Patella Luxation

Question
Hi have male Pomeranian kinda on big side 10lb. His not overweight his just big. Anyway i went to vet Banfield, at Petsmart. I was getting him checked up, but the vet told me he had Patella Luxation, i forgot which one. They said its nothing too worry about much because my dog walks fine, runs fine, jumps fine, just needs to be on medication for those stuff. But they said surgery is really not needed. Is this true? should i not worry about his surgery? Can he live happy life untill he dies? And what medication should i put on my dog? and also what food would you recommand? I am feeding my dog Wellness at the moment. I am new to the dog world i only had him for 3 weeks, adopted him from shelter. They said surgery is $3000 which im trying to avoide. Thanks

Answer
Andy -

I think you should have the surgery done.  If you call around to different vets in your area. I am sure that you can the surgery done much less expensive than what your were quoted.  Banfield usually charges two to three times what private veterinarians charge.  Invest some time and call around to different vets; I am sure someone can get it done for you for much less.   You might want to ask the doctor how frequently he/she has done the surgery.  If it has been done more than a dozen times, then you should feel comfortable having that person do the surgery.

If he is a heavier Pom then it would be to his benefit that you get his patella repaired. The extra weight will put more stress on the "knee" joint which will force the opposite knee to work harder.  This extra stress will cause both knees to work harder and eventually, your pup will develop arthritis.  

Feed him a high quality diet; my favorite is Hill's Science Diet.  No, I do not work for Hill's, but in my experience, animals that eat Hill's food do not get as sick as frequently as pets on other diets.  Any high quality food is good; steer clear of generic foods as they use low quality ingredients that can cause your pet to develop bladder and skin infections.

Hope this helps -

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM