Just touching basis with you again-
I found this email that a fellow breeder had posted to one of the Havanese Lists- I thought you might be interested.
I don't have any experience with this- but thought it might be worth checking into.
This amazing therapy can CURE Luxating Patellas (without surgery) along with healing other joint/tendon/CCL/ osteo type conditions. More commonly used in people, vets are beginning to discover and learn to use it on their patients.
I first heard of it from an aquaintance who said her APBT was cured of Luxating Patellas
and was able to return to Agility which she had missed.
It's called Prolotherapy:
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.c...ry-medicine/changing-views-on-ccl-repair.aspx
"Prolotherapy
Without a doubt, the most compelling nonsurgical option about which clients ask most frequently9 is prolotherapy. Prolotherapists typically inject sclerosing or proliferant solutions into or around joints to strengthen lax ligaments.10
Also referred to as regenerative injection therapy, or RIT, the scope of prolotherapy is expanding to include the injection of growth factors or growth factor stimulants that induce regeneration or repair of normal cells or tissues.11 In vivo studies have provided strong evidence that prolotherapy leads to ligament proliferation, thickening and improved tensile strength.
By reducing mechanical instability and abnormally excessive forces on ligaments, tendons and joint capsules, prolotherapy also reduces nociceptive stimuli emitted from these tissues and ultimately lessens pain. Studies testing prolotherapy for ACL laxity show short and long-term improvement in pain during walking, swelling, flexion and objectively measured ACL laxity.12-13 Further investigation in dogs with high-quality randomized controlled trials seems warranted."
Here's a Sacramento veterinary practice that is performing it on their canine patients:
http://integrativeveterinarycenter.com/site/view/159653_ProlotherapyFAQ.pml