A Tale of Three Brothers: Rehabilitation of Patellar Luxation

Jackson, Laddin and Remy are Great Pyrenees cross siblings who were all diagnosed at less than a year of age with patellar luxation. All the dogs were painful, having trouble getting around, and had a decreased quality of life.

Jackson was the most severely affected. When Jackson’s owner brought him to VRSVA, he had a hard time walking, carrying 90% of his weight on his forelimbs and only tiptoeing on his hind limbs. He started prehab work to prepare him for surgery on the right limb, his worse side. After surgery, he returned to VRSVA for rehab. As his right side started to strengthen, he gradually stopped using his left side completely. It became apparent that he also had problems with the cruciate ligament on this limb.  He went in for his second surgery and had a step down procedure to correct both issues. His rehab protocols included laser therapy, shockwave therapy, underwater treadmill work, stretching, massage and strength and balance work. Jackson had to re-learn how to walk normally. He responded wonderfully to physical therapy and improved drastically in comfort and muscle tone. His before and after videos say it all! Jackson went from a painful dog, barely able to bear weight on his hind limbs to a happy pup able to run and play on the beach!

Laddin was in training to become a service dog, but was not certifiable due to his lameness. He had surgery on his worse limb and came to VRSVA for rehabilitation. He responded well to therapy and made a full recovery on this limb. His other limb was not quite as severe and with strengthening and stabilizing exercises, he improved markedly. He ended up having surgery on his second limb as a preventative measure. He was finally able to reach his goal of becoming a certified service dog. We are so happy to see him meeting his goals comfortably!

Remy began having issues with patellar luxation around 8 months of age.  Initially, the patella luxated in and out of its proper position, but one day it slipped out and did not come back into place.  His owner brought him for rehabilitation, hoping to avoid surgery. His program included laser therapy, shockwave, underwater treadmill work, and standing exercises. He responded well to therapy and was able to avoid surgery completely. His quality of life has improved significantly and he can now play and enjoy life as a young dog should!

We are so happy for these three individual animals and their owners who care deeply for them!