Any Suggestions? Torn Ligament Help!!!
 

Hello I haven't posted in some time but you guys have always been helpful to me in the past. I was at work on Friday and my teenage cousin gave my dog a bath in the kitchen sink. She STUPIDLY left her in the sink while she went to go get a towel to dry her off. So of course Coco jumps out of the sink. That night I got home and she was limping. She is holding up her back hind leg. I was just SO pissed because I'm really strapped for money right now and didn't want to take her to the vet because I knew I couldn't afford it. Well I took her to the vet first thing Saturday morning and was told that she has a Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture. I was told this is the same as an ACL tear in humans. This diagnosis cost me $325 of which I really didn't have to spend but anyway her vet referred me to a specialist and said that if she does not walk on this leg in a week then she needs to have surgery. He cannot tell if it is totally or partially ruptured. He said if it is partially ruptured that in small dogs it usually heals on its own. I'm hoping and praying this is what it is because I CANNOT afford surgery. What I've been reading on the net about this injury has not been good. After her hernia repair I said I was going to get pet insurance and now I'm really slapping myself that I didn't. I'm pissed at my cousing for being SO stupid. So anyway I guess my questions are this

#1 Has anyone ever experienced or heard of this type of injury in their dog?

#2 Are there ANY health insurance policies that may pay for this. I'm reading and they all say they don't pay for pre-existing conditions. I'm not sure how they would know it is pre-existing though?

#3 Just any suggestions in general?

Thanks

I'm so sorry:( Rebel had this along with LP and had to have surgery for both at the same time.

He's fine now and healed very quickly.

I hope Coco does well and Merry Christmas

How did he get it? and how did they determine it was a full rupture or a partial rupture? What is LP? And if you dont mind me asking, what was the total cost? I'm glad to hear he is doing well now. That was a concern for coco. I wasnt sure if after the surgery if she would be 100% back to normal

just bumping up

I'm sorry that your baby got hurt:( The only advice that I have would be to keep her quiet and if possible, confined to a small area so that she's not moving about too much. When you take her out for potty, keep her on a leash and don't let her walk too much.

Maybe with complete rest, she'll be able to heal on her own, though I have no experience with this type of injury. Please keep us posted.

Gracie partially ruptured the ACL in her right hind leg 2 years ago--jumping off the back of the sofa. Our vet referred her to a speciality clinic here in suburban DC, and we saw a veternary orthopedic surgeon. She concurred in the diagnosis but stated that since Gracie was so small, sometimes surgery does just as much harm as scar tissue will form from the surgery and make the joint much less flexible. She suggested giving her glucosamine, an anti-inflammatory, and keeping her quiet (no stairs, no jumping on furniture--confined to one floor) for a couple weeks. The leg did heal just fine and it's great now, but we've kept her on a maintenance dose of glucosamine ever since (she took twice as much to begin with). I think it was about 6-8 weeks before I noticed a big difference but from then on she got progressively better very quickly. Now you can't even tell it was ever injured.

This happened to my golden retriever some years back, and we're not sure what caused it as she started limping out of nowhere. She had to have a costly surgery and wear a cast for a while after, and even with this, she still has problems with her leg. She takes glucosamine as well. It sounds like it has a better prognosis in smaller dogs, so hopefully things will work themselves out.

Maggie had a partial when she was 7 months old. she decided jumping off the end of the bed was the easiest way to get down. I kept her from doing anything but going potty and eating for about 2 weeks and she has been fine ever since. my vet said it healed up really quick and she may have arthritis in that leg when she gets older but other than that she is fine.

I guess I need to find out if it is a partial or total tear. My Vet could not tell me he said I would have to go to a specialist to determine that. She is on an anti-inflmatory but I'm just wondering how long do I wait until I decide on the surgery or not

Is the glucosamine over the counter? So she will have to take this for the rest of her life?

I would just see how she is progressing, If it looks like it's not getting better then you may have to do the surgery. They have glucosamine supplements. Before the recal scare I gave Maggie these dehydrated chicken treats that had glucosamine in them. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Dante doesn't do the same thing and jump off the bed like his Mom did. So far they are good about using the stairs.