[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by dinkster

Thanks for all of the input. We are putting together all the info. I think we are going to go with a second opinion with a board certified surgeon and see what happens there. The question about the cost of 1800 for his first surgery is that it covered the procedure on one ligament repair and all follow up visits. I think his fee is based on the fact that the majority of his day is filled with surgical patients and surgery, meaning that on the days that he does surgery, he is making far more than a non surgeon would make on those days. He can afford to keep his fee under 2K. Also the region is significant. Asheville is booming right now, but this is still Appalachia. I also want to add that our experience with pricing really underscored my belief that price is not always an indication of quality. Yes, you get what you pay for, but you can also pay more and not get what you paid for. The rural doc was not board certified, not a board certified surgeon, and wanted us to keep Dinky in the clinic overnight for 5 nights after surgery. And her fee did not cover everything.
IN our new situation cost is not the deciding factor. My only issue is that I do not want to have Dinky put under twice because the PRP does not work for him. I also do not want to put him through the pain and recovery of ligament surgery if it can be avoided. I do understand that the surgery offers a mechanical fix. It's done. The PRP can be effective, but it might not be.
Now when it comes to getting another Yorkie...If I did that I would pay for the best bred dog that I could find. The teeth, the knees,,, you'll end up paying anyway and the dog goes through so much. Also, good breeders pay attention to disposition and the way mother dog nurtures them. Well, that's another thread.
I pray, so I'm going to pray for wisdom and clarity on this ligament situation.
In the meantime, Dinky is feeling good. He limps more or less depending on how long he's been resting. Yesterday, I opened the door to let him out and he tried to make a run for it when he saw 3 deer running by in the woods. Well, I was able to grab him, and he was quite sure he scared them off. It did his spirit good. We've had to hide all of his squeaky toys because when he "kills" them, he twists and turns on that leg.

I live in Md where everything is crazy expensive. Callie's first LP and CCL surgery was $3000, the LP surgery on the other leg was in the $2000 and then her CCL fix on that same leg was in the $2000. That did include a few physical therapy appointments and rechecks. My surgeon only keeps them one night. They always call me early the next day to come get her early because she won't eat, drink or pee for them. One of the pluses of them being small dogs is one of the night techs would hold her for a long time. You would be surprised to know even some of the best bred dogs can have issues. I'm a big fan of getting pet insurance the day you get the pup. I did that with both of my younger two.