being quite protective of her back legs though and not using them properly which was making things worse as she was not building muscle as much as she should have. At the point we were discharged from the specialists her movement was classed as normal, she was using her legs well and her muscle definition was good. 

She is three (in a couple of weeks)

As I understand it the supplements are not likely to help the actual problem now but should help to relieve some of the future arthritis problems dogs with slipping patellas are prone to due to the extra wear on that joint.


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## span (Nov 11, 2012)

Mogdog said:


> I did ask them if the Bioflow magnetic dog collars were worth trying, also glucosamine, and they said they certainly won't do any harm so worth a try as they may help.
> 
> She told me that green lipped mussel is meant to be really good - it's a natural food supplement ...... so I will have a look on Google!


I'm glad Bess liked swimming  just hope it helps her. I've set about finding specialists for us and have contacted a couple not far from me so fingers crossed. 

Ok, brill. I think we will give them a go then, it certainly can't hurt! Green Lipped Mussel?! I will deffo look into it! May as well give it a go if its meant to be good! Thank you.

That really is brilliant news about Molly and certainly gives me a little hope 
How long has it been since you were discharged? Is she still doing well? I'm sorry if you have already mentioned this in a previous post, my brain isn't switched on properly this evening 

H xx


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Hannah you sounds like such a loving and caring owner, you will do the very best for Pip, thats for sure. 

luxating patella can be caused by so many things, and when you notice your dog has it so young it can only be a good thing as you will be more aware of her condition and take action quickly. 

Sue, so sorry to read about Bess, sending her a hug, again another lovely cockapoo owner who will continue to do the very best for Bess. Please keep us all posted, ahh love her enjoyig her swim  

Great news about Molly  It gives other owners with dogs with luxating patellas so much hope .. lovely to read a positive outcome.


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the kind comments.

2ndhandgal - I agree that supplements are unlikely to help the actual problem but as well as relieving future arthritis maybe they will help to prevent it from developing. Anyway, I may give it a try for a while in conjunction with the hydrotherapy and then see how she is.

Hannah, I hope Pip isn't too frustrated with lead walks and resting. Also hope little Molly continues to do well.

Bess certainly doesn't seem to be in pain, but she is hopping on and off.

What a worry they are ...... we just want them to be in full health.

S xx


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

Oh sorry to hear about Pip and Bess too  It's awful when you get news like this but following Molly's story is encouraging reading. It sounds like there are some good treatments out there that really help. 

I live with the threat of another SRM relapse hanging over Obi but we just try to get on with it. Sending Pip and Bess lots of positive recovery vibes :hug:.


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## span (Nov 11, 2012)

Oh Clare that's awful, poor Obi  I hope he'll be ok.

It does sound like there have been cases that have turned out well and avoided surgery so that's positive. I was so upset yesterday but reading all your lovely comments and suggestions I feel much brighter today & Pip's her usual self so that's all that matters for now. 

Will keep you posted. Thank you all again  xxx


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Sorry - yes - supplements will also hopefully stop or at least reduce arthritis developing - Molly takes Seraquin.

I think it was May we were discharged from the specialists - I have taken her once to be checked out by a local vet I trust just in case I was missing signs of the problem again and will probably take her now and then for a check up - but she is doing great and has no sign of problems at all - this is her yesterday playing with her new big little sister


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## span (Nov 11, 2012)

Well that is really encouraging news. It sounds like she's doing really well  I hope it continues for her and you! 

Ah, what a brilliant photo! They look like they're having loads of fun!


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