I’m not really pitting anything or anyone, but I just had to complain, so I figured I do it here.
3 years ago my dog blew out the ACL on his right, rear leg. $3500 later it was fixed with a procedure known as TPLO. He was 6.5 then and he and I frequently did 15+ mile hikes or runs and so I felt it was the right thing to do. I debated spending that kind of cash on a dog, but he was young and very active and I was in a good job.
2 days ago I’m in the back yard and he is running around when he let our a loud “yelp” and came up limping. His back LEFT leg is up. I knew at that moment what happened. We went to vet and sure enough he has blown out the other ACL. I can have it fixed for $1200 but he is now a 9.5 year old dog, isn’t nearly as active (although we still go on 5 or 6 mile hikes at times… no more double digit runs/hikes, though) and quite frankly my job is in serious jeopardy.
TPLO is not an option this time around due to his age and the cost. Even the $1200 seems a bit much especially since, thanks to the “incentive check” I got last year I might end up owing federal taxes.
Basically, this just fucking sucks. There is no good decision. The dog isn’t in any pain, but if I don’t get this fixed he’ll end up with arthritis very quickly. If I do have it fixed and lose my job I’ll really wish I had that $1200. He is an amazing dog. Gah.
I’m just glad to find out the American Civil Liberties Union isn’t picking on your dog.
Other than that, I’m sorry that you dog is injured but I’m glad he’s not in pain. With cheap meds he can still do a few more years at limited mobility.
I’ve got concerns too. Bubba is almost 12 years old and being a large breed he’s susceptible to joint injuries. I have a lot of other financial obligations and really don’t want to have to weigh the cost of the bye-bye shot against any surgery fees that could crop up.
Several months ago my cat got very ill. He developed a problem with his urinary tract and had a blockage that would have killed him after several hours of pain. I rushed him to the emergency clinic and they told me what was wrong and they gave me a basic estimate for his medical costs of approximately $2,000. I was unemployed at the time but I knew I couldn’t have him put to sleep so I handed over my discover card and sobbed while they took my kitty to be held for two days in the hospital. In the end when you include the antibiotics, follow up vet visit, taxi fare for the trip to and from the vet and then back from the vet when I brought him home, etc. it ended up costing me more than $3,000.
I am still paying off that debt and I will be for the next several months but every time he curls up on my lap or jumps up on the sink to watch in horror as I voluntarily get in the shower or comes running to the door when I come home from work at night I know it is worth every penny I spent and then some. I still panic about all the money I spent sometimes and I can understand how other people may not be able to make that same choice but for me it was the right decision. I hope you are able to find the right decision for yourself and your dog.
It’s a hard decision when you have a cherished family pet with an expensive condition that will kill them if you don’t do something. I think when it is not a life-threatening condition that changes things a bit. If it were my dog, I think I’d take my chances with the possibility of arthritis (since he’s getting pretty old now and might end up developing it soon anyway). A lot of older dogs (and people) live with arthritis all right.
Good luck with your decision in any case!
I’m so sorry to hear about your pal.
Is there any chance that there is a vet school nearby? You may be able to have the surgery done at a reduced rate.
Depending on the area, but IME, vet schools are usually the ones that will charge more than private practices. Granted, they may be more likely to offer more paying options (CareCredit, pet insurance, payment plans, etc.) than other clinics, but they’re still expensive.
Remember, it is at the vet school where they have (generally speaking) the better trained doctors and supporting staff, the best (or better access to) perioperative, operative, and post-op drugs (anesthesia and analgesia), and the cutting edge technology (or more advanced than surrounding clinics).
Veterinary schools are not like medical schools, they are not funded the same way.
When his first ACL tore I called the local vet school and they wanted as much as the traveling specialist, so I went with the traveling specialist. I haven’t checked the local vet school for this time around, but I will if it comes to it.
For now, the vet said he wants me to keep my dog calm for the next 10 days and then we will re-evaluate what needs to happen. He also said, “I’ll help you where I can”, which I assume means he’d probably let me go on a payment plan. The vet was terrific, by the way. Patient with me and gentle with the dog.
What kind of dog is it? Is it a very large dog who will not live much longer or a smaller one who could live another 6 or 7 years? If he still has a lot of time left in him, I’d have the operation. If he’s the size of dog who may only live to be 10, then I’d invest in some good pain meds for him.
Years from now when you think back about what a great dog you had, you won’t think to yourself “gee, I sure wish I hadn’t spent that money on him”, you’ll think about how lucky you were have that extra time with him.
Don’t let anybody talk you out of spending your own money on your dog.
He is a lab that weighs in at about 75lbs. I have no idea how much longer he would have. It could be anywhere from 3 to 7 more years. He is strong and otherwise healthy.
Just personal advice from another dog owner, but I’d start giving him glucosamine supplements. At the least it might stave off the coming arthritis for a while.
I saw a news report the other day on the increased joint injuries from pet. They now do more ACL surgeries on dogs than humans. They opine that injuries are on the rise because more owners allow their dogs on furniture, and hopping down from couches and beds, which are getting increasingly taller, puts too much stress on the joint.
Buddy the beagle blew out his ACL a few years back. One vet wanted $2k. The other wanted $800. So it does pay to compare. We went with the latter and he did fine. As you know, following surgery they must be confined in a cage for several weeks. I always wondered if he wouldn’t have gotten better on his own had I just confined him for 6 weeks without surgery. It couldn’t have hurt.
Anyway, the surgeon did warn me that there’s a very high risk for his other knee going out. Since the surgery, he has gotten injured and limps from time to time. But we’ve resolved to not get the other leg operated on because the long rehab is too hard for him. Our dog hates being confined and we hated taking away his walks, which he enjoys almost as much as napping. The vet also said that he WILL be arthritic in the knee after the surgery, so you’re trading one problem for another. We now give him a “happy pill” (Rimadyl) when he starts limping and continue on our merry way.
BTW, the vet said that the best thing we could do to try and avoid another injury was to keep him at his ideal weight. She has no idea how hard it is to keep a beagle at his ideal weight.
My dog has never been on a couch or on the bed, but in his younger days I would take him in the back of my pickup for hikes and such. That happened once or twice a week so certainly it wasn’t a daily occurrence.
Based on what I’ve been reading and some of the advice I’ve seen here, I’ll likely just try to manage his pain and arthritis. I’ve also instructed my kids to feed him less since he won’t be nearly as active.
I understand how you feel.