The infamous Rare Luxating Patella

When I'd first spoken with my old vet for a second opinion, he'd mentioned that, ordinarily, he, too, would have done the surgery, given the experience one gains with doing the experience on dogs and he'd done a few adult cats. But his point was he never would want to mess with growing growth plates. That told me he'd some some real messes that could happen with that which was helpful advice. This was why he felt the orthopedist was warranted in the case of a kitten.

However, even if the kititen issue is no longer an issue, there's a new wrinkle. My current vet said he wouldn't want to do the surgery, in spite of having worked on open hearts. Here, the fused knee seems to present a new problem. That'll have to be unfused even before a so-called "normal" patella-luxating surgery could begin. He said the ortho guy woudl really earn his fee...

I'll still seek a better estimate so I can understand more of what I'm facing. It's a relief to think it could only be in your part of the country where it'd be so much. ... and I'd heard, too, from my old vet that the recovery wasn't near as long as I'd uncovered in some of my research. So, all might be good.

I agree that patella-luxating surgery done on dogs as a routine procedure by vets could be similar to patella-luxating surgery done on cats as a routine procedure, too. Whether this comes from being small, being bow-legged or cow-hocked or is, simply, genetic, it'd be the same thing. I think what makes it unusual is whether it's on kittens with the open growth platels, which you, too, found could be a concern, or whether there are other complications, such as we have with Lolly's now-fused knee. In some cases, surgery performed by the orthopedist will be warranted...

This is all useful information!

Many thanks,
Linda

PS My vet does surgies, weekly, too...It could be it's a normal procedure...

Hi Dcat,

We had Chico done. We called many vets and it just so happened that my fiances vet was the cheapest. We had one leg quoted between 1200-1600 dollars. Unfortunately the injury was congential and traumatic (he fell off a section of the stairs when he got  into a scuff with my parents cat)... so the patella had to be deepened and the ligament had to be re-attached. It costed us 1600 in the end. We purchased cartophen shots for our kitty to help with the arthritis. So far he has done really well! He had the surgery in August and the only time he shows any weakness is when hes running really fast- he has a VERY small limp that only I really notice. He doesn't jump up quite as high as he use too (floor to counter high) but I am  kind of happy about that anyways. I would say over all it was 100% worth it not to see him in pain- in the future I might purchase pet insurance for my pets haha. I would also recommend the cartrophen for others!

Hello, all,

It's time for an update. Surgery has been scheduled for Monday, March 23rd. ... and after consultations it's been decided that IF surgery on the second left leg IS warranted, it WILL be done at the same time. Neither my vet nor the traveling orthopedic surgeon saw any problem with both knees being done at the same time shoud it be necessary. ... and it WOULD save a great deal of money.

Surgery was estimated to be $2,700 for both knees, should that be necessary. An evaluation would be made at the time of surgery. The estimate included the traveling vet's fees and traveling expenses, as well as my local vet's aestheloogist(s) and facility use. Included also were three days hospital recuperation, follow-up x-ray, and other associiated costs. A later check-up x-ray would not be included.

Should it be that only the right knee needed the correction, the fee would be $2,200, only $500 less. Thus, there's a great savings -- at least in my case, where the surgeon travels to me, vs. my traveling/lodging to where he might be -- as two surgeries done separately, later, would come to double that or $4,400. All around, we all are comfortable with doing both knees as once, should that be what's required.

For recuperation, I've purchased the this dog play-pen and cover (), as it allows room for a litter box, a bed, food bowls and a fourth area. This link is to the cover only, but if you scan down to "frequently bought together", you'll see the matching pen. I've purchased this pen two other times -- which was later donated to the local shelter; I don't have any room for storage where I am -- for raising a new puppy. It was perfect for keeping a puppy nearby, while also holding a dog potty (my girl Ming, continues to use hers indoors), bed, bowls and a play area...

I'll be locating the set-up very nearby my bed. When I raise puppies, I have three little 18" barrier gates that keep kichen, bathroom and other tiled areas open, where the pup could run, as I'd tote the pup and potty, etc., from room-to-room with me. The pup was never left alone that way. (And at bedtime, it slept in a four-sided screened small crate where a second bed pillow might be.)

However that set-up won't work with a cat that could easily clear any gates. Instead, my breeder recommended I use another screened four-sided cloth crate I have, so I could tote the kitten only with me from kitchen to bathroom to bedroom, etc., so the kitten wouldn't need to be left alone all the time. (I'll look to see if I can find that crate link, too.) If the kitty's eaten and would only normally be sleeping only, it seemed like a great way to have herbe wth me, vs. leaving her alone when I'm not actually sitting right there with her. She'd normally follow us from room-to-room. So, being left behind would be stressful for her. It seems we're all set...

My fees seem similar to what many here have experienced, in spite of my luck in being in Maine where was able to find a traveling orthopedic surgeon. I feel so very blessed. More about post-surgery, when it's time....

Best,
Linda

Here's a link to the crate I have. Seems it's been discontinued, but they show one like it. It's been great... It can fold flat, when not in use, and can be used out-of-doors for an all-around-view for a cat on a beautiful day, or can be used for safe and roomy pet transport. I keep mine open in my sunrom, as a receptacle for a stash of dog toys... http://www.midwestpetproducts.com/m...te-all-sizes?gclid=CJSL15f7n6MCFRVlswod8Vm9oQ

 This has just begun with my 3year old boy Charlie.  He slipped jumping onto a chair and I found him curled over in pain in his back left leg.  I thought there was something stuck in there so I left him alone, than when he jumped out of his litter box, he cried and cried and fell over.   breaks my heart.  brought him to the vet, and said it could be luxating patella... they took x-rays, nothing broken, thank god.  so they gave him an anti-inflammatory shot and two day oral meds, he is still in pain and seems to not be getting better.  We are bringing him back Saturday to speak to our vet (he was away so we saw a stand in on emergency calls), I hope to get more answers tomorrow.  reading these posts helps a lot because if surgery is the answer, than ill do whatever it takes for my little guy to not be in such pain.  

Cheetoh said:

 
 This has just begun with my 3year old boy Charlie.  He slipped jumping onto a chair and I found him curled over in pain in his back left leg.  I thought there was something stuck in there so I left him alone, than when he jumped out of his litter box, he cried and cried and fell over.   breaks my heart.  brought him to the vet, and said it could be luxating patella... they took x-rays, nothing broken, thank god.  so they gave him an anti-inflammatory shot and two day oral meds, he is still in pain and seems to not be getting better.  We are bringing him back Saturday to speak to our vet (he was away so we saw a stand in on emergency calls), I hope to get more answers tomorrow.  reading these posts helps a lot because if surgery is the answer, than ill do whatever it takes for my little guy to not be in such pain.  

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I thought most cats who suffer from this develop it in their 1st year, but I could be mistaken.  Your vet should be able tell almost instantly if it's a luxating patella by trying to move it him/herself.  It is a pretty easy diagnosis.  The patellas should not easily pop out of place and if the vet can do it 1-2-3, then that's probably the problem.  The odd thing is that my Dexter (with a pair of category 3 luxating patellas) would limp terribly when trying to get around but never cried or gave any indication of any pain.  He just couldn't walk because there was no support from the rear legs due to the patella being out of place.

14 months after his double knee surgery, he is once again super cat, flying through the air and leaping great heights.  Once in a while I notice a very slight limp (or I am imagining it) and he does constantly stretch out those legs, so I'm afraid he may be a bit arthritic from the surgery.  He's not even 2.  Good luck with the diagnosis.  It could be just a soft tissue sprain or something like that.  At least I hope that's it.

Thanks for replying. I hope too that it's just a sprain. The vet did mention luxating patella BUT it was not our normal vet because he was on vacation and this guy was not helpful at all so I hope tomorrow our normal vet will tell us what is going on more thoroughly. He's never had issues walking before but I did notice him walking a little weird on one leg a few months ago, his foot would point more inward as he walked, but that never stopped him from running. This is quite painful and he cries when he steps out of the litter box or if he steps wrong, he just cries and falls over. It kills me. So I pray tomorrow our vet gives us more answers and more options.

He did pop out Charlie's knees pretty easy so I think it might be the case and when he fell it could have made a small problem much worse. So I don't know what lies ahead ;-(

New here! My cat Maila is recovering from surgery for her luxating patella. In the post-op instructions, it said to use ice then heat packs as well as some passive range of motion, physical therapy exercises. She's not letting me touch her leg to try and move it, but she's been able to walk and stand, and has had no noticable swelling. Has anyone actually tried physical therapy after the surgery? I'm not sure if it's needed if she's already using the limb and does her own stretching each day.

How far out are we from surgery? I did do physical therapy with Holly; but, it was after suture removal...so, 6 weeks after leg #2 (10 weeks after leg #1.)

We're only 6 days after leg #1. The discharge instructions and vet tech said to start at day 3. I thought that was kind of weird. I also feel like a lot of the instructions applied more to a dog and barely altered for a cat's care.

We had the unfortunate problem of a luxating patella in one of our cats as well. She was just under a year old when we noticed the dreaded limp. We took her to the vet and x-rays confirmed what it was.  So on to the next stage, surgery and about $1000 later with about a month in a cast and the monitored play time for the next couple months and all was well until a year later when she started to limp again. This time it was her other knee, so off to the vet AGAIN but this time we didn't have to pay for x-rays because the vet and we already knew what it was. Surgery again, this time it was more reasonable, I think he cut us a deal the second time around because I don't think it was much more than $600 the second time around. Same recovery time, the last surgery was 3 years ago and today you would never know she had knee problems. Not much slows her down and boy can she jump. We also live in Canada so I can relate to vet costs but it was well worth it and she is super happy!

In regards to physical therapy, we didn't. When we were home which was most of the time as my wife is a teacher and this was during summer vacation, we would let her wander freely as much as she wished but she didn't really move around to much. She was also on anti-inflammatory meds along with antibiotics. When we went to bed we had a small metal dog cage that she would go into with some food and water along with some litter and her bed. We kept the cage in our room just in case she had a problem through the night. When the cast/bandage came off we just tried to limit the amount of jumping, tried being the operative word lol and then she just slowly became more and more active.

It's amazing how different everyone's stories are for the same surgery.  I have read about this everywhere I can, and this entire thread as well, and see a lot of differences in recovery time, post-op care, cost, etc. So far from what I've been reading, I have the record for highest cost of the surgery. EACH leg is costing me $3,200.  I had to really scramble to get this money together and will be paying it off for a long time.  Of course, it doesn't really matter-- she's worth every penny. 

My cat is an Abyssinian, which I understand is predisposed already to luxating patella. I never even knew she had this going on until she was playing with another cat on the stairs and fell.  After an emergency visit and rechecks, it was finally decided after about a month of crate rest to proceed with the surgery. Both knees are a "high Grade 2, low Grade 3" according to the orthopedic vet. 

He said that the complete recover is 6 months!  I haven't read this anywhere, but that's what he's explained.  2 months until the limping should resolve, 4 months until function is close to normal, and 6 months until complete recovery -- though he said it could still reluxate (sigh) and that the operation wasn't a "guarantee". He definitely points out the negative before the positive. 

I was given instruction to ice then heat pack within the first 3 days.  She was not having that.  While she was up walking the day after surgery, able to stand on the leg to eat, drink, use her litterbox pretty well, she did not want me touching that leg. I was also given instruction to let her have a few short walks a day, so I built a small play pen that she can come out of each day to get some walking and stretching and grooming in (I take off the cone).  I'm confused really how much confinement for how long is appropriate-  other than it needs to be very gradual.  

The very worst part in the process so far has been the stupid e-collar.  The large plastic one they sent her home in, she removed twice and couldn't do anything in it.  She was knocking over her food and water and bumping into the cage.  It was terrible, so I switched to this cheap one (in the photo).  As you'll see, she had a patch on her left ankle that contained pain medication. With this soft collar, she could still reach that patch and lick it -- which she was not allowed to do.  So I spent days struggling with finding the right collar that kept her from her incision AND the patch on the ankle. I ended up having to modify one but it's still not perfect.  There's been some kind of limitation with every collar.  I've had to take a lot of time off work in order to watch her pretty much constantly. The incisions come out at 2 weeks (one week from now) and then the collar can come off.  So things should be easier after that... until the other knee surgery in December.  She never had a bandage or cast at all. 

She's a beautiful and wonderful cat, and for the most part, has handled this very long crate rest very well.  After a walk in the play pen, she is definitely antsy when I have to place her back in, but she soon settles down again. Knowing that we have 8 months ahead of us for a full recovery (hopefully) is very daunting.  I don't have any help, and it's been emotionally draining. 

Yes, you ask 10 different doctors, you'll get 10 different answers.

I know for Holly, it was strict cage rest for 12 weeks total, and then she was allowed into a room that didn't have any furniture for her to jump up on for an additional month. It was during this timeframe that we began physical (and laser) therapy. We gradually allowed her short distances to jump and she was allowed back to normal activity at the 4 mo mark.

It's been 3 1/2 yrs since her surgeries and she is doing fantastic. She still has slightly less muscle tone on leg #2; but, most people wouldn't be able to tell.

Good Morning All, 

 Thank you very much for this thread it has proven to be most helpful for me this morning. My 13 month old Roadie was diagnosed yesterday with Stage 2  Luxating Patella. My Roadie is a very active kitty and has been since we found her on the side of the road Thanksgiving Day 2014 while we were starting our holiday ride (we're cyclist).  I will more than likely schedule her surgery for January as I will be on a week of vacation and help her during this time. 

​I feel better knowing that others have had this issue with their fur babies and the results are all positive. Now I will start my purchases for her "recovery hotel crate" 

I will keep everyone updated once my Roadie has surgery ...... Thank you for making this cat mama feel better 

~Deborah 

DShank1 said:

 

Good Morning All, 

 Thank you very much for this thread it has proven to be most helpful for me this morning. My 13 month old Roadie was diagnosed yesterday with Stage 2  Luxating Patella. My Roadie is a very active kitty and has been since we found her on the side of the road Thanksgiving Day 2014 while we were starting our holiday ride (we're cyclist).  I will more than likely schedule her surgery for January as I will be on a week of vacation and help her during this time. 

I feel better knowing that others have had this issue with their fur babies and the results are all positive. Now I will start my purchases for her "recovery hotel crate" 

I will keep everyone updated once my Roadie has surgery ...... Thank you for making this cat mama feel better 

~Deborah 

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Prayers for Roadie's quick and complete recovery 

Good luck and hang in there! My girl just had her second surgery yesterday and I pick her up today. It will be great to have it all behind us once recovery is done. The first one healed very well and pretty quickly.