acl surgery

[Randy Clark]

scout is being xrayed for a torn ligament in his rear knee. is surgery the best option? what are the usual cost for this apx.

[DEADEYE DICK]

Cost us about 3 grand Randy,he is still limping but seems to put more weight on theat leg every week and is getting better.

http://www.unitedwaterfowlersfl.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12360

[Randy Clark]

well after $400.00 xrays doggie ludes and some supplments for joints scout is out on a clean bill of health and maybe some bed rest no running for a couple of weeks and watch carefully. checkup in 3 weeks. xrays showed all joints perfect no inflamation or hip problems all the joint were round and pretty. oh well guess that beats $3000 but dang i think he's just fing lasy. now he wants to be picked up to get in the truck. what do i do this snipe season we usually walk for about 6 hours or so. he gets pretty stiff the next day. maybe this supplement stuff will help

[DEADEYE DICK]

well after $400.00 xrays doggie ludes and some supplments for joints scout is out on a clean bill of health and maybe some bed rest no running for a couple of weeks and watch carefully. checkup in 3 weeks. xrays showed all joints perfect no inflamation or hip problems all the joint were round and pretty. oh well guess that beats $3000 but dang i think he's just fing lasy. now he wants to be picked up to get in the truck. what do i do this snipe season we usually walk for about 6 hours or so. he gets pretty stiff the next day. maybe this supplement stuff will help


We use to think our dog was just sore too Randy.We would play catch,I set up an obsticle course in the back yard,Mrs.DD would roller blade 6 miles with him and the next day he was "sore" and didn't want to do much.the next day he was ready to go again so we never gave it much thought.
Looking back,maybe he had a slight tear that bothered him and the thing finally ripped the day catching Frisbees?

Just my $.02

[Randy Clark]

We use to think our dog was just sore too Randy.We would play catch,I set up an obsticle course in the back yard,Mrs.DD would roller blade 6 miles with him and the next day he was "sore" and didn't want to do much.the next day he was ready to go again so we never gave it much thought.
Looking back,maybe he had a slight tear that bothered him and the thing finally ripped the day catching Frisbees?

Just my $.02

could be but i guess the only way to see that would be an MRI. nothing showed up on the xray. hopefully larry can post up some info

[uncle D]

We have a dog that just had the proceedure. The accident occured in the Winter. We had her looked at then, but could not afford the surgery in Jax, ($1200.00 to $1500.00) at the time. She seemed like she was doing a little better, but then she started favoring it, whining and not using her leg. We were concerned about muscle atrophy so we contacted a vet in Waycross. The surgey was completed w/ boarding and meds to the tune of $600.00.

That was about a month ago. She's still favoring her leg, but slowly putting weight on it and the pain is subsiding.

Duke

[g8rvet]

I have a bunch of thoughts on this subject, so I will kind of address them one at a time.

First, on your dog, whoever said partial tear may be right. A torn ACL is not dignosed with an Xray. It is diagnosed with sedation and palpation (drawer sign). A full tear that is. You are right an MRI would be the best, actually, even better would be an arthroscopy, because at the time of the scoping, if there are problems, they would be fixed. Cost of scope alone about 1500. If surgery is needed, more, maybe lots more. I have seen many dogs with partial tears where the owner could not afford further diagnostics, so we did rest and NSAIDS and hoped I was wrong. Sometimes I was, but a lot of times, they would finally go on and tear the ACL at a later date. Most surgeons agree that a partial tear is still a tear and needs a repair, but maybe not all. Also, there may be meniscal damage which is also a surgical problem.

Your options if there is a tear:
TPLO, Tibial Advancement,Arthoscopic surgery- these are more technically demanding surgeries done best by a boarded surgeon or a private practitioner with extensive experience with these procedures. Cost? between 1500-3000 depending on where you live. Most surgeons believe this will have a faster heal time and may be more stable in the long run. I don't have the data to argue that. Only one study says that may not be the case, most say these procedures are the best long term.
External fixation (external suture): Also best done by an experienced practitioner, but more commonly done in private practice. This is the procedure I routinely perform. I have patients that take about 8-12 weeks to be fully sound and have had many patients, active, for the next 10 years of their life without a lame step. Some have not done as well. Cost:1000-1500 depending on where you live (I quote 900-1100, with most coming in for around 1000 in my practice - same surgery one town over is 1500+, real smal town maybe less like someone mentioned here).
Nothing at all The patient may initially improve, but the knee, due to instability, will develop osteoarthritis and usually worsen with time. I usually only consider this a viable option in very old or feeble dogs. Of course, sometimes that is the only option for folks, so for them I recommend joint supplements and pain meds as needed.

Hopefully there is no tear at all and your dog will be fine.

for more info:http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1975&EVetID=3002994

you can access that link through my website at Quincyah.com (I am not selling anything, the pet library is a great resource, just follow the links and type in whatever you are interested in)

[Randy Clark]

cool website larry right now scout is on rimadyl 75mm. of course he is feeling better.but last year while snipe hunting he would get really stove up and act like he is now. we would be out for about 6-7 hours in the marsh walking he was ok untill we got back to the ramp and he wouldnt jump out or up into the truck.thats kind of the same way he was no immediate fall or pain just getting up in the morning moving slow and not putting weight on his left rear leg

[g8rvet]

what is his age? breed? weight? (sorry if you already answered these)

[Randy Clark]

what is his age? breed? weight? (sorry if you already answered these)

6 year old black lab 80lbs parents certified no hip displaysis. his xrays looked nice all round bones no flat spots no problems that the vet hear noticed. said that he was favoring that knee when he sat cause he left it out didnt sit up on both legs. if you understand what i mean. but he has always been a lasy sitter not up and pretty but favoring onee side or the other. guess you'd say