Ouchie is a Friend

Hi there, it's hero's koko (means elder brother in chinese) here... for this post, I would like to talk a little about canine health, or rather canine health problem to be precise. As family members, it's always heartbreaking to see your loved ones having to endure suffering due to sickness or other conditions, and pet dogs are no exceptions. As with life, there are ups and there are downs, in between every exciting adventure hero had, there would be periods of anguishing moment too.

Patella luxation, I wish the name refers to some kind of yummy gourmet Spanish dish but it's not. It is a medical term for dislocation of the kneecap in canine. Every now and then, hero would have difficulty walking as he does suffer from luxating patella, a condition that is known to affect certain breed of dogs and sharpei is one of them. In patella luxation, the kneecap luxates, or pops out of place, either in a medial or lateral position. The latter is more common in large breeds. During such period, hero would be bunny hopping around with three legs. Other than this, there is no further symptoms. Luxating patella is considered hereditary but can be corrected by surgery in severe cases. In hero's case, a therapeutic massage on the leg would normally do the trick.
Normal canine knee diagram.

Dislocation of the knee cap (patella) in canine's hind leg.


However, the above condition should not be mistaken with swollen hock syndrome (also known as familial sharpei fever) which is a inherited, congenital disorder in sharpei caused by an autosomal recessive gene that results in its inability to break down and get rid of amyloidal protein, which may lead to systemic amyloidosis (kidney failure) in some cases. Symptoms include swelling of the muzzle and eyes, temperature increases and sensitivity of the hind legs to movement or touch. During the onset of such episodic fever, hero would stand with a "roached" back and will not eat or drink as a result of the pain in his muzzle area. Treatment is by prescriptive drugs such as aspirin and colchicine but there is no known cure for such a condition.

It is really frustrating when a disorder cannot be accurately diagnosed and good veterinary care is not readily available. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I can't emphasis enough the importance of responsible breeding in order to eradicate heredity conditions in animals. They may not be in a position to change their fate, but we can, and it's only right that we do.

As for hero, whether he likes it or not... ouchie is a friend.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Dear hero's koko. We're sorry Hero has some knee problems :( But as long as it doesn't cause any illnesses to him, then it's still ok. He's lucky to have you as his owner.

Kapitein Haakje said...

ooooh poor hero!
get better! dont let the ouchie ouch you

Kissslobbers
El'bow & Hauwii

Lola and also Franklin, too said...

I'm sorry to learn about Hero having ouchies. I did know from reading back that he's had Familial Shar Pei syndrome. I've had bouts of that myself, although not since I've been on colchicine. The knee sounds terribly painful. I'm so glad that Hero has such informed and caring humans as you and Cheche.

wags,

Lola

Thor and Jack said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Hero's knee problems. Good thing he has you to care and love him.
Get better soon, Hero!
Thor

Diana Chiew said...

Hope Hero's knee problem doesn't cause him too much pain. Glad that he has both of you as his owners.

Lorenza said...

Ouchie!
I hope Hero is doing well now. My mom understands you. It is sad to see us having health problems, right?
I know you do everthing to get him well!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

The Oceanside Animals said...

Hero is in loving and capable hands.

Dexter said...

You will take good care of Hero. My Beautiful Raja had the bad hips but mine are nice and straight. For sure it is important to find a breeder that knows what they are doing.

Slobbers,
Mango

May said...

hope Hero is feeling fine :) and you are totally right, it is very heart breaking seeing our loved ones suffering.

Teal'c said...

Hi Hero! How is you leg? Better!? And what does it mean you don't have good veterinary care?! Is that something the hoomans in your country don't do?!
But I guess you daddy takes pawsome care of you even without the V-E-T.
Slobbers Teal'c

Taffy said...

Oh! My poor Hero! We are so behind on reading posts because my momma has been sick. I know I am probably too late but I can kiss it and make it better for you.
Koko, Hero is very lucky to have you and Cheche. It is apparent how much you love him and he loves you. Thanks for being wonderful!
Snuggles,
Twix