Torn ACL in dogs

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Permalink Reply by Joe on June 5, 2008 at 6:56pm

Hi, is she favoring the leg, or what led to this diagnosis?

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Permalink Reply by Jill on June 6, 2008 at 10:06am

She puts no weight at all on her right hind leg. The vet did an exam and x-ray. She said she sees "one or two of these a week" out here (I live in the east mountains). The uneven terrain out here (i.e., gopher holes - at least on our property) is probably what did it.

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Permalink Reply by Joe on June 5, 2008 at 7:20pm

Well said sarah, thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Animalib on August 12, 2008 at 9:57am

My friend's dog was just diagnosed with the same thing yesterday, only the estimate they gave her for the orthopedic surgeon vet/surgery was 3k. Where did you go? Now I am thinking that 1,800 is not that bad!

Please reply soon,

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Jill on August 12, 2008 at 10:26am

We didn't get a real estimate, that was just what the vet said ... you know, "Anywhere from ..."

How old is your dog? Nala is 7, so we opted not to do surgery. It's been about 2 months and we did a course of anti-inflammatories plus Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplements. She's doing well - she puts weight on the leg and only limps occasionally (she needs to shed a few pounds - I think that will help). She eats good and doesn't seem to be in any distress.

*Sigh* I'm still feeling tremendous guilt for not doing the surgery. I would like to find some place for swimming therapy and see if that will strengthen it further. Very best of luck to you - let me know what you find out, Animalib!

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Permalink Reply by dog breath on August 16, 2008 at 9:44am

It depends on the size of the dog, little dogs get away with having an artificial ligament put in. The TPLO is far more invasive and it is a patented surgery, thus the hefty price tag. My dog in the pic had a TPLO when he was 12, that was 3 years ago. He gets along OK and can do a minor 3 mile hike but that's about it... plus he's now 15.

My girlfriend at the time was the referring vet, at the time he was the only guy in town doing them. He put in a rod that was too big and it causes continued discomfort and now he's too old with too severe a heart murmur to be a surgical candidate to have the rod removed. Moreover the asshole Shwartz at VSS was just that a raging pompous asshole. The total bill with the pre- & post-visits came to about $6,000

Regardless there are now choices and the surgeon my ex refers her clients to Swainson at VCA. Its worth a consult with him. By far a more decent person all around.
It also depends on whether it s a partial tear, which would take months of rehab to make a difference. If it is a total tear, (I heard the one in my dog snap), then it goes to quality of life and . There are few options, if you're thinking reiki and acupuncture, your better off with leaches and blood letting...

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Permalink Reply by Zia Dog on September 3, 2008 at 7:00pm

I've been through this surgery 4 times now with two dogs (they both blew out their ACL's in both knees - both are pit bulls and prone to this kind of injury, although we are still baffled at how they did it). We were first sent to Dr. Schwarz 7 years ago and he told us that THE ONLY surgery that would fix it would be the TPLO with a hefty price tag. Because he was such an awful jerk to us we went to another vet who said that the traditional surgery would be just fine for him. Guinness then blew out his other ACL a year later and we had that fixed also. It's been 7 years since the first surgery and he has not had any problems with his knees.

My other dog Molly tore her ACL's in the summer of 2007 and this past June. This time my vet at Aztec Animal Clinic, Dr. Reilly, did both surgeries (traditional, not TPLO). She did a fantastic job and Molly's knees are doing great. The surgery this summer cost $1400. I highly recommend Dr. Reilly and Aztec Animal Clinic for this surgery.

Animal Humane New Mexico has a low-income clinic that might be able to do the surgery, but you would have to qualify as low-income. You can call them at 255-5523 if you think you may qualify.

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