Dog on the DL

Took my dog over to my parents' house yesterday to play with their two dogs. When we got there, one of my parents' dogs came flying across the floor to see us, stopped awkwardly and came up lame. So my mom and I took him to the vet. Diagnosis: Torn ACL.

Anybody have experience with a torn ACL on a dog? The emergency vet recommended surgery, but my parents are getting a second opinion from the dog's normal vet today.

 

I'd fly him to Birmingham for a consult with Andrews.

 

My dog (cocker spaniel) had ACL surgery last year. We had a few options ... we could've had surgery through a specialist ($$$$) or the vet could do the procedure at the clinic ($$). We went with option 2 since she was already 7 years old and is going to have arthritis no matter what now. Cost about $1100, plus medications.

She was in a walking cast for about a month or so, and on limited exercise for about 2-3 months. She's now on anti-inflammatories the rest of her life. The key thing will be to watch her weight ... that was a big issue with my dog since she was a little moosey. She doesn't move around with the same energy as she did before, but a lot of that is age also her trust in her bad leg.

But she gets around fine, is able to go up and down stairs again (even jump onto couches, but I'll usually help her off the couch just as a precaution), and also is chasing after kids and other dogs to some extent.

I'll check back in later if I'm able to dig up more info on what the specific procedures were called.

 

I'd fly him to Birmingham for a consult with Andrews.
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Awesome. And they're close enough to drive.

 

Thanks. My parent's dog is a cocker too. Will turn 3 this week. My dad has talked to a few people who have strongly advised against surgery. Not sure if it's like a human ACL where you can get by without surgery, but are limited in terms of athleticism.

 

Believe it or not, my cat blew out her ACL and the doc said we could do surgery or let it heal on its own and hope the scar tissue doesn't become an issue. We opted for the latter and she's fine now.

I know this was about a dog and its ACL but when you have a cat with a torn ACL story, you use it when you can.

 

Yeah, it's a blown ACL. Friend of the family is a vet.

You gotta get the surgery.

 

Or have Vick dog sit...

 

I'm not trying to be callous. I love dogs, am a dog-owner, etc. But happens if a $1,100 surgery is not a practical financial option for someone. What does the vet recommend then?

 

What sucks is when this happens chances are the dog is young and healthy, not old and feeble.

I always thought $500 for a dog and $250 for a cat was my over and under. Now that I have a wife who loves pets, I know those numbers are way low.

 

When it's an ACL it's cheaper to replace the whole dog than the knee. I equip my dogs with McDavid Knee Braces when they are at play. You just never know.

 

It basically comes down to how much you trust your vet, and whether or not he or she believes surgery (either suture or the much more expensive TPLO) is necessary. Sometimes without it, a dog can completely recover for the most part. Either way, arthritis is going to be likely whether you have the surgery or not.