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A luxated patella is a common knee condition many dogs could experience, but it’s rarely life-threatening. Patellar luxation can be surgically corrected to help provide comfort and prevent further injury — but these surgery costs could reach $5,000 per knee.1
Learn more about what affects the cost of surgery, the signs of patellar luxation, and how dog insurance could help you cover costs.
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Luxating patella surgery is fairly routine, but the cost can be significant. For dogs, luxating patella surgery costs can range from $1,000 to $5,000 per leg. The exact cost depends on a few factors, like the size of your dog, the severity of the luxation, any other injuries or arthritis involved, where you live, and if one or both knees are affected.1
MetLife Pet Insurance offers coverage for luxating patella diagnosis and treatment — like surgery. With policy reimbursement options up to 90% on covered costs, this could help you turn a high-cost surgery into a more manageable expense.2
In a normal dog knee joint, the thigh bone and shin bone are connected by the patellar ligament, with the kneecap sitting under this ligament. On the bottom end of the thigh bone, there’s a groove, called the trochlear groove. The kneecap helps keep the patellar ligament in place by sliding up and down the trochlear groove.3
Patellar luxation occurs when your dog’s patellar ligament is too far to one side of the trochlear groove, allowing the kneecap to dislocate — or pop out of place.3
Depending on the severity of the condition, the kneecap can return to its correct placement in the groove if the muscles of the hind legs relax and lengthen or if it’s popped back in place. But if the patellar ligament remains on one side of the groove, the kneecap is more likely to pop out again.3
Your dog’s kneecap can dislocate to either the inside or outside of the leg. More often than not — especially in smaller dogs — the kneecap slides toward the inside, which is called medial patellar luxation. Larger dogs tend to experience the opposite, where the kneecap slides to the outside of the leg, called lateral patellar luxation.3
Luxating patellas can be diagnosed using four grades of increasing severity:3
After an examination, your vet can tell you where your dog’s condition falls.
Patellar luxation is most commonly found in small and miniature breeds — although not exclusively. Certain large-breed dogs can also be more likely to develop the condition. Some of the dog breeds that can be affected include:1,3
Patellar luxation is often a result of genetics, although the condition may also be caused by trauma.1,3
The symptoms of a luxating patella correlate with how severe it is. But in general, a dog with patellar luxation shows signs of:1,3
If left untreated, the joint often develops arthritis, causing permanent joint pain and decreased mobility. It can also make your dog more susceptible to other knee and joint injuries, like cruciate ligament tears.3 If you suspect your dog has a luxated patella, bring them to your vet as soon as possible to help avoid long-term effects.
A physical exam may be enough for your vet to initially diagnose patellar luxation. To figure out how severe it is and see any other damage caused to the joint, X-rays can be taken of your dog’s legs. One or both knees may be affected, and the grade level of the luxation may not be the same in each knee.3
Medication or monitoring your dog’s condition might be all that’s needed to treat minor, grade I luxations. However, surgery is often recommended to correct patellar luxation grades II through IV. Surgical procedures could involve deepening the trochlear groove, cutting and tightening connective tissues in the knee joint, and realigning the point of attachment of the patellar ligament on the shin bone. Your vet may also alter the bones of your dog’s knee to help keep the kneecap from slipping again.3
If arthritis or injury hasn’t affected the joint, your dog will likely have full use of their leg after recovering from surgery. However, if an injury or arthritis is involved, it will need to be addressed in addition to the luxation treatment, or it could cause more joint pain over time. Your vet may recommend long-term medication — like joint supplements and anti-inflammatories — and physiotherapy to help relieve pain or discomfort.3
After surgery, your vet may have you limit your dog’s physical activity to allow for optimal healing. The more severe your dog’s luxated knee was, the more limitations they may need. Recovery could last 8 weeks or more, and you’ll typically have follow-up vet visits to check on your dog’s progress.4
With high-cost vet expenses like patellar luxation surgery, it could be difficult to pay for the treatment your pooch needs. A dog insurance policy with MetLife Pet could help you cover surgery costs, hospitalization, medications, and certain therapies associated with patellar luxation — like it did for Delilah’s family.
One-year-old pup, Delilah, started skipping on one of her back legs while running and would hold it up to her body from time to time. Her pet parents took Delilah to the vet, where she was diagnosed with a luxating patella and had surgery to correct it. The surgery cost nearly $4,950, but Delilah’s family was reimbursed close to $4,450 with their MetLife Pet policy.5
Get coverage that can help you obtain the vet care your dog needs, start with a free quote today.
