Ruptured ACL
 

I was informed that my little Vixxi has a ruptured ACL and would need surgery.
I'm a bit concerned as I personally don't have the $500-800 to invest; and have gotten a LOT of conflicting views on getting it done at all. Some say it's "the only option" while others say not to do it because "it's more stress on the dog and not always successful and can make her in even more pain" and apparently 50% of the time the OTHER ACL will rupture because of the extra stress put on it!
Right now she's on a kinda pricey glucosamine supplement and seems to be doing just fine; you wouldn't even know anything was wrong with her.. but I'm not sure if it's something she should be on long-term or not.. that and the fact that eventually I'll have spent more money on the Glucosamine than the cost of what the surgery would be.
I work at a vet clinic and have seen a lot of ruptured ACLs on larger dogs but Vix is only 5lbs and this is the first tiny dog I've ever seen with it. Unfortunately my clinic doesn't do the surgery and refers everyone to a specialist where I have to pay up front if I decide that I want the surgery done.
Does anyone have experience with a small dog with a ruptured ACL? Did you opt for surgery or treat it alternatively?? I've googled so much it hurts :P and have people telling me that I'm cruel if I don't get her the surgery. But right now she obviously isn't in any pain.. she hasn't limped in days! On the same hand I feel that I'm 'treating the symptoms' and the actual problem isn't getting better. But I also was told that apart from the related arthritis, it really won't get any 'worse' because it's already torn, it's nothing that can 'spread,' etc.
Also I tried to post on the Products For Sale because I'm hand-making angel harnesses to try and raise money for the surgery or currently Glucosamine treatment but it wont let me post because I'm not a donating member; is there anywhere on here that I can post if I'm trying to raise money for an actual cause rather than just personal profit??

I''m sorry to hear this about your Yorkie :( :( :( You work at a Pet Clinic and can't get her surgery ? What about financing it ?? No offense - but if she's in pain and needs surgery it's your responsibility to do this for her & the cost you posted is way lower than I've seen for other surgeries so I can't see them turning you away if you look into all your options -

isn't there a way you could do it thru work and make payments ? Have you checked into the CARE Card ???

here's a site you can write for financial assistance - www.imom.org and good luck !!

I don't think there's anyway around posting in the "For Sale" section unless you are a donating member. Why don't you pm ADMIN and ask?

As far as the ACL question....yes, I know of quite a few small dogs that have had the surgery. Can't say that any I know had to have both knees done but everyone surely fixed the first one.

A ruptured ACL renders the knee totally instable. If not corrected, you will have more knee problems to deal with than just that.

As far as the no pain....sorry, don't buy it. A dog's instinct will kick in and they will hide the pain. Ask around, any human who has torn their ACL can tell you how painful that is.

I hope you can find a way to have the surgery soon for your baby....Good Luck.

If you baby needs surgery I would check with the care card for financing. We are facing 900-1200 for lp surgery. When we got both our yorkies we got them to take care of them and took on that added responsibility. Our babies depend on use to care for them. If ours needs the surgery we will have to find away just as if she was a human child. I don't want Hallee to be in any pain or have more problems in the future.

no offense - but i TOTALLY agree with this post. You can apply for a Care Credit card - that's what I had to do when my Westie was sick with cancer. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullit!!

Good Luck!

A "ruptured" ACL? Does that mean it tore apart? ....or is it "stretched"? I too just injured my ACL (tore it apart, injured my PCL and my MCL in addition to dislocating my knee:eek: ). Anyway, as a human, they say that they usually let a stretched ACL alone and usually only do surgery on a "torn" one. What do the x-rays show? I know you will do what is best for your baby. Get a second opinion and MAKE SURE of what the damages are before making any decision. I wish you both the very best.

I could not have said it better myself. Yesterday, the vet handed me the estimate of $1600-$2300 for LP surgery for Gracie, plus an estimate of $400 for x-rays under anesthesia. She said as she handed the paper to me "just in case money impacts your decision". I was somewhat offended, and quickly told her it is not about the money, it is about Gracie's quality of life down the road. When I got her I promised her I would take good care of her and give her everything she needs. She certainly give me back love ten fold. There are ways to finance most anything. No offense, but if you can't afford their health care, you should not have a fur kid.

I had a male Yorkie that tore his ACL when he was 6 years old. He seemed in pain when it first happened. I got 3 opinions and decided to have the surgery at the specialty clinic. He never put full weight on that leg again so I don't know if the surgery helped but I felt I had to try. The also regrooved his kneecap on that leg at the same time. Good luck

First off I don't think it's fair to say that anyone who "can't afford emergencies" like this shouldn't have a dog; because that would mean that more than half of current dog owners would have their pets in shelters now. Simply put there are ways to deal with emergencies... as long as one can afford routine medical care and proper food and necessities, by all means let them take in that dog from the shelter if they have the abilities to care for it otherwise.. a good dog owner will ALWAYS find a way to pay for emergencies even if they DON'T have the income to do it immediately; myself included! I just personally found that comment a bit rude, that's all- as I'd hate to think that it would deter people from adopting a dog because they think, "Oh, well I can easily afford vaccinations and high quality food and can spend all kinds of quality time with them; but because I don't have an extra thousands of dollars set aside for when it gets injured I'd better just not get one." And boom, one more perfectly healthy dog gets euthanized because someone changed their mind.
I'm not worried as much about the cost as the actual procedure. The clinic I work for does not do it, as they are a fairly small practice and refer everything to either a specialist an hour away or the medical school about 2 hours away. I've done a lot of research and found many people saying that a dog under 20lbs has just as good of a chance at recovery with limited activity and joint/pain meds; than it does if it had the surgery to begin with; and that the recovery would take just as much time.
Anyway just as an update, she's been in her little x-pen type thing for about a week or so and still hasn't limped at all since she's been on the glucosamine supplement.
Will keep you all posted as time goes.

Hallee went to specialist on Monday for what our vet thought was LP, but nope was torn ACL. Specialist said she had to have surgery and it is both her back legs. It cost us 833.00 for her leftleg. I nylon band was put in her leg with pins. Specialist said she would never have this problem again and they expected a full recover. 6-8 recovery on this one and she will go back to have her right one done. Without the surgery our specialist said that Hallee would be in pain and that her leg would cause more problems later. I am glad we done it, however we will be paying on this bill for awhile. Any questions just pm me.

If you cant afford health care you shouldn't have a fur kid? I think that was a very rude comment. Its funny that on the other hand you have people who can more than afford 50 dogs who don't take care of them well, or even abuse them.

OP I feel you pain. My neighbor's dog broke his lil leg and it set them back 2000. I had just gotten Ryoko and I was thinking if that happened to me I don't know what I would do, cause I cant afford 2000 for an emergency, and am trying to save up money to possibly put my son in a private school.
Before this i never knew that an emergency break would cost that much. IF that had been Ryoko at the time i don't know what i would have done. Yes you are responsible for them as their caregiver, but if it puts you at a point where you really put yourself in a financial bind try to find another alternative. Some people on here are well off and sometimes that we have so many people from diverse backgrounds and social classes, that they forget that not all people live like them.

Good luck to you on the difficult choices you have to make.

I'd try talking to your boss about making payments. You can apply for a care credit card. I hope it all works out for you.

I was just assisting the doctor I work with on an ACL repair. However the patient was a big dog.

I have only seen a handful of cases of small dogs with ruptured ACL's. Most of the small dogs that come in for orthopedic care are in for luxating patellas. A coworker is actually in the same predicament as you. She has her little one on Previcox until she can afford the surgery.

Another thing is that most often a lot of specialty hospitals will offer other veterinarians and their supporting staff discounts. Have you looked into that at all?

I did read that samll dogs can do ok without surgery. You should be able to tell if your baby is in pain. If she seems fine mayeb you can take a wait and see attitude. I would definatley try and limit he jumping off of beds etc to help reduce stress on that leg. We use ramps and stools so our babies limit the stress on their legs. Good luck and hopefully she will be ok

Just wanted to remind everyone that my vet clinic does NOT do ACL repair, if they did I don't doubt it would be more affordable; however they refer everyone to a specialist, or the nearest college. So, talking to my boss about making payments won't do much good. ;) I'm sure she'd adore it if I made random payments but it wouldn't be much help if I wasn't actually paying anything off, and I'd have even less for the surgery! :D

She's been in her little pen with a litter box since we found out. She doesn't limp anymore, not since the glucosamine supplement. But I'm not risking it. She 'snuck' out while I was cleaning out her box and ran around the room doing zoomies with no problem; but being the paranoid mother I am, I put her back immediately. :P No chances being taken here.. I know it can take weeks, even months AFTER the 'symptoms' cease before it can actually heal since dogs seem to disguise their pain fairly well; so we'll see what happens.