Slightly OT-ACL surgery for my dog

[ComplicatedPink]

Hi there. I took my 11 month old Pom to the vet today after he hurt his leg on Thursday while playing with my sister. My little guy wasn't cooperating when the vet was trying to examine him (I can't blame him, I'd be pretty uncomfortable if someone wanted to play with my injury) so they took an x-ray. They found some swelling in his knee and the vet thinks that it could be a torn ACL but doesn't know for sure or to what extent. Since the little bugger was holding his leg too tensely the vet decided to put him on some anti-inflammatory and check back in two weeks. What I want to know is are there any other dog owners who have had this surgery done on their pet? About how much did it cost you? I know its bound to be expensive and I'm currently only a full time student Any spare pixie dust sent his way would be appreciated too!

 

[ambgoph]

My dog just had ACL surgery done this past October. She had the Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) surgery. There are different versions out there. According to our vet, this was the surgery that had the quickest recovery time and also was recommended for a dog over 50 pounds (it was also the most expensive). We took her to a surgeon that our vet recommended (over 2 hours away). The surgery was a little over an hour and we picked her up the following day. The total cost for everything (examination, surgery, overnight stay, x-rays, meds, follow-up) was $3,750.

I have to say that although this was expensive and cost us our holiday trip, it was well worth it. It took her a little over two months to almost fully recover - she walks with a slight limp but her quality of life is SO much better. Our vet knew right away when he saw her that she ruptured her ACL by the way she was hopping around.

If you have any other questions, just ask. I hope that your dog didn't tear her ACL and that all she needs is some time to heal.

 

[ComplicatedPink]

Thanks ambgoph! I'm really hoping its not his ACL but I'll find the money somehow if it is.

 

[mcorbo]

Our pit had a torn acl, as was said before, there are different versions of the surgery. Ours, also was the most expensive and cost about $3500.00.

 

[Sillyminny40]

Our friend's shih tzu had knee surgery and it was around $3000. It went well.

 

[Them!]

Would you believe that my cat had this surgery?! She jumped off a counter when the doorbell rang one night. OI! The vet said it was very common for dogs and they do the surgery a bit different than they do for a cat. He said they often do a TPLO surgery (google that) and for my cat they made an artificial ligament.

It wasn't cheap. I had to go to an emergency vet then my regular vet for $600 worth of diagnosis and the surgery was at least $1200. ~Amnesia~ (I know the budget board collectively, just gasped!!!!!!!!!!!)The emergency vet could have been avoided and I would have saved most of that money had I just gone to the specialty vet straight away. I actually thought the cat broke her leg so I didn't know what to do.

The good thing is that my cat is 100% healthy. It was a pretty rough surgery and I was caught off guard about how much she had to heal but all in all, a good thing.

Coworkers told us to get a new cat instead. We really couldn't afford it but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Here's a BUNCH of pixie dust::::ixiedust: GL!!!

 

[crisi]

They wanted to do this to our dog, but wanted to wait until he was full grown. They really weren't sure if they would do ACL or his hip (he has hip dysplasia) they weren't sure what was causing the limp - there was swelling in his knee.

By the time he was full grown whatever was wrong had healed.

He still has hip dysplasia. But its so far out of socket it doesn't bother him - he sits funny.

 

[tonilea]

Until a year ago, I worked for a veterinary in rural Arkansas. If our vet did the surgery, you would be looking at $700 to $500 for EVERYTHING. If it was referred to a clinic in Springfield, MO, I think the cost there for the surgery, anesthetic and post-op pain medications was in the $1500 range.

It very much depends on where you live.

ETA: If you do have to have the surgery done, follow the post-op recommendations to the letter! It is hard and a PITA, but you will have the best chances for great results.

 

[msgoofy]

My dog tore her ACL about a year ago.

She didn't need surgery. The vet told us to wait and see how she did. She started using her leg again, so we were lucky and didn't have to have the surgery done.

She will limp sometimes, especially if it's cold outside or if she's walked alot on it.

Good luck with your baby!

 

[bszoo]

We've been through this twice with my dog. The first time it happened, about 4 yrs ago, the vet put him on anti-inflamitories and he did very well. The next thing you knew he was limping and he had really damaged the ACL. We had the surgery done since he was such a young dog - 2 yrs old. The total bill was under $1000.00 - that included anesthesia, surgery, pain meds and antibiotics.
The second time he was almost 5yrs old - other knee. The vet said it's ot uncommon for this to happen. This time it cost about $1400.00. The recovery took longer the second time. My dog has not been off leash since before his first surgery. We've been concerned that he would damage it again when he tries to chase the squirrels and rabbits. Cody is a mastiff/lab mix and now weighs 90 lbs. He originally weighed 105 lbs but the vet said to keep him lean to make things better for his knees.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
My dog had this done in 2001. It cost 2,200 at the time. She couldn't even walk. We're very happy we had this done for her. I think that the recovery was worse for her than the operation. She had to stay in a play yard, in my family room, for three months. I had it very well padded. She was only allowed out on a leash for a few minutes at a time. We would put her in a Playschool wagon with a comforter in it and wheel her throught the house, so she didn't have to walk too far. I don't know if the recovery process is the same as it was in 2001, but that was a pain. Recently, she started limping again, and the vet put her on an anti-infamatory and pain pills. Now she doesn't limp, but she has a hard time getting up when she's laying down. She is a little overweight and the vet said she has arthritis probably around her knee. She'll be 15 years old on February 6th, and we're having a birthday party for her with my DD's dogs. I hate her being this old. She's just the most wonderful dog anyone could ever want. Good luck with your dog!!

 

[ComplicatedPink]

Thank you everyone for your information. Now that I've had time to let everything sink in a little bit I'm feeling better about it. It also doesn't hurt to see that there have been situations where surgery wasn't required especially in some cases that sound like Titan's symptoms. He's walking on it about 95% of the time and only pulls it up when he over strains himself or hits something. It might also be that he is a very large Pom. He weights about twice as much as the standard (he's 14lbs) but we knew he would be larger than average. Maybe if we get him down a pound or two it would relieve some of the pressure. Thank you all for sharing and the well wishes ! I'll keep updating through the next two weeks and then after his appointment.

 

[Kate and Pete]

Both of my boxers have torn their ACLs, but neither has needed surgery (very small tears - not all the way through). With the anti-inflammatory, your pup might start to feel better and want to run around. The best advice I can give you is to keep her as still as possible, even if that means she spends some extra time in her crate resting. No jumping on/off furniture. You should do that at least until the next appt. ACLs can heal themselves, but not if the dog's running around on it. I've had to keep both boxers still for 5-6 weeks at a time (and not both at once - so one was always a nut while I was trying to keep the other calm). It's tough, but it can be done!

Wishing your pup the best!!! And a little

 

[PoohHappens]

Sorry to hear about your dog. Ours had a similar injury 2 years ago. He is a lab mix. Our estimate for surgery with everything would be about $3000. He was 10yrs at the time and we felt strongly about not putting him throught this. Plus the expense was a factor--we have a policy on pets, they are not people so there is a limit on expenses. We thought we would have to put him to sleep. We talked and cried with the vet for a while. We made a plan of anti-inflamitory meds and pain meds as well as similare rehab as if he had the surgery. He was not putting the leg down at all at this point. He was in a crate except to potty for 6 weeks. It was hard. But 2 years later he is still playing with the best of them. He does limp sometimes when he overdoes it, and just recently he was out with us in my moms woods all day and he was favoring it, but only for 2 days. He is not in any pain on a regular basis, only if he overdoes it. We keep his weight down and he is not on any daily meds. We have been happy with the results as is the vet. We feel in this case we made the right decision. With a puppy our decision may have been different. In your case it is a known injury and has a positive outlook. Our dogs just blew as he was walking. I saw him walking, he yelped and started hopping. This was worrysome as they warned us about the likelyhood it would happen to the other leg following the surgery. Best of luck and I hope your cuttie is better soon. I would talk to your vet about limiting activity for him while you are waiting for reevaluation.

 

[winnapooh]

My dog is at the vet right now (and for the next two day), having his surgery on his torn ACL. He's a large lab, so we opted for one of the higher level treatments (sorry I can't be more specific, they explained three different things and I almost passed out hearing the specifics of what they do, so I can't really explain). His surgery, including the x-rays and bloodwork is estimated at 2,200.

One thing I might recommend is looking into Pet Insurance ASAP!! Most of what we saw won't cover preexisting conditions, but they may honor it if you get the insurance before going to the vet. We are getting it for our dog now, and while it won't work for this surgery, the vet said that of all dogs that tear one ACL, there is a 40% chance they will tear the other one.

I hope your dog feels better; my guy has been so miserable because he can't play like he is used to...hopefully the recovery time is really only as long as they say it is (2 weeks of very restricted movement using a sling to help him walk (which will be fun with a 90 lb dog!) and then a month of restricted play, like no running and jumping).

ETA: You may want to start a joint supplement such as Cosequin. I know it won't help with the ligaments, but the bones can start to grate together and arthritis can form. Our new vet recommended it, but since we have a large dog in a breed prone to hip problems, he's been on it preventively for the past 3 years anyways.

Oh, and don't let the fact that your dog is walking on his leg make you think it's getting better. We thought the same thing (he was even lifting the other leg and standing on the bad one to go to the bathroom). But when the vet moved it around, after waiting the time period (3 weeks) to see if it was anything else and would heal, it still moved wrong. It's unfortunate, but they told us that dogs, and some breeds in particular, are very resilient and won't let pain really get them down...they still want to play and be puppies, so they will just learn to deal with the pain.

 

[Ashes711]

Pom's are fragile little dogs! My pom had surgery on a luxating patella (knee wouldn't stay in socket) in July, she was just a year and a couple months at the time. They think that she may have to have the surgery on her other knee in a few years too.

I realize that this is a different type of surgery, but my advice would be to find a good animal clinic in the area. Though we wait much longer for care, the prices are much much less.

I take my dog to a clinic here in Louisville and her surgery, complete with a 3 day stay, was only $400. It is estimated that it would have cost $1500-$2000 at another vet here in town.

The clinic also saved her life in April of last year when she had a gastric/intestinal problem. I highly recommend a good clinic!

 

[ComplicatedPink]

Hey everyone! OP here! Just wanted to give an update and thank everyone for their well wishes!

Titan had his re-check today and it was mixed news. The vet thinks that he may have a tiny tear in his ACL but thats not really something they are concerned about at this point. However, he does have TWO luxated patellas. Ugh. The patellas are probably a contributing factor to his ACL injury. So were still waiting to see how he does when he goes off Rimadyl (?). He may never need surgery or we might elect to have it done if it begins to be an issue. As advised by lovely DIS'ers I will have to look for a clinic to see if I can fine a more affordable option!

Thanks again to all the DIS dog lovers! I've really appreciated your advice and information!

 

[deawd]

Our dog has had surgery to correct luxating patellas in both hind legs. We used a board-certified surgeon and paid $1800 for one knee and $2100 for the other one (price went up in the year between surgeries). The price varied by the size of the dog. Ours is 65 pounds. The surgeon did note that sometimes smaller dogs don't need surgery since they aren't putting as much weight on the knee.

If you do have the surgery, be warned that the recovery is not fun. Follow the surgeon's instructions to the letter. We felt sorry for the level of confinement required for the first surgery when our guy was still a hyper puppy. As a result, we let him have too much freedom and what should have been a 6 week recovery was a 12 week recovery. We were more disciplined the second time and the recovery was much quicker.

Good luck!

 

[andymattmom]

Our kitty had knee surgery twice. It was several years ago but I believe it was in the 1200 range or so. Our $10 pound kitty has cost us lots, but he is worth it. The surgery recovery was tough to be honest (know someone else said this also). He couldn't jump...a cat not jumping is hard...finding a room to keep him in for weeks without anything to jump on even harder...finally penned him with baby gates in the breakfast nook and moved the table...we would go "visit him" all the time--he was out in the open and could see us. The first surgery didn't work...less than 2 months later having it done again...NO COST to us.

I am one who doesn't hesitate when it comes to a pet...ours is like a member of our family. He is now diabetic...ben for over a year now. I give him twice daily shots..not tough but when you go on vacation you can't just have someone come in and feed him. He goes to grandma and grandpa's then.

Hope your dog gets better without surgery. Amazing the number of animals that have had the surgery...even better the number of blessed animals who have owners who are willing to spend do whatever to help their animal.

 

[homedad]

our lab tore her acl and we had the surgury, it was worth the $1500(5 years ago) she was much better afterward.....