Dog Luxating Patella Surgery: How Much Does It Cost?

Your veterinarian diagnoses your dog with a luxating patella. Once they’ve explained what that actually means and how they plan to treat it, your next question is likely: How much is that going to cost? Search for answers and you’ll likely find estimates ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per knee, which is quite the span. In reality, the price depends on several factors, including the severity of the luxation and the type of surgery recommended.

This guide shares published costs from various sources, highlighting what impacts the estimate, what the estimate may and may not include, and what to do if the estimate your clinic gives you is financially out of reach.

The patella is the kneecap. It normally sits in a groove at the end of the thigh bone and slides up and down as the leg bends. A luxating patella slips in and out of that groove, usually to and from the inside of the leg. It’s most common in small and toy-breed dogs, although some larger dogs can develop a luxating patella too, and some breeds are predisposed.

The sign most owners notice first is a skip. Your dog is trotting along, suddenly carries the back leg up for a few steps, shakes or stretches it, then continues as if nothing happened. That’s a result of the kneecap popping out and then slotting itself back in.

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons explains that, unless the luxation was caused by an injury, the problem often involves more than the kneecap itself. The groove that should hold the kneecap in place may be too shallow, and abnormalities in the bones, muscles, or ligaments of the back leg can pull the kneecap out of position. How much of the leg is affected, and what needs to be corrected, can make a big difference to the cost of surgery.

That’s why two dogs with the same diagnosis can be given very different quotes: one needs the soft tissue tightened while the other needs bone reshaped.

That’s the first question you want to ask, because not every luxating patella actually needs surgery.

The ACVS position is that a luxation causing no symptoms should be monitored rather than operated on, particularly in small dogs, and that whether surgery should be considered depends mostly on the grade of the patella, as outlined below:

Non-surgical management is not a cure. It can help manage the condition while your dog is coping well. But if your dog is in pain, skipping frequently, or the luxation has progressed to a higher grade, it may be time to discuss surgery with your veterinarian.

It’s important to consider the cost of waiting as well as the cost of treating. The ACVS is clear that patellar luxation can cause pain and osteoarthritis in the knee joint, as well as lameness that can progress to the point where a dog stops using the affected leg altogether.

The pattern it describes is gradual. Occasional skipping may become more frequent and eventually constant. In young puppies with a severe medial luxation, the back legs can also take on a bow-legged appearance that becomes more pronounced as the puppy grows.

The outlook after surgery is generally very good. The ACVS reports that more than 90 per cent of pet parents are satisfied with their dog’s progress after surgery, and that the kneecap becoming unstable again is uncommon. Complications such as implants migrating or breaking, and infections, are rare.

The ACVS notes that the outcome can be less predictable in large dogs and in dogs that also have cruciate ligament disease, hip dysplasia, or severely angled leg bones. Grade 4 luxations can also be more difficult to treat than grades 1 to 3.

Pawlicy Advisor, citing the same ACVS figure, adds that most dogs go on to live normal, active lives, particularly with grades 1 to 3 and when surgery is performed soon after diagnosis.

Your surgeon will set the recovery plan, which typically involves strict activity restriction for several weeks followed by a gradual return to normal movement. Pawlicy Advisor says that, with proper care, dogs generally return to using the operated leg within six to eight weeks.

Many practices confirm healing with radiographs at around eight weeks, so follow-up imaging is another cost to factor into the overall bill. The costs you may encounter during recovery are set out further down this page.

A luxating patella is graded from 1 to 4 based on how easily and how often the kneecap slips out of its groove. Grade 1 rarely needs surgery at all. From grade 2 up, the price climbs with the amount of correction the knee needs.

Please note, the above numbers reflect planning estimates published by sustainablevet.org. They are not quotes. The only costs you should plan for are those in the written estimate you get from the clinic that has examined your dog.

Below are estimates published by five different sources. Note that they don’t all use the same method, so they’re shown side by side rather than blended into a single national average.

Four of the five sources fall within the same $1,000 to $5,000 span. That tells you that the range is realistic but it doesn’t tell you where inside that range your dog’s estimate will likely sit.

Most practices won't provide an estimate before examining the canine patient, which is reasonable, but one that does is Veterinary Surgery Service in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Their all-inclusive fee for luxating patella surgery is $2,500 for dogs up to 22 pounds and $2,700 for dogs over 22 pounds. Radiographs to confirm healing at eight weeks are $200 more.

This fee covers the intake examination, pre-anesthetic bloodwork, an EKG, an IV catheter and fluids, pre-anesthetic pain relief, preoperative radiographs, anesthesia, local or regional pain control, and the surgery itself.

Keep in mind this is just one practice in one state. Don’t interpret as a national price. Rather, consider it a checklist you can use when your own clinic hands you a quote to see if any items are missing.

There is more than one way to surgically correct a luxating patella. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons lists four corrections a surgeon may need to make, and your estimate will reflect how many of them your dog needs:

• Rebuilding the soft tissue around the kneecap by loosening the side it's sliding toward and tightening the other side.
• Deepening the groove in the femur so the kneecap sits properly.
• Moving the tibial crest, the bony point below the knee where the kneecap's tendon attaches, to realign the pull of the thigh muscles.
• Cutting and reshaping a deformed femur and holding it in place with a bone plate. This is a more involved procedure and is usually needed only when the bone itself is misshapen.

A grade 2 knee in a small dog may need only the first two corrections. A grade 4 knee in a dog with a bowed femur may need all four, plus a CT scan beforehand to plan the surgery. That difference helps explain why the cost can fall at either end of such a wide range.

Usually inside the surgical fee: the intake examination, pre-anesthetic bloodwork, anesthesia and monitoring, the procedure, any implants, pain control during and immediately after, and overnight hospitalization where the practice does that.

Often billed separately: preoperative radiographs or a CT scan, which sustainablevet.org puts at $200 to $500 extra; the follow-up radiographs; take-home medication; physical therapy; and the second knee if both need correcting.

This is the part most people leave out of the budget.

Together these add roughly $500 to $2,000 on top of the surgical fee, on sustainablevet.org's figures. Pawlicy Advisor puts rehabilitation at $40 to $100 a session and pain medication at $20 to $50 a month, close enough that both are worth knowing.

Small breeds often have luxating patellas in both knees. Each knee is graded on its own and treated separately, whether the surgeries are staged months apart or both knees are corrected in a single session. If both need surgery, expect the overall cost to be considerably higher.

Bilateral cases can also be easier to miss. Instead of an obvious one-sided skip, your dog may simply look stiff or bunny-hop with both back legs together. If your dog moves this way, ask your veterinarian to check and grade both knees.

It can, and the mechanics matter more than the brand. Every policy works through a deductible, a reimbursement percentage and an annual limit, and pays you back after you've settled with the clinic.

The catch on this particular condition is pre-existing exclusions. Patellar luxation is at least partly genetic and is often picked up on a routine examination long before it needs surgery. Once it's in the record, most policies treat it as pre-existing and won't cover the repair. If your dog is young and undiagnosed, this is a condition worth insuring against early. If it's already on the chart, read the policy wording carefully before counting on it.

MetLife publishes one settled example: a $4,950 surgery reimbursed at about $4,450 on a policy with a $250 deductible. That's what it looks like when the timing works.

Grade 3 and 4 luxations generally require surgery, and leaving a severe luxation untreated can lead to further wear on the joint, arthritis, and other knee problems. If surgery is recommended but the cost is beyond your budget, the question becomes how to make the treatment more affordable.

• Ask for a written, itemized estimate. You’ll need one to compare costs between clinics or apply for financial assistance.

• Ask your clinic what it offers directly. Some practices offer payment plans or accept financing options such as CareCredit.

• Ask whether a referral could change the total cost. A board-certified surgeon may charge more for the procedure itself, but there may be other factors that affect the overall bill, particularly if both knees need surgery.

• Look at assistance programs and crowdfunding. Our guide to financial assistance for your pet's surgery provides options, including but not limited to our own nonprofit crowdfunding platform.

Our crowdfunding platform can help you close the gap between the funding you need for your pet’s veterinary care and the money you have available. Once you’ve finished raising funds, Waggle releases them straight to your veterinary clinic and they’re applied directly to your verified bill. It’s a great way to fundraise part or all of your funding deficit. Start here.

• What grade is each knee, and were they graded under sedation?
• Which of the four corrections does my dog need, and why?
• Is the femur or tibia deformed enough to need reshaping?
• What's included in the quote, and what will be billed separately?
• Would you perform the surgery here or refer me to a board-certified surgeon?
• What does recovery look like week by week, and what will that part of the care cost?

The price ranges on this page are intended as a general guide. Your dog’s actual cost will depend on the treatment they need and the fees charged by your veterinary clinic. Figures were collected on 20 August 2026.

• MetLife Pet Insurance, “Luxating Patella in Dogs & Surgery Costs”: $1,000 to $5,000 per leg, and one settled claim at $4,950 billed with about $4,450 reimbursed on a $250 deductible policy.
• Pawlicy Advisor, “Luxating Patella in Dogs”, reviewed by Ricky Walther, DVM: $1,000 to $5,000; rehabilitation $40 to $100 per session; pain medication $20 to $50 a month.
• Vety, “How much does luxating patella dog surgery cost?”: $1,500 to $5,000 per knee, a $3,300 national average, and a $1,000 to $10,000 outer spread.
• Daily Paws, “Luxating Patella in Dogs”: $1,000 to $5,000.
• sustainablevet.org, “How Much Does MPL Surgery Cost for Dogs?”: cost bands by grade, preoperative imaging at $200 to $500, and post-operative care adding $500 to $2,000.
• Veterinary Surgery Service Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Florida: all-inclusive fee of $2,500 for dogs up to 22 lb and $2,700 above that, plus $200 for eight-week radiographs.
• American College of Veterinary Surgeons, patellar luxations: the four surgical corrections, the over 90% owner satisfaction figure, and the note that prognosis is less favorable in large dogs.