Torn ACL Opinions
 

I am new here so forgive me if this comes out as a duplicate. I posted about 45 minutes ago and cannot find the thread so I'm trying again.

Maggie tore her ACL running down the driveway. that is what the vet diagnosis was yesterday. We are consulting with a surgeon tonight. The vet tells me the surgery will cost between $1200 and $1400. that is a lot but we will do what is best for Maggie. After reading all of these threads today, I'm not so sure i want to go through with the surgery. If anyone has any past experience with this, we would love to hear about it. With or without the surgery, good or bad.

Thank You.

Just something for you to read....

Dog ACL CCL Ligament Recovery Without Surgery No TPLO

My BIL & SIL just had their female Lab operated on for a torn ACL. The surgery was very successful. Of course we are talking a big difference in size. Is her size your concern?

Not sure how to answer, as I have not had this experience, but I have read about successful surgeries. Please consult with a Board Cert. Ortho Specialist :(

I have been doing a lot of reading on this today. Not very productive at work. Size is my concern. From what I have read today, it seems that a large dog would definitely need the surgery. Lots of people feel that smaller dogs should let nature heal it. Surgery is not always the best option for a small dog.
Can you trust an animal surgeon to tell you that? We just want what is best for Maggie. I think I'm more confused now than I was before I started all this research today.

My male Zorro who I had 30 years ago tore his and I had it fixed. Prior to surgery, he did not appear to be in pain after the initial couple of days after the tear, and he held the leg up a bit when standing. Even after the surgery he always held the foot up so I don't know that surgery really helped. I hope your baby is ok

My 10 year old yorkie, Gizmo, had TPLO surgery one year ago next month. He had injured his leg (left rear) several times in the past years and we were able to heal it with cage rest. But, this time, there was no hope. Being in the veterinarian field myself I had lots of advice and contacts. An ortho specialist from the University of Tennessee, my vet, and a relief vet we use all said. You gotta do it. We did. The recovery was a long process but he is 150%. I even postponed some foot surgery I had scheduled so I could carry him around for almost 12 weeks. No stairs, jumping, running, etc. My foot doctor told me she had heard all the excuses in the world, but to put off a surgery to take care of your dog was the winner!!:):) He does not limp, carry his leg, and so far has no signs of arthritis. He runs, jumps, and plays ball. We walk almost 2 miles most every evening. His surgery was done by a board certified surgeon. That would be my only advice. At least get the opinion of a specialist. If you have anymore questions you are more than welcome to pm me. Here is a picture of Gizmo two days after his surgery. He was such a good patient.

Belinda

Thank You. this is all great information. We saw the surgeon last night. he recommended waiting for four weeks to see how it goes. We also have to restrain her while it heals. She does not like being caged up. She looks so sad. Hopefully this thing will heal on its own. We are thankful that the surgeon was truthful and did not pressure us to do this surgery.

We will keep you posted and I will definitley ask if any questions come up.

The next four weeks will be the longest of your life.:) I have had to do that several times over the years with Gizmo. Please take your surgeon's advice and do just as he says. I have seen so many cases come into our clinic like yours, and the owners think after a week or so everything is ok, turn them loose and they reinjure and require surgery. How strict you are with her may determine whether she has to have the surgery. Carry her around, up and down stairs, don't let her jump up on ANYTHING. We have had Gizmo so spoiled about us carrying him that he hesitates even now to go up and down our stairs, and waits for me to pick him up and carry him. The lazy little rat.

i am in the same position as you were dickens limps but shows no sign of pain how did things turn out

Hi Everyone,

My 3 year old Yorkie named Daisy was diagnosed with a torn ACL today. I need some advice and feedback regarding the best treatment options available..Is surgery the best option?

Ron

My Maggie 6 lbs had a torn acl at age 10 and we did the surgery...she recovered very quickly to 100% and Im very happy we went through the surgery.

If the surgeon believes there is a chance of recovery with crate rest and exercise, then that would be okay. Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy is becoming the standard of care for a torn CCL. This is a difficult surgery and the surgeon needs to be very experienced with it. Also, postop complications from not following directions are very serious. It's not a surery that can be rushed into. There are a couple other ways of repairing it, but they seem to be less favored now. I'd find a good ortho surgeon and let them decide.

I recently had a discussion with the surgeon I use. I have had a few orthopedic cases just this past year with my fosters. This surgeon is board certified and amazing! He is not quick to operate on dogs.

His opinion is that a torn cruciate ligament on a yorkie (actually any dog) must be surgically repaired. He said that if you let it go, it will cause many problems later...and most definitely will quickly develop into severe arthritis.

This was not in response to my having a pup with a torn ligament at this time. This was just a general discussion on a follow up visit for another pup. So, there really was nothing to be gained by his telling me that.

What I will say is that I would never allow any vet but a board certified one to do orthopedic surgery on any or my pups...personal or fosters.

You can find board certified surgeons at:

American College of Veterinary Surgeons