How much does cruciate ligament surgery for dogs cost?

[JustHolly]

We found out today that our dog might have to have surgery on his cruciate ligament, which may be ruptured. Apparently there is only one vet in this area who does the surgery.

Any idea how much a surgery of this type costs?

 

[WilmaBud]

My beagle just had that surgery in Aug. It was $1250.00

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Don't rush into the OR, give it a little time. Sometimes these things work themselves out without surgery. Keep him quiet and give prescribed NSAIDs to help with pain and inflammation (inflammation = pain). Do not let him run around, jump, etc even if he seems better in the setting of NSAIDS - it still needs time to heal.

This happened to friends of ours this summer. Their vet thought the dog might need surgery. They went through a week sweating out the potential cost, and the fact that you often have to deal with the same problem on the other leg, too. But they saw an awesome orthopedic specialist who said just wait, and the dog was fine in time. I was kind of surprised since initially the dog could hardly walk. But within 10 days or so he was back to normal. He must have strained, but not ripped the ligament completely.

Good luck.

 

[JustHolly]

Ouch on the price! Maybe I AM almost done with my Christmas shopping!

PeaNMe- thanks for the advice! My dog is only 2 years old, so I'm hoping he just sprained it. He has some good medication- Rimadyl, and the vet is going to see how he's doing in a week. Trust, me, at THAT kind of money, I don't think I'm going to be rushing into it!

My poor furbaby!!!

 

[WilmaBud]

I would take your vet's advice (maybe get a second opinion if you're not entirely sure). You have to be careful with ACL's because arthritis starts setting in almost immediately. So, if you just wait, and it's torn, the arthritis will continue to cause permanent damage.

I had one beagle (my precious Wilmabud ) who had to have both ACL's repaired a year apart. Now, I have this one who just had hers done. It is true that if they tear one, they're pretty likely to tear the other one at some point. IMHO, that's another good reason to get it repaired because if the other one goes without the first one being fixed, the dog won't be able to walk on his hind legs.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

Tara had this surgery about 5-6 years ago. It was $800 each time. 2 months after the first one, she got startled awake while sleeping on a chair, fell off, and tore the one in her other leg. I have to say, though, I think it's worth it. She's almost 14 now, and she still runs around and jumps on the furniture! She does have arthritis at this point; she gets cosequin powder in her food, and she limps when it's cold, but she really has no problem getting around.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My 10 year old collie tore her ACL 7 years ago (she's at the Rainbow bridge now) and back then her surgery was $1000.00.

She did very well after the surgery, never even walked with a limp, but arthritis did eventually get pretty bad in that leg. But she didn't leave us until she was 16. I'm pretty sure at 16, even without the surgery she would have had arthritis. She was a very athletic dog who showed in agility competitions. (didn't tear her ACL during training or a show, but playing with our other collie in the backyard)

Make sure you pick a really good surgeon because I've seen dogs much younger than mine was not do so well. Plus after a while your dog may not limp depending on their pain tolerance, if surgery is not done, but the ACL will still be torn. Arthritis will set in very fast and your dog is still very young. Plus after surgery you need to be very careful because they have a tendency to tear the other one easier.

Not sure what kind of breed dog you have but be careful with Rimadyl, its a good medication for arthritis, my dog was on it. But some breeds don't react so well to it.

Good Luck!

 

[sunlver]

My golden retriever had it done Aug 2006, it was a total of $1400, that included the preop tests and surgery. She was 7 at the time. I notice if she has too much activity then she will start to limp, the vet said that is common.,as well as developing arthritits in that area as well. So far so good with us. We still don't know what happened, or how it happened. One day she was limping, 3 days later she was still limping and we took her in, and that was the problem.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Mine was $825 for my guy. He has not been successful since the surgery though . He can no longer play, every time he runs he goes back to limoing. My mix is 10 yo, 60 lbs.

My George is also a major baby, he is not at all brave but he sure is lovable

 

[JustHolly]

Thanks for all your replies and advice!

We are hoping for the best, but preparing ourselves for the liklihood of surgery.

Our dog is doing a little better now that he's had a couple doses of Rimadyl. He's putting weight on his leg again, but still limping. Poor baby! I feel so sad for him!

 

[daisax]

Be careful with the rimadyl - especially don't add any other medications without checking with your vet. It's highly liver toxic and I wouldn't keep any dog on it for very long.

I have a friend who didn't get the surgery for her dog and it's pitiful how bad her arthritis is at a relatively young age. Dogs mask their pain, so there's no way to know it really hurts, just that if they're SHOWING pain, the pain is significant enough that they can't hide it.

 

[JustHolly]

If he needs the surgery, how long will he have to stay at the vet??


daisax- I read some scary stuff online about Rimadyl . I think I'm going to insist on weekly blood tests to keep an eye on his liver. Hopefully, his problem will either resolve, or we'll get the surgery, and he'll no longer need the Rimadyl. I cringe every time I give it to him, thinking about what it has done to some other dogs.

 

[JNorris]

We had a dog that tore her ACL. Vet said to give it time to heal, sometimes the other ligaments and the muscles can strengthen to help things out. She stopped limping after about 10 days, which was a good thing, because within a couple of days, she tore the other one . But that one healed quickly too, and she never suffered any after effects. She is at the Rainbow Bridge now, along with her brother and mother and another buddy.

 

[mookie]

My moms golden retriever just tore her second ACL last week. She got two quotes from 2 different vets. One was 1750. The other was 875. She's having the surgery on Wed. Check around to multiple vets...I am pretty close to my vet and she said many vets charge a significant markup for this surgery, and it's unecessary to do so. Just because it's cheaper doesn't mean that it isn't as good. The unfortunate thing about these surgeries is that they don't always work, but the good news is the dog isn't usually in as much pain as other injuries. Good luck, keep me posted - our family pets have a lot of history with these things!!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

If he needs the surgery, how long will he have to stay at the vet??


daisax- I read some scary stuff online about Rimadyl . I think I'm going to insist on weekly blood tests to keep an eye on his liver. Hopefully, his problem will either resolve, or we'll get the surgery, and he'll no longer need the Rimadyl. I cringe every time I give it to him, thinking about what it has done to some other dogs.

Mine came home the same day.

 

[mookie]

Same day for my moms dog too. But the recovery is what is the longest. My mom's vet told her no walks for 2 months, and no playing with other doggies!

 

[tonilea]

I am NOT a vet, but I do work in a vet clinic. It depends on alot of different things. How big is your dog? How old is your dog? Does your dog have any other health problems? How the surgery is done. (different methods have different costs. Your geographical location.... all these things can affect the price of a cruciate surgery.

I live in rural Northwest Arkansas. Normally, the vet I work for will recommend a referral to Bradford Park Veterinary Clinic in Springfield, MO. That will run in the neighborhood of $1500. If the owners aren't willing to spend that kind of money or just can't afford it, he does do the surgery in the clinic. He explains that his method is not the "best" way, but it usually works well. It usually runs $300-$500 for him to do the surgery. That also includes medications, radiographs, anesthesia, and initial pain relievers.

Best wishes for a great recovery for your dog.

 

[WDWBarb]

It will be one year ago on December 21st that my dog (German Shepherd) Harley had ACL surgery. We were at first told that she was suffering from severe hip dysplasia and were referred to Ohio State University for a total hip replacement. We traveled there (about 3 hours, just this great big dog and I!) and were ready to write a check for almost $5,000 for that surgery.

That's when the vets there told me that we had a bit of a misdiagnosis and Harley's current issue (a severe limp) was a result of a torn ACL. Thankfully we were still in the right place and already had a surgical appointment for the next day. They were able to give me an option between the more traditional surgical options and a newer technique called TPLO. Because of Harley's size (over 40 lbs - way over) I chose to proceed with TPLO.

The other part that I was thankful for was that the cost was more like $3,000. TPLO was the more expensive option but still way less than what I expected to pay. I don't regret the cost for even a minute. A year later she's in great shape! She's lost weight (which they recommended) and runs and plays like a puppy (she's 5.5 years old).

Her recovery was .... stressful. She had to be in a confined space except for 2 potty breaks per day for almost 6 weeks. She could only go up stairs if I used a "sling" to assist her. She has always been a very hyper dog so this made her (and I) very unhappy. It was also, of course, painful. At times I thought I would lose my mind and I cried more than a little bit (my vet had to provide a little therapy for me as well!). I'm sure Harley felt the same way.

She does still suffer from dysplasia and the total hip replacement is very likely in our future. But the ACL is such a distant memory now and she's just as capable as she ever was of getting around. You can even ask the giant bunny rabbit that she trapped a few months ago (and who still lives with me in our living room now - but that was a whole other post!).

And I haven't thought about the money even once since then until I read your post. It was my Christmas present to myself, my daughter and my dogs and will be for many years to come. Don't get me wrong - I didn't have it to spare. But as things tend to do it all just worked out in the end.

 

[rbuzzotta]

My chocolate lab also had the TPLO surgery which cost nearly $3500. She was not even 1 year old at the time!! The recovery was difficult but in the long run (she is 4 1/2 now) it was worth it. She runs around like nothing ever happened. She has lost weight and we make sure she stays slender so she does not rupture her other cruciate ligament!! She has not apparent ill effects from the surgery although she does have a thickening in the joint.

Good luck!!

 

[JR6ooo4]

OUr dog was run into at the dog park and dislocated her left rear kneecap. It cost us $3000 for xrays and surgery. Her kneecap would slide off to the inside and it did it frequently. Everytime she would wince and whine and hop over to me to fix it. I learned how to slid it back in position.

Our other dog popped his out banging it on the pickup truck. His did not pop out as frequently and only once or twice. We kept him still, slow walks to go to the bathroom, no stairs etc....

We did not do the surgery and it has been a full year and counting since his has popped out.

Mikeeee