I'm so sorry, are you talking about Luxating patella? Did he say what grade it was? Joey has grade 1 in one knee, but it hasn't gotten any worse over the years, it just means his bone moves out of joint sometimes, but it will go back in place. It's a very common condition in small breeds.
Taken from:
Luxating patella - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Quote:
Grade I - the patella can be manually luxated but is reduced (returns to the normal position) when released;
Grade II - the patella can be manually luxated or it can spontaneously luxate with flexion of the stifle joint. The patella remains luxated until it is manually reduced or when the animal extends the joint and derotates the tibia in the opposite direction of luxation;
Grade III - the patella remains luxated most of the time but can be manually reduced with the stifle joint in extension. Flexion and extension of the stifle results in reluxation of the patella;
Grade IV - the patella is permanently luxated and cannot be manually repositioned. There may be up to 90¼ of rotation of the proximal tibial plateau. The femoral trochlear groove is shallow or absent, and there is displacement of the quadriceps muscle group in the direction of luxation.
Treatment
Grades II, III and IV require surgery to correct, if the animal has difficulty walking. The surgery required is governed by the type of abnormality present, but often involves a sulcoplasty, a deepening of the trochlear sulcus that the patella sits in, a re-alignment of the attachment of the patella tendon on the tibia, and tightening/releasing of the capsule either side of the patella, according to which side the patella is slipping. Some Grade IV conditions may require more involved surgery to realign the femur and/or tibia.
Additional help can be given with the use of pet ramps, stairs, or steps. These can help the animal travel from one place to another, especially up and down, without adding any pain or damage to the patella.
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