Patellar Luxation

[Kananga]

Kananga had a vet appt this morning for a rabies vaccination and a general checkup. The good news is he is a healthy boy and I was right about slimming him down a bit. He's @ 23.5 lbs currently and the vet agreed with my decision to bring him down another lbs or so. The winter transition caught me off guard this year and it wasn't until the last couple weeks in which I rationed his food to a "winter" diet now that he's not as active (no long walks outdoors when it's below zero).

Anyways, she did mention he had Patellar Luxation in his right knee. But she said at this point it's probably a Grade I and not anything to be too concerned about. She also mentioned it can be somewhat common in Basenjis and other similar breeds. I guess I wasn't aware of this before but she seems to be very familiar with Basenjis and Fanconi Syndrome (along with everything else that comes up within this breed).

It sounds like as long as I keep his weight to where it should be, this shouldn't bother him. I never noticed him bothered by his knee before either and I've taken him lure coursing in the past.

Anyone else come across this with their B?

[lvoss]

It does occur in basenjis but its true incidence is very hard for health committee to get a feel for because many people never send in the OFA forms for affected dogs.

For more information about Patellar Luxation OFA has some good info, http://www.offa.org/patluxinfo.html

It would be a great help to the basenji community if you had your vet do the exam again next time you are in with him and have her fill out the OFA form and submit it. It is free to submit abnormal results all you have to do is mail them in. You can also choose if you would like the information to be public so breeders can use it in the breeding decisions or private where the data is only used to help OFA provide the basenji community with more accurate incidence numbers.

http://www.offa.org/plappbw.pdf

[tanza]

I am not sure I agree that it is common in Basenjis, but I will agree that it may be common in certain bloodlines. It is common in toy dogs (obviously I would not consider Basenjis in the toy group) Again, pointing out the importance of health testing before breeding and having those results on a public forum so that breeders can make a good choice when considering a litter. As lvoss points out, if the results are not sent in, it becomes very difficult to figure the true incidence for a health problem. And knowing the vertical pedigree and their health is sometimes way more important then the standard sire/dam pedigree

[Kananga]

I'll mention next time I visit the vet. Like she had told me, it's not anything that will be a hindrance on Kananga. He just needs to be at an ideal weight to reduce any risk of aggravating his knee.

Other than that he can still be 100% active without any side effects. That's why she said it was a Grade 1 and not anything above that, it's minor.

[tanza]

@Kananga:

I'll mention next time I visit the vet. Like she had told me, it's not anything that will be a hindrance on Kananga. He just needs to be at an ideal weight to reduce any risk of aggravating his knee.

Other than that he can still be 100% active without any side effects. That's why she said it was a Grade 1 and not anything above that, it's minor.

Have you told his breeder? And certainly something you want to share with his breeder… and something that his breeder should take into consideration when planning any future breedings.... as in checking his sire/dam and any offspring....

Regardless of the degree, it is a defect in breeding and needs to be considered for any breeder...