We picked a puppy from a litter at 4 weeks and at her 6 week vet check up and vaccination appointment the vet found her to have level 1 luxating patella. She is a F2 cockapoo. The vet that checked her said she had to work to get it to move and she will most likely grow out of it. Is this true? The puppy is 4 hours away and we are scheduled to pick her up in 2 weeks. I can't get a second opinion. We have 3 active kids and are nervous to have a fragile puppy. Pet's info: Dog | Cockapoo | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 12 days old

Yes, she will likely grow out of this. A grade one is a very mild patella luxation. Grade 3 or 4 are severe and would benefit from surgical correction when they are adults. As she grows and develops more muscles and her tendons and ligaments get stronger the patella will most likely stay in the groove. This is a common orthopedic problem in many small breed dogs. Running and playing is fine but I recommend limiting the jumping up and down since that could make the condition worse. Also prevent her from becoming overweight as this puts more stress on all of the joints. Many dogs with mild patella luxation never need treatment or have any lameness. I personally am not overly concerned about it and would go ahead and get Chloe. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

The term for this condition is called a luxating patella. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know if this condition will progress as Beaux gets older or if it will remain stable. Some of the pets will require surgery. Some of these pets will be fine for a long time (but most will develop more severe arthritis in the joint). It is unlikely that he will outgrow the condition. It's impossible to know how things will unfold. Here is a link about patella luxation with helpful information and it may help you to make your decision: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/luxating-patella-in-dogs I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

An x-ray would be helpful to evaluate her knees. The best thing would be to have her evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon to grade the degree of the luxations and determine if surgery if recommended. A joint supplement, like Dasuquin, would be recommended if she has luxations.