Over the past two decades, animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD) have helped to determine the plausible underlying mechanism of levo-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia following l-DOPA treatment. However, our understanding of the mechanisms related to this phenomenon remains incomplete. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a comprehensive review of treatment protocols used for assessing the occurrence of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, l-DOPA absorption, distribution, drug/food interaction, and discuss current strategies and future directions. This review offers a historical perspective using l-DOPA in animal models of PD and the occurrence of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.