Originally posted by halter91

... limping really bad so i took him to the vet and
she told me that basically Max had a torn ligament.

... occasionally you can hear some clicking
but for the most part he's fine.
"clicking"

"Clicking" sounds more like what Smokey has in his left rear knee -
a "Luxating Patella" = aka a "trick knee" ~

The KneeCAP is loose and shifts off to one side or the other -
and causes *pain* when it happens.


Smokey was probably *abused* in his first year (before he showed up
at the Ranch and was "adopted" by Cinder) - and his problem wasn't
noticed for a while untill he started to 3-Leg It whenever his
knee *popped* out.

Doc Mike diagnosed it, and showed me how to *pop* it back into place
if Smokey couldn't *shake it* back into position.
I played Knee Popper for him for a year or so; and we started
giving him Glucosamine 2X every day ...
We're now doing 1,000 mg of Glucosamine every other day -
and I haven't seen him "limp" for a couple of years!

The surgery was estimated at $800 - but with a recovery period
of 4 - 8 months (very limited running & jumping) -
would NOT have made SmokeMutt a happie kampur!

The Vet and the Surgeon agreed to a "trial" with the Glucosamine -
IF his knee didn't get any worse - we'd not do the surgical repair.
We've been *poppin pills* for 4 years - and I haven't *popped* his knee
for at least two years!

He's learned to "live with it" - and knows just how to run like a deer and
not *pop* that knee. Most people can't even notice he "favors" that knee!
I'm positive the Glucosamine has helped to lubricate the knee.

The Old Man (Bowser) arrived at 10+ years of age with "stiff hips"
and a slow gait ... a few months of Glucosamine and he's getting
right back in shape, too!

You might consider a "second opinion" -
checking for "Luxating Patella" only takes a skilled Vet a few minutes
and is done by "palpating" (feeling) the knee - X-rays won't show much.

And Glucosamine ( SAME over-the-counter stuff you can find in Wally'sMart) -
certainly won't hurt - but it takes several months to begin to show
any improvement.

/s/ Phred