Well I certainly have had experience with it. My little Bichon (16 pounds) ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament playing out in the field. We went to the Vet, got x-rayed, and had surgery.....$800.00.
And, it wasn't more than 6 months later when he did the same thing to his other knee......another $800 ???????
What I am going to tell you know is absolutely true -- a little dog (less than 20 pounds) does not need to have surgery. If a dog is small, they can heal on their own without surgery. This is because there is so little weight on their knee that the knee can heal without surgery.
Of course, people and larger dogs do need surgery for this injury. This is the exact same injury that so many football and basketball players get. It is also a common injury for skiers because it is caused by a twisting of the knee.
So -- for my second cruciate ligament tear - I told my Vet that I was just going to let it heal on his own. He advised against it-saying that he thought surgery was best. But I flat out could not afford another $800 surgery right then, and knowing I had the option not to have it - I took that option.
If you choose not to have surgery - get some pain pills from your vet - because a torn ligament is painful for your dog.
And be aware that your little dog is going to almost have to live in a crate for a few months - or do whatever you need to do to keep him off his knee and quiet as much as possible. (I did not crate mine. I kept him as quiet as I could around the house - not letting him jump, etc.) My dog's torn ligament took several months to heal - and now I honestly can't tell which of his knees had the surgery and which one healed on its own.
Also - even if your dog does have surgery - you will still have to go through keeping down and quiet for a long time.
The vet will tell you that your dog may have more arthritis without the surgery, but my vet said they also have some arthritis if they do have the surgery.
I work for Cardiologists and one of my doctors said he has had several small dogs with a cruciate ligament tear - and they were little dogs, and he let them heal without surgery. He told me I didn't need surgery for my small dog. But, he said surgery was necessary for larger dogs.
Please get on the Internet - and read as much as you can about this injury. You will find many articles that will tell you that surgery is not necessary for a small dog. I found article after article telling me that.
Good luck - it's a common injury for people and for animals. You can get the surgery if you wish (your vet will no doubt say it is best) ---or you can choose to just let it heal. I did both - and both of my dog's legs (knees) have healed very well. He is back to his normal self - running, jumping, etc. And, with my luck, he'll probably do it again.
Good luck - I just wanted you to know your options -- and hear it from someone who has researched it a lot - and has actually done both.
I am glad my little dog had some pain pills though - because his leg did hurt him. He was soon much more comfortable.
Good luck! |