OK- just read the other responses-
First- certainly get a second opinion about the knees, but realize any orthapdeic surgeon is going to consider any movement in the joint as abnormal and therefore requiring treatment. Their specialty is to do the surgery so options beyond that from their point of view are few and far between.
Second-realize that the OFA just recently changed their grading system on knees. Generally speaking, the grading has gotten tighter in it's criteria. Good in a way when it comes to choosing dogs for breeding purposes because it could make breeders second guess breeding certain dogs. Bad for the general house dog with this issue because people will now be considering surgery when they more conservative methods may help out.
Third- grading of luxations in knees on shibas I have found to be a bit subjective. It's not supposed to be, but some vets are more aggressive in their technique than others and with the straight legs, relatively small tendons/ligaments, and relatively shallow groves these dogs have, you can get movement if you try hard enough- even on the best of shibas. The angle of their back legs are not the same as a gun dog's so if all the vet is used to are big angles labs, a shiba will just not measure up.
Sorry if I am coming across very strong in my opinion here, but I do feel quite strongly about this issue. The majority of shibas in the world do have some degree of patella luxation. It's inherent to the breed and something that I actually do believe needs to be addressed by the breeders. Many of them are working on it and do realize it's an issue. Still, some breeders dismiss it as no big deal and are making the problem worse.
Yet, us as pet owners still need to deal with the movement in the knees. ALL abnormal movement in the knees in all dogs can cause problems and damage to the joint over the dog's lifetime. It's our job to reduce/eliminate/prevent the issue as best we can. As you have already read, many here use glucosamine/chondroitin suppliments. That type of suppliment is necessary to keep the joint lubricated so when things do move in the area, damage (arthritis) doesn't set into the joint. For my dog Kita (diagnosed with grade 4 luxations), that would not have been enough to keep her comfortable beyond the age of about 4 years old. We did do the surgery with her- 4 times on one knee and 3 on the other. It didn't work. She got to about a level 2 luxation ultimately. She's maintained it to that point for most of her life needing tweaking with acupuncture/b12 shots/adequain/suppliments/etc throughout her life. There is arthritis in her shuolders, neck, back and hips due to compensating for the pain in her knees most of her life. If the knees hurt, they put weight where it doesn't hurt. It's called compensatory injuries.
Kita's results tend to be quite typical for those who have done the surgery. I'm thrilled she is able to walk. I'm thrilled she has lived beyond the age of 4 and we can manage her pain from her arthritis. Yet, even her vet wishes she had known about the other options 9 years ago and tried those instead.
I am currently working with a friend who's shiba had surgery a year ago and that also did not work. She's using prolotherapy to try to get function back into the leg that has been operated on.
Prolotherapy strengthens the tendons and ligaments in the joint to make the joint more stable. It increases the diameter and thickness of the tendons and ligaments so the patella can stay where it belongs better. I did this treatment on Taiko a year ago when he tore out the tendons and ligaments in his shoulder. It's a sports medicine technique. Not only did he not have to have orthapedic surgery, his recovery was FAST (walking within hours of having the treatment done), he is now 100% back to normal. Not something that typically happens with his type of injury. No strict crate rest for weeks after the procedure- quite the opposite in fact. We were required to walk and do physical therapy immediatly after. His results were a bit better than expected, but not atypical either.
Please feel free to email me off list if you want to discuss this further.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas
he also said if we don't do surgery nothing bad will happen to hunter except for the limping and discomfort. i would like to avoid surgery if possible but i also want to get his lil leg fixed.
