# Update on Molly



## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

It is now two months since Molly was diagnosed with luxating patella and we have been following an exercise program designed to help build her muscles to hopefully hold her knees in place better. We did have a slight glitch part way through when Molly was running and hurt her knee - but have built up since then and are back to some off lead running again.

We had another visit to the specialist today and the conclusion is she has improved her condition a great deal and is now moving pretty well but still does not have the muscle she needs to hold her kneecap in place all the time. We now have some more exercises (different ones this time) to try and build the muscle.


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## Laura(L)Izzie (Sep 9, 2011)

Glad Molly is doing better  & I hope that her muscles continue to build so she isn't in pain!  x


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Excellent news, well done!!! It is so satisfying when your hard work starts to pay off.
A huge step in the right direction for little Molly


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## mandym (Jun 5, 2011)

Thats great news,let hope the improvement continues xxx


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Excellent news!!! Well done Molly!!!! Keep up the good work. x


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Great news that there is an improvement. Dawn you show great dedication in trying to improve Molly's condition it must be pleasing to see how she is progressing but I know there is a long way to go yet. Well done to both of you. xx


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## weez74 (Feb 9, 2011)

Really interesting and good news too!


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

great that she is improving...I hope she keeps getting better and better


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Great news .. all heading in the right direction ... Molly is lucky to have you  

Had Honey checked last week for patella luxation .. my vet was great .. post coming soon xxx


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Thanks all.

I think the problem we are fighting is Molly is just not constructed right for her knees to stay in place - but with the exercises and encouraging her to use her legs in the best possible way we will hopefully be able to avoid surgery for a long time to come.


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

2ndhandgal said:


> Thanks all.
> 
> I think the problem we are fighting is Molly is just not constructed right for her knees to stay in place - but with the exercises and encouraging her to use her legs in the best possible way we will hopefully be able to avoid surgery for a long time to come.


You are doing a great job ..  Molly is lucky, ahh love her .. lovely to read your posts xxx


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## mand123green (Dec 21, 2011)

Sezra said:


> Great news that there is an improvement. Dawn you show great dedication in trying to improve Molly's condition it must be pleasing to see how she is progressing but I know there is a long way to go yet. Well done to both of you. xx


As above, I always admire people who take on rescue dogs and make their lives so much more worth living. Wishing you lots of luck on your exercise programme, I saw that Anne gave you some great training tips to help with your progress. Keep it up and wishing you lots of success xx


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

Thanks for the update...glad Molly is making some progress.


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

Excellent news that Molly is doing well and hope she continues so that surgery is a long way off. Molly is a determined little girl and her character is probably a major part in her success too ( plus a dollop of naughtiness  )

That it why it was so important for our Cockapoo owners website to do a feature on Luxating Patellas to highlight this condition and to show how owners such as yourself and Molly cope.

As always the owners club is striving forward to provide information help and guidance for cockapoo owners and would be owners, and we are pleased that our members are willing to share their personal stories to help others.

If any of our members wishes to share a health related article to be featured on our site please contact us via our website links.

Thanks


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Molly is still doing well and enjoying her exercises. I have been careful with her since she hurt one leg at Christmas but have been gradually increasing her off lead exercise and can no longer see any trace of weakness in that leg!

Yesterday she had a great game of chase with a young labrador in the park. She is only 5kg so tiny compared to him - but she ran rings round the poor dog  She has also had a great run round in the snow today.

With exercises we have been doing lots of walking backwards to get her to use her back legs properly and we have now added walking backwards over poles laid on the floor so she has to pick them up higher too. Thankfully she enjoys doing her exercises just as long as she gets paid with some tasty treats!!


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

That sounds fantastic!  Lovely to hear that Molly is able to have such fun!  It sounds like you have both been working very hard but it is paying off. Molly gets a tasty treat and you get to see her running around having fun! x


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## mandym (Jun 5, 2011)

So glad Molly is doing well and enjoying her tasty rewards xxx


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## Soo (Dec 16, 2011)

Glad to hear Molly is doing well. She is blessed to have an owner who wants nothing but the best for her and is willing to put herself out to do it.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Thanks all. It is a bit of a delicate balance to give her enough free running to build muscle without letting her have too much to cause harm - but the specialist vet has told me to trust my instincts with her and so far things are going fairly well and she is probably fitter than at any point since she came to me  She is also a happy girly which is what I mostly want


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

Fab news  hugs to Molly x


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

We have been back to see the specialist today and they are really pleased with her condition and the muscle she has built and her stamina  Her movement is now good and shows no sign of weakness. Unfortunately her construction is poor enough that despite all this her kneecaps are still slipping out slightly - but the degree of slippage is so small that it will hopefully cause her very little in the way of problems and hopefully will minimise the future arthritis damage.

For anyone interested the specialist we have been seeing is :

http://www.smartvetwales.co.uk/ 

Each time we go she has a full assessment of her movement, a thorough check up for any painful areas, acupuncture and a session on the water treadmill where her movement is also assessed. We live in the Midlands - so it is a 5 hour round trip each time but well worth it if it is buying her as much of a pain free future as possible.

.... and here is Molly doing what she does best


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

We have been back to the specialist today and Molly has been discharged and I only need to go back if I am worried about her 

Her muscle tone is now excellent, movement very good and fitness very good. She is also very happy and enjoying free running and playing with other dogs so all is good 

Unfortunately despite all this work her kneecaps are still slipping out slightly  but not enough to cause her any problems at the moment and it seems like it is just the way she is constructed that means no amount of exercise will fix it totally.

The good news is whereas surgery was a possibility both regular vet and specialist were mentioning last year this is now not needed at all for now and I just need to be careful and make sure I am aware of her movement and try to maintain her good movement, muscle tone and fitness levels (which as far as Moll is concerned means lots of training exercises with yummy treats and running with her collie friends)


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

That's fantastic news! All your perseverance and hard work is paying off. Well done to you and Molly


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

great news....and cute pics too!


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Brill news ... well done 2ndhandgal and of course Molly ... 

Fab photo too .. Molly is delightful and her Collie friend is just what she needs for all the extra exercise


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Thanks - who knows what the future holds but for now she is fit well and loving life.

She loves running with my friends dogs - she also appears to slightly hero worship the handsome Leo in the photo!! The pair of them have to greet each other at the start of each walk before saying hello to anyone else!


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