Patella Dysplasia
Patella Luxation can cause pain and lameness. Some advanced cases cause the dog to "lock" the joint and and avoid using the affected limb(s) by carrying it above the ground or shifting their weight onto their front limbs if possible.
The patella, or kneecap, is part of the stifle joint (knee). In patellar luxation, the kneecap luxates, or pops out of place, either in a medial or lateral position. Affected dog often stand knock-knee (genu valgum). The foot can be seen to twist laterally as weight is placed on the limb. The patella is usually reducible, and laxity of the medial collateral ligament may be seen on examination.
Patellar luxations fall into several categories:
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Medial luxation; toy, miniature, and large breeds
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Lateral luxation; toy and miniature breeds
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Lateral luxation; large and giant breeds.
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Luxation resulting from trauma; various breeds, of no importance to the certification process.
Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are either known to be heritable or strongly suspected.
OFA database records in October 2005 for Boykin Spaniels showed 4 individuals who have sent in their examination findings. 1 of those 4 had Grade 1 patella luxation; the remaining 3 were normal. By February 2006 the database listed 21 Boykins that had been tested. Of those, 13 tested "normal" and 7 tested "Grade 1" for patella luxation. This means that approximately 1/3 of all Boykins tested are affected by the problem. The Boykin Spaniel Club of America is currently promoting health clinics to test more Boykins for the disease to determine the extent of the problem in the breed.
Breeders and owners are encouraged to have their dog examined by their vet and submit the results to OFA for their database. These examinations do not require sedation and are easily performed by the dog's regular veterinarian during their yearly exam. The veterinarian will need to complete the application form indicating the the results of the dog's patella evaluation and send it to OFA with the appropriate fees.
The current fee (2005) is $15.00 for individual dogs with normal readings. Reduced fees are available for litters or kennels when submitting multiple report applications forms at the same time. There is no OFA fee for entering an abnormal evaluation of the patella in the data bank; entering the results from an affected dog are free.
The OFA breed database number will contain the age at evaluation and it is recommended that dogs be periodically reexamined as some luxations will not be evident until later in life. An OFA number will be issued to all dogs found to be normal at 12 months of age or older; preliminary evaluations may be done as 6-8 weeks of age prior to the puppy's release to the new owner.
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