Dog ACL tear?

[punkin]

So to top off my hellish October, my dog fell down the stairs this morning and my vet thinks it's an acl tear. She has an orthopedist appointment later this week. Any experiences? Suggestions? Cost estimates? There goes my vacation fund.

 

[Christine]

My dog had two knees go due to this but it was a long time ago. It was about $1500 per knee. My coworker has recently done 2 of these for his dog (Virginia area) and it was $2200 each.

 

[crjack]

Very sorry to hear that. What size dog or breed do you have? My understanding is that can make a difference in treatment. Our lab mix was about 50 - 55 lbs and tore his years ago. At the time the new procedure was called TPLO but I believe it is fairly common now. It was very successful and he regained most of his mobility which helped to prevent him from overcompensating on his other side.

Ours was about $3K with the anesthesia, surgery, recovery, etc. I believe smaller dogs have some other options vs surgery but I am sure your vet will review with you. We also had an orthopedic vet perform the surgery.

Best of luck to you and your pup!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

If it just happened this morning I would give it some time to see what happens. I would absolutely not jump into a surgery like that (having had a dog die during routine, and ultimately unnecessary, surgery myself). I'm not sure that falling down stairs is how an injury like that usually happens, and I also think it's one of the big money makers for vets today. Watchful waiting.

 

[punkin]

She's 74 pounds, which is overweight. My vet mentioned the tplo, which only an ortho should do so until I speak to the ortho I have no price idea at all. I'm in the dc suburbs (Maryland side) so I guess under $3k is probably right. There is still some hope it might be something else. We will see.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Is it the back leg? They can get it by being very active in running. Mine had both back legs done. If so use a sling to go potty with them so they don't stand on the leg and make it worse. If I remember right it was about 1500 for each leg. I also kept her in a pack and play and slept next to her so I knew when she needed to go potty.

 

[dclpluto]

My dog had it done last year. The size of dog will factor into the cost of course and where you are located. My 85 pound dog from south jersey. The total cost was 4500 dollars. This is for surgery, medicine, 5 physically therapy, and three appointments with the surgeon after the surgery. Plus the dog will be on two medicines for life.
Cost of medicines a month around 50 dollars. Worth every penny. Dogs are family. I didn’t have dog insurance right after this I got dog Insurance. But that knee will never be covered because of her past.
It’s a terrible time and recommend that someone take at least a week off at work after the surgery.
Once again worth every penny.

 

[punkin]

Yes, it's the back leg. Ouch. I cannot imagine $4.5k. That is really a lot.

 

[dclpluto]

My baby right after surgery.

 

[undertheradar]

Are there any veterinary schools near you?

 

[dclpluto]

uodate I just found the estimate bill it said 4342
But could be between 4342 and 4612 as actual cost may vary. Forgot the exact amount.

 

[wenrob]

If it just happened this morning I would give it some time to see what happens. I would absolutely not jump into a surgery like that (having had a dog die during routine, and ultimately unnecessary, surgery myself). I'm not sure that falling down stairs is how an injury like that usually happens, and I also think it's one of the big money makers for vets today. Watchful waiting.

This. Our Lab had this happen and the vet wanted to do thousands in surgery ASAP. In the meantime he gave us a very expensive presciption for Glucosamine Condrotine. With some research we found that the strength was the same for animals and humans. We found it in liquid form at Sam’s Club and began mixing a dose cup with his food everyday. Within two weeks it was like it never happened. We kept him on it for the rest of his life and never had another problem. I had a friend who’s pup started to have an issue but not near as bad (my dog’s foot looked like it was hanging from his leg) and I suggested the Glucosamine. Cleared right up. Not saying you shouldn’t seek treatment if you feel it’s warranted but if he is not showing signs of pain wait and see might be best.

 

[design_mom]

Our lab had an ACL tear about 5 years ago. I remember that there were two surgical treatment options. A newer one (maybe TPLO) or a traditional repair. Since our dog was in good health and not overweight, both the vet and orthopedist thought she was a good candidate for the traditional surgery, which was substantially less expensive.

Recovery was smooth but long. She had a cast on her leg for about 6 weeks... and it couldn't get wet, which meant we had to wrap it if it was wet outside. She also had to have seriously limited mobility for several months, which meant trips outside with her on a leash (even though we have a fenced yard) so she could do her business. Brrrr. And she couldn't do stairs for quite a while.

But we survived. She's 11 years old now, and hasn't had any other issues.

Edited: Clearly I can't figure out how to add a photo!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

So to top off my hellish October, my dog fell down the stairs this morning and my vet thinks it's an acl tear. She has an orthopedist appointment later this week. Any experiences? Suggestions? Cost estimates? There goes my vacation fund.

Whether it requires surgery depends upon the severity of the tear. I wouldn't resign myself to four grand out of pocket just yet.

 

[DWD]

My 70 pound dog had TPLO surgery in the DC/Baltimore suburbs last year. I think we paid between $4 and $5k. He doesn't do well in a crate so we kept him confined in our bedroom, with our bed on the floor so he couldn't jump. He gets anxious when confined so he was on anti-anxiety/anti-depressants. It was rough while we had to confine him but now he is back to his normal active self. We opted for physical therapy to try to get some energy out -- he went to an underwater treadmill a couple times a week. I think that really helped him recover and not put on weight during his confinement. If you are in the Annapolis area, I can send you the name of our surgeon and canine fitness center.

 

[punkin]

I'm not anywhere near Annapolis, unfortunately. She doesn't look to be in too much pain, but she is not able to put any weight on it at all. She's on rymadil right now, and I have tramadol if absolutely necessary. I guess I'll know more after I see the orthopedist in a few days.

 

[aprilchem]

If it just happened this morning I would give it some time to see what happens. I would absolutely not jump into a surgery like that (having had a dog die during routine, and ultimately unnecessary, surgery myself). I'm not sure that falling down stairs is how an injury like that usually happens, and I also think it's one of the big money makers for vets today. Watchful waiting.

This. Our Lab had this happen and the vet wanted to do thousands in surgery ASAP. In the meantime he gave us a very expensive presciption for Glucosamine Condrotine. With some research we found that the strength was the same for animals and humans. We found it in liquid form at Sam’s Club and began mixing a dose cup with his food everyday. Within two weeks it was like it never happened. We kept him on it for the rest of his life and never had another problem. I had a friend who’s pup started to have an issue but not near as bad (my dog’s foot looked like it was hanging from his leg) and I suggested the Glucosamine. Cleared right up. Not saying you shouldn’t seek treatment if you feel it’s warranted but if he is not showing signs of pain wait and see might be best.

I would also recommend waiting. My 85 lb lab has had two ACL tears that have healed on their own with time, rest, and glucosamine. Our vet is very, very practical and says that he always waits at least 4-6 weeks before he rushes into recommending surgery, unless the dog was in extreme pain or the limb was broken. So far that course has been great for us - at 11 years old, she is still spry and energetic!

 

[wenrob]

Reading these stories I’m reminded this is a common issue with Labs. I keep forgetting my current brat does have Lab in her. I think I’m going to go on the hunt for the liquid Glucosamine and incorporate it into her feeding routine.

 

[toystory1130]

Time, rest and glucosamine is sound advice. Our dog tore both sides of hers and with 6 weeks of rest and recovery she did heal. Stairs and squatting where hard on her though so we used a sling. We also added to her diet bone broth with turmeric by The Honest Kitchen and Super Snouts joint powder. She was also on Meloxicam to help with inflammation and pain. My dog was also overweight and the vet did suggest that losing some weight would help with her joints, hopefully prevent her from having more problems in the future.

 

[punkin]

Apparently the ACL isn't the worst of her problems. Her blood work came back with seriously elevated liver enzymes. That needs to be figured out before surgery, which she may or may not need because it's not a full tear. We might manage it for a couple of years with pain meds and physical therapy...assuming her liver is ok. She's getting more tests tomorrow and seeing a liver specialist next week. They may want to take liver biopsies. This will not be cheap and she might need ACL surgery anyway.