We are possibly adopting a dog who has a luxating patella? How much of an issue is this condition? Will he need surgery?
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These are great questions! There are a couple of different grades of a luxating patella. Grade 1 is when the patella is luxated intermittently, can easily be luxated, but returns to it's normal position. Grade 2 is frequent luxation, the patella can be relocated and does not reluxate immediately. Grade 3 is permanent luxation, the patella can be put back into it's correct position, but immediately reluxates. Grade 4 is when the patella is fixed outside it's correct anatomical position, and dog has a crouched, shuffling gait. Obviously a grade 4 is much worse than a grade 1 luxation. The dogs do feel pain when the patella slides out of it's position. The treatment does depend on the grade of the luxation. Grade 1 luxation does not necessarily need surgery, but grade 2-4 do require surgery to fix. Once fixed, the dog can live a normal life, and normally would not require another surgery after the first once. If you are willing to pay for a surgery, you can have a wonderful pet that can go for walks and play normally.
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It's not possible to know if he will need surgery, most dogs with patellar luxation do not need surgery, just as long as it is not causing them any pain. A dog with patelar luxation will usually run on 3 legs but will sometimes use the problematic leg as normal.
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