By Erin Guilshan, Executive Director, Pets Alive Westchester 

Asia is a beautiful 7 month old girl that came to us from a high kill shelter in South Carolina. This charming girl’s personality wins over everyone at the sanctuary. She is always so happy to see people. It’s as if she knows that she was put here on earth to bring out the best in people (and animals too) that she comes in contact with. You can’t help but smile when you see her. She will make a wonderful addition to any home.

But, there is one problem. Asia has something called a luxating patella, which means that her kneecap becomes dislocated to the point where it is dislocated all of the time. She is slated for a surgery that could cost up to $2,200 right after Christmas. She needs this surgery in order to have a normal life and so that this condition will not worsen in time. Her playful spirit and happy attitude tell us that she is not in any pain but without this surgery, this would be certain to grow to be a lot worse.

We asked Dr. Katie to weigh in on the details about this surgery as well as what an expected prognosis would be. Here is what she had to say about it:

“The luxating patella (aka kneecap dislocation or trick knee), is an extremely common problem in toy breed dogs. An owner typically notices a little skip in the dog’s step. The dog may even run on three legs, holding one hind leg up, and then miraculously be back on four legs as if nothing has happened. In fact, something has happened: the kneecap (patella) has slipped out of the smooth groove in which it normally rides up and down. With the patella dislocated (or luxated), the knee cannot extend properly and stays bent. Hopefully, the patient will be able to slip the kneecap back where it belongs and be back to normal in only a few steps. For some dogs, getting a kneecap back where it belongs and normal extension of the rear leg is only attainable with surgical correction. The severity of patellar luxation is graded on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the most severe. Grades 1 and 2 can be managed medically, with anti-inflammatories, glucosamine, and weight loss. Grades 3 and 4 require surgical correction. Asia has a grade 3 luxating patella – the patella is out of place all the time but can be manipulated back into its normal position manually (though it will not stay there). Without surgery, she can only maneuver on 3 legs. With surgery, she has a good prognosis of returning to full, normal function in her affected limb. Approximately 50% of affected dogs have both knees involved while the other 50% has only one knee involved. It is possible that Asia will develop patellar luxation in her other knee in the future, so it is important to address her current luxation as early as possible.”

We will keep you all posted about Asia and how she does after her surgery. She already has a foster lined up who happens to be a vet tech that will care for her during this time.

Please consider making a donation to the Critical Care Medical Fund today. It takes all of us to improve their lives and we cannot do this again and again without your support.