A week ago my 13 year old Lab/Plott Hound was running when I heard a loud 'yelp!'. Immediately she's holding up her right hind leg. Took her to the vet, diagnosed a torn ACL. Specialist recommends surgery, even thought she's 13. I'm not worried about the surgery or the cost ($3200), but the recovery/rehab can be up to 6 months & that can take a toll on her, and us since my wife & I both work long hours. Noticed different brand of knee braces for dogs, here's one for example.. https://animalorthocare.com/product...wID3wM-CTh3TjIy_krNzMVeL67DYXdEhoC9A0QAvD_BwE Has anyone had similar situations with their dogs, if so recommendations 0r insight?
My dog bailey had his dog equivalent of his ACL tear. We did the basic surgery and he’s been a champ ever since. He was 10 when we did it, it’s been 3 years since. I would do the surgery. It cost us $2400.
We've had one who tore both ACL's at different times, treated him with anti inflammatories and pain meds and let it heal on it's own. Thought about a brace but never saw anything that looked like it would do a lot for him. His initial one was bad enough and swollen enough they actually through it was possible cancer based on the initial xrays which is why we didn't do anything, not worth putting him through a biopsy.
We had a 120lb German Shepherd that tore his ACL at about 6 years old. Had TPLO surgery, recovered very well. The one on the other side tore at 10 years old - I was reluctant to do the surgery at his age (anesthesia risks) but the doc said he was healthy and he had no concerns. Did teh TPLO, and the second recovery was actually much easier since he was older and calmer at that point and it was much easier to keep him from wanting to run around during the recovery period. He lived another FIVE years after that, which is remarkable for such a large German Shepherd, and was very comfortable on both hind legs. No bad effects from the surgery, no apparent arthritis, and we never removed the hardware in the joints. I was glad we did the surgeries. We hesitated on the surgery the first time, trying to see if it would heal on its own, but it did not improve and waiting just made the whole thing drag out a lot longer. The second time we did the surgery right away and that was much better, he was back on his feet and comfortable a lot sooner the second time. With TPLO they can walk on the leg right away, just no twisting, running or jumping. Our neighbors had the surgery on one of their dogs (for ACL but maybe it was a different type of surgery, not sure), and their vet put the dog in a cast, which seemed like a giant pain in the butt. With our dog, both times, there was no bandaging of the incision and no cast. There is a plate in the joint to stabilize it, so he could walk just fine, we just had to monitor him to keep him from falling. Our dog always wanted to be where we were, so after the first surgery we were carrying him up the stairs at night (120lb dog) - after the second surgery we talked to the vet and found out that is was OK for him to go up and down stairs, as long we had a sling on him to make sure he could not fall. That made things drastically easier on us. We did not crate the dog, just kept him in a small area either in a small room or in a pen in a big room. BTW, on both legs, once they got into the joint surgically they found that his ACL had torn completely through, it wasn't just strained or a partial tear. It's hard to tell for sure until they can get in there and look but possibly if there is just a partial tear, especially for a smaller dog, it sounds like letting it heal on its own could be an option. With our dog it would not have worked because of the full tear.
Thank you! That seems to be the biggest issue is my Daizey's age. ALSO..she's diagnosed with a heart murmur, which the surgeon won't proceed w/o an EKG. My thinking is along Mongo's line of thinking, just keeping her on light & limited duty indefinitely. Going through with surgery the post-op rehab will be, in my estimation too tough on her. Doc said for several weeks after surgery she is to have NO ACTIVITY whatsoever. So, while we're at work keep her locked in a bathroom, or a cage, or post a big sign outside the house saying NO NOISE. DO NOT WAKE UP DOG.
Thanks HF. Daizey's at 60lbs. Not too big, but all muscle. Fit & trim for her age. I'm not sure if it's a partial or full tear. Caveat is keeping her from trying to jump on the couch or bed, she's had free-range of the house for the last 13 years.
