Hello. As Karen said, my dog Barney just had surgery last friday. He is 11.5 years old so naturally this was very stressful for us once we realized he had to have surgery. I was very worried as he had not been under anesthesia in many years (since his neuter as a puppy actually).
My advice is to take your dog to see a surgical specialist who is an ACVS dipomat (visit
American College of Veterinary Surgeons to find one in your area). There are several procedures that can be used to correct an ACL and that decision is based on the particular dog. My dog had an extracapsular repair where a "fishing line" type filament was used to emulate the function of the ligament he tore. But, I went to a surgical specialist with expertise in ALL the types of repair so that the right repair strategy for our dog was chosen. There is a great article here by a surgical specialist that you may find helpful
Yorkie Haven Rescue - Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tear Info
There is just no way I'd ever let a general vet do orthopedic surgery on my dog. Once the ACL is torn, it is likely the meniscus is also torn, and once those things are torn, the stability of the joint is just forever compromised without surgery.
I'm so glad I took Barney to surgery, it was scary and expensive, but it was the right thing to do for him. He has a long recovery ahead, but after just one week, I can see the promise in this solution, and I know it will be successful.
Good luck with your dog.