Tink had surgery for Legg Perthes in June. She's doing very well. Some drugs for a week or so to help with the discomfort. But she is running and walking fine on the leg.
I did not keep her confined. The surgeon just said not to let her do any jumping. After one week we started walking with a sling to force her to walk slowly and put her weight on the leg. We also did range-of-motion exercizes every morning and evening. Of course there is some muscle atrophy but that is coming back now with exercize. The longest lasting effect has been her hair growing back from the surgery!
Good luck with your Abigaile's leg. I wouldn't worry about the surgery. If you have a surgeon who has done this alot, they are very comfortable with it. Tink's was about $1900. Here's a link to the thread I posted on about Tink and her surgery.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82059