Luxating patella's in gsp

[Slimgsp]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and just wanted to get some opinions and advice. To start off I have a 14week male gsp that we got at 8 weeks old. Butler is his name. We picked him up from a breeder. Outstanding pedigree and both parents were health certified. 2 weeks ago at his 2nd vet check up the vet noticed that both of his knees were luxating. As of now they are both only a grade 1 and can only be moved when pushed on. We have yet to see any signs that this is bothering him and have not noticed any symptoms. Has anyone dealt with this before? My wife and I were almost sick to our stomach when the vet told us. Our last dog was a rescued chocolate lab with severe HP and luxating patella's and it was the hardest thing watching her go through everything.my wife literally started crying in the vet office. We will obviously be contacting the breeder and I just can't believe the odds of having another dog with leg problems. We have no plans on returning him and he's a great dog. Any opinions help and I know only time will tell.

[zrp]

Grade 1/4 is mild and often self corrects with exercise and growth. I wouldn't be too upset unless it's a grade 3/4 or worse. There's a relatively simple surgical repair if it worsens but I would expect it to be much better at your next booster vaccination. It does warrant monitoring though, as severe luxating patellas and hip dysplasia are often linked in large breed dogs.

[Slimgsp]

Thank you for that information. I just think that we are very paranoid after our last dog.

[cjhills]

Patelliar Luxation is quite rare in GSP I have only seen it once. If it stays grade one it likely will not be an issue.
it is much more common is small breeds and has no connection with hip Dysplasia. it may contribute to arthritis in the knee later on........Cj

[zrp]

Copied and pasted from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons website ( BTW, I also don't think it will be a problem in this particular individual):

Early diagnosis of bilateral disease in the absence of trauma and breed predisposition supports the concept that patellar luxation results from a congenital or developmental misalignment of the entire extensor mechanism. Developmental patellar luxation is therefore no longer considered an isolated disease of the knee, but rather a consequence of a complex skeletal abnormalities affecting the overall alignment of the limb, including:
-abnormal conformation of the hip joint, such as hip dysplasia
-malformation of the femur, with abnormal angulation and torsion (rotation)
-malformation of the tibia
-deviation of the tibial crest, the bony prominence onto which the patella tendon attaches below the knee
tightness/atrophy of the quadriceps muscles, acting as a bowstring

[Slimgsp]

thank you everyone for the quick response. As of now butlers knee's are still loose however have not "popped" out completely at all even during vets exam and he still has shown no signs of lameness. All we can hope is that this gets better with time and not worse.