[Mer4ever]

Hi there,

I had a Yorkie with grade two in one leg and she lived a great life (almost 16 years) on supplements and without surgery. The vet was quite specific about keeping her off cobblestones, sand, and some other surfaces, giving her appropriate amounts of activity, and keeping her weight in a healthy range. I also tried to limit her jumping, especially off/on high objects and onto hard surfaces.

A couple of times the patella did get out of alignment and I just massaged her leg until it went back in. She also had a little "skip" in her walk sometimes, due to the condition. One time (and one time only) she jumped off the couch and it must have gone out of alignment in a painful way, because she was crying and clearly in great pain. It lasted only a couple of minutes but was horrible to witness. If this had happened again, I think I would have considered more invasive measures.

The vet said that one of my current pups has it in both legs, but he is on supplements and we are going to re-evaluate when he is 18 months old. Fingers crossed that we will not have to do surgery on him!

I would suggest getting a 2nd opinion if you can. I understand that it will not be easy, but it will hopefully give you peace of mind, if nothing else.

Good luck!