My grand-puppy is a Rottweiler who tore her ACL a few weeks back. The vet they took her to did not want to do the surgery my daughter and her husband thought would be a better, more stable solution for the dog, so they were searching for a vet with experience in the resurfacing surgery they wanted. Add that to the fact that the emergency vet said all her bones and ligaments looked good, and the regular vet saying it looked like she had severe arthritis, and they were confused. So now they have found a new vet, and this one thinks the dog has bone cancer. They are waiting for the biopsy results, and complicating the potential of her losing a leg is the issue of the ligaments in her other knee now being torn and needing surgery. And then, as they were leaving the other day, the vet tech told them that a LOT of the time the biopsy will come back inconclusive anyhow!
My daughter is pregnant and emotional even when she’s not, and this is making her very upset. River is such a good dog (I think she’s three) and they just want her out of pain. Plus they are having to borrow money to pay for the surgery since all their income is going towards having to pay up front for the baby expenses (no insurance). So please think good thoughts, that it isn’t cancer for the poor dog, and that everything will be fine.
Has anyone had experience with ACL surgery in big dogs like this? I can’t remember exactly what it is called, but it involves resurfacing something, not just reattaching the ligament? Have to search for my notes.
Well, there really is no other option. Unless you think they should put an otherwise perfectly healthy dog down. She just can’t put weight on one leg. And fortunately they are able to borrow from a relative who will let them pay it back on an schedule…they just couldn’t get $4000 together in cash right this second. They are able to pay it…just not one huge lump sum, and unfortunately the vet didn’t have payment options. All or nuthin’.
The OP made it seem as though they couldn’t afford it. I stand corrected.
For the record I would put down a healthy dog, if it meant my child was better off. In fact I can’t imagine ever spending 4000 on surgery for a dog, but maybe that’s because I’m poor.
I send my best wishes for River, too. I do hope it works out for the best.
I just had our beloved dog put down Monday morning, so I can relate to the anxiety and sadness that the family is feeling.
CCL in dogs. My dog is about to have this same surgery. He’s 33kgs (so 67lbs, give or take), not a small boy. He’s not having it for a month or so, so no direct experience yet. My boy is otherwise fine, just has a gimpy knee. I’d not even consider putting him down over it. Are they sure it’s torn?
Best of luck to him. If he’s a healthy guy he should be just fine.
Our last dog had this problem. The vet said she could do the surgery for $900 or the specialist could remake the entire joint for about $2500. (this was about 10 years ago or so) At first she really did not want to do the surgery as they use 80# test line, and Indy weighted about 95#. I pointed out that we would not be picking up the dog by that ligament, and that the line was doubled giving 160# break strength.
I asked what would happen if the monofiliment* she used broke, she said she could redo the surgery. Since it would take three tries before the cost got to what the specialist charged, I went with her. The doc agreed that my analysis was correct and she did the surgery
Indiana Bones the wonder dog healed just fine, no complications, no more pain, but he had a slight limp afterwards. Doc said it was mainly from the arthritis in the joint.
He lived a long full life after the surgery. The fishing line never broke and we never had to redo the surgery.
They might want to talk to another vet about just replacing the torn ligament.
In any event, I will give my dog extra belly rubs tonight in River’s honor.
*She told me that what they use is basically 80# test fishing line
Unfortunately - I have way too much experience with TPLO surgeries.
My two dogs have had a total of 3 TPLO surgeries…
Now the good news… their outcomes have been fantastic.
The oldest dog is nearly 14. She had her first knee done when she was 5 and the second at 6. The vet at the time warned us that even with TPLO she we be more prone to develop arthritis in her knees. Currently she is on a low dose of Rimadyl and gets around as good as any 14 year old dog can.
Our other dog had his knee done at age 6… he’s nearly 9 and doing very well.
We had all the surgeries done at a Vet teaching hospital. I think they were a little cheaper than having it done at a private practice, but all three surgeries were in the $2 - $2.5K range.
One of my GSD’s had the CCL repair done about 10 weeks ago. He’s healed up very well, no residual limp. He had the figure 8 surgery done, though. My vet charged $600 for the surgery, with another $150 for pre-op x-rays and tests. That included all post-op care. That’s much less than a specialist would charge, but my vet has been doing c=CCL repairs since the 80’s, and I trust him.
Here’s a link to veterinary partner that explains what happens with a torn cruciate, symptoms, and why one vet may think arthritis and another cancer based on what the bone looks line in the x-rays. I hope this may help with the difference between the surgeries available. It’s a great website, you could spend hours browsing the information.
My younger dog had TPLO surgery a few years ago when she was (I think) 3. She’s a 70 pound American Eskimo - Lab mix, and a pretty active dog. It took a couple of months for her to get back up to full speed, but she’s healed up great. Just like with people (I’ve had my own ACL rebuilt), the first couple of days are miserable, but the final result for us was exactly what we hoped for.
TMI tip: Have the vet shave the dog’s butt when she’s being prepped for surgery, because somebody’s going to end up cleaning her up until she figures out a way to stand and poop without putting any weight on the new leg.Gala’s surgery ran about $1800 total. I know costs can vary substantially, but four grand seems like an awful lot to me.
Good news all around…no cancer! And they gave an estimate for the surgery…$2500 to $2800 now…much more reasonable! Thanks for the advice on the, um, landscaping…even though she’s got real short hair in that area, I bet a closer trim would help. They are only going to do the really bad knee for now, and see if the other one heals up while she’s on crate-rest for the surgery. She’s lost a bit of weight and is at 108 lbs. right now, so that fishing-line thing was not an option that had a good success rate for dogs her size. Her surgery is next Wednesday. Apparently the vet surgeon is only standing in for another vet who is on maternity leave,but his speciality is TPLO’s, so they really lucked out in finding him.
Now as long as the receptionist forgives my daughter for blowing a gasket when the results got delayed for two days…I figure if the regular vet was preggers, they are probably used to the results of hormones around the place…
My beagle had his knee repaired surgically. The emergency vet quoted us $2500, IIRC. His regular vet quoted us $1400. Everything went well and Buddy is fine 6 years later.