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Is surgery safe and recommended for my senior dog's luxating patella?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Poodle | Female | spayed | 15 years and 10 months old | 17 lbs

My dog has luxating patella she is a 16 year old miniature poodle would surgery be considered

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on February 8th, 2017

Whether or not surgery is recommended for this condition depends on how much it is bothering the dog. Many dogs with luxating patellas have very little lameness and are not overly bothered by this problem - so in that case, surgery would not be recommended. If Penny is significantly lame and painful in her knee and your vet believes that it is due to her luxating patella, then surgery would certainly be a reasonable option as long as she is otherwise healthy.

Many older dogs have surgery for various conditions with no problems, provided that there are no underlying health issues (heart disease, kidney disease, etc.) that would increase the risk of anesthesia. If your dog does have some chronic health issues, I would recommend discussing the pros and cons of surgery with your vet.

4Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 7th, 2017
Patellar Luxation is very common in toy breed dogs, and usually does not require treatment. If she is not limping or having clinical signs, surgery is generally not needed. If your vet recommended surgery, I would follow up with them to determine why and perhaps talk to a orthopedic specialist to confirm. If you found out about surgery on your own, then no need to investigate further.

Since the patella is moving over the bone in an abnormal way, it can wear down the cartilage around the knee. Fish oil and glucosamine can help support joint function. Your veterinarian can give you confirm that these are appropriate for Bella and give you doses. Acupuncture and chiropractic care may be helpful if Bella is uncomfortable, but don't have a lot of science backing that up. There are no special diets (unless you wanted to put her on a prescription joint diet - ask your vet about this too if interested, it's basically a replacement for the fish oils and glucosamine).

Finally, unless Bella is hit by a car or had a major trauma recently, she was probably born with this issue and it just wasn't noted on a physical exam until now. So you shouldn't start seeing issues all of a sudden as a result of patella luxation.

Best of luck to you and Bella!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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