ACL tear in dog info needed!

[BassnCop]

Lea's pup, Elizabeth, comes over to my house twice a week for play dates with my two dogs. Today when I got home Elizabeth started to raise her right rear leg and would not put it down. Lea came in and we took her to the vet...

Diagnosis from the vet: she is pretty secure in saying Elizabeth's ACL is torn. Due to the amount of movement in the knee joint she thinks it's all the way through. Said it's a very common injury and takes very little to cause it; just a matter of putting the foot down and twisting the wrong way. Vet said surgery is the best option.

Some owners opt for no surgery. She said some dogs heal on their own without surgery but eventually develop arthritis problems. Vet also said that it makes the other knee more vulnerable to the same tear if she develops a permanent limp with no surgery.

Surgery is very expensive, but Lea will do what is best for Elizabeth and deal with the cost....just wanted to see if others have had a pup with the same injury and what they decided to do...surgery or let it heal. Vet said Lea had a couple of weeks to make up her mind.

Vet gave Lea pain meds. Also a joint supplement which she will stay on forever regardless. Elizabeth is a pit bull mix, but small in size only weighing about 35-38 lbs.

She is setting up an appointment with an ortho vet specialist for a second opinion.

Opinions and experiences please??? Thanks......

[Sldrvr]

Joyce, your going to get a number of opinions here so I might as well be the first. I know some others who have the same breed and it is a pretty common problem. The best for the dog is to have the surgery. The issue really comes down to the age of the dog, what quality of life it will have with or without and can it take the surgery. If it's a pretty young dog it should recoup fine and give years of loving and faithful companionship. i look at our animals like kids so if they need it they get it as long as it betters the quality of life to a point it justifies the surgery. JMHO.

[RedShad]

Had a bull mastiff that as I say "blew out his knee". He was young at the time, I believe under 2. Made a great recovery and never had any further problems. At that time the local vet would not do the operation. Had to take him to NC State and they did an excellent job.

[Lea]

Thanks, guys

Elizabeth just turned 7 yrs in Dec.

I will do whatever is necessary....She has my heart....I am just sick...

[billybass]

for Miss Elizabeth.

[BBBAC1]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lea &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks, guys

Elizabeth just turned 7 yrs in Dec.

I will do whatever is necessary....She has my heart....I am just sick...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yep....You do get really attached...

[Jig A Low]

I don't know much about dogs joints, but, if their ACL's are like ours, they will not "heal" on their own (especially if torn all the way), they may get less painfull after a while but the joint will always be weak and unstable, thus much more prone to later injury.

for you and 'lizy Lea, I know how much she means to you, I guess in the end it's up to you which way you go.

[Lea]

I have the names of 2 ortho vets. I will be calling in the morning....

Another concern is the pressure on her "good" leg. Don't want a repeat.

[vatreefarmer]

Lea, there is no doubt in my mind that you will do what is best for your dog. You have made it clear that you love your animals without question. I hope that this all works out for you

[vafishing]

One of my two Brittanys had this surgery when she was just over a year old. It was expensive, if I remember around $3000 all totaled but worth it.

[Hump]

Get the 2nd opinion. My father in law, RIP, was considered the best VET in central VA by many. He often saved pet owners thousands of dollars diagnosing and treating animals other Vets had improperly diagnosed or treated. Often pets were diagnosed with tumors, nervous system disorders, to broken bones, that could have cost $3000 to treat.......only to find out the animal was simply overweight or had a jammed neck, treated with diet or simple med's........the pets can't speak so they are often and easily mis diagnosed and mis treated...get the 2nd opinion.

[Lea]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hump &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Get the 2nd opinion. My father in law, RIP, was considered the best VET in central VA by many. He often saved pet owners thousands of dollars diagnosing and treating animals other Vets had improperly diagnosed or treated. Often pets were diagnosed with tumors, nervous system disorders, to broken bones, that could have cost $3000 to treat.......only to find out the animal was simply overweight or had a jammed neck, treated with diet or simple med's........the pets can't speak so they are often and easily mis diagnosed and mis treated...get the 2nd opinion. </TD></TR></TABLE>

That's exactly what I am doing. My vet said torn ACL...on Monday, I will find out what the orthopedic vet says.

[sheeterhdip225]

[thstratos]

Wow, someine I can help educate!!!

My lab Ranger is 8 now, and blew out the left knee when he was 5 and the right when he was 7.

YES, I paid for 2 surgeries.

I would not have done it any other way but I can tell you that besides the money, there is a large amount of care that you need to provide for about 16 weeks.

Limit their walking, can't let them out by themselves, no stairs, etc.