Cruciate Ligament

[Mount Sweetness]

Save 4k to 6k
This is a surgery for a specialist, we went to London.
Sharon recommended a great surgeon.

[Dakota Creek]

Murphy Surgical Services in south Guelph specialists in TPLO surgeries.

[Sharon]

Thanks for the feedback!

The first few responses had me pretty upset, but I'm relieved to hear that some are having positive results with the surgery.

We are working through rest and rehab, but I would imagine we will eventually be heading down the surgery road.
I'm not sure if my vet does surgeries like this, if so, do I let him do it? Or should I look for a specialist? (Sharon can I send you a PM?)

What kind of cost should I be budgeting for? I've seen numbers on-line from $2,000 to $6,000.

Again, thanks for your help!

Absolutely.

[crackerd]

My Brittany tore his left side at 5 yrs of age. Did the TPLO procedure. Very expensive and invasive. The vet warned me that over 50% of dogs who have the procedure end up wrecking the other knee. 5 months into rehab My wife turned her back on him for a second and he leaped off the deck to catch a squirrel and wrecked his other side. The vet was bang on. It's only a partial tear and unless he pushes too hard he has a normal life but being a Britt with crazy prey drive i had to retire him from hunting. He can't turn it off. He's on supplements with Condrotin, MSM and glucosamine and like I say he is fine as a pet but is retired.

Terry, flip side in every way with one of the dogs in one of my retriever training groups. As krakadawn knows, the major domo of this group is a vet and field trialer. One of his dogs tore a cruciate just about the time she was being "washed out" as a trial dog and he chose to forego surgery and put her in a hunting home if the hunter would work her and bring her in periodically for checkups.

Long story shortened, I was just alluding to this dog's joie de vivre and "run" yesterday compared to others I've known that have undergone TPLO surgery and got their owners facing that lifelong "50% possibility" that the other knee will blow out. Pretty remarkable, really, how this has progressed, even through a litter of puppies and additional reconditioning - I told the (new) owner (and the old) that I would like to see her run FTs now, as she's probably a better dog having come in for more personalized amateur care rather than she would've under professional training. Then again, she could just be the anomaly - but her resilience without surgery sure grabbed my attention for future reference in the likelihood of a cruciate problem befalling any of my retrievers or gundogs.

MG

[krakadawn]

Good post MG.
My lab tore a cruciate at age 9, had the tight rope procedure done in February of that year, he ran the National later that summer. It is certainly possible to get dogs back on their feet with aggressive therapy and rehab. As others are probably aware there are other procedures to consider. Some choose the tight rope, some the TTA and some have underline the older 'fish line' operation. Which ever, find a surgeon who has a clear preference and lots of experience.
The same dog tore the other knee at age 11, all I was interested in doing was making him comfortable and discussed alternatives with my Vet. Instead of invasive surgery he sent me to Pawsability in Toronto. The gal who runs this worked in Sick Kids doing prosthetics and braces, she's got a ton of experience. In two days she had measured and constructed a leg brace. Dog wore the brace every day(off at night) for 5 months. After that you could not distinguish between the 2 knees.
As my Vet told me it really comes down to scar tissue.
By the way the cost in 2012 was $900. My goal had not been to save money but rather to stabilize an old Champion's knee.

[RTRonthefly]

Jburl,

$5-6K as suggested by others is what your looking at.

I have a fantastic vet in Oakville that I would highly recommend if you’re in the area.

We did our Munsterlander (11 yr old) last January & she was out duck hunting with me in the fall. We were given the warning about the second leg, but so far (knock on wood) Holly has been fine. I am a little more cautious about what Holly does now & most of our hunting is now waterfowl - which Holly seems to prefer anyways.

Also - there is a few you tube vids on making a sling for your supporting your dog’s weight on their hind quarters by using those recycled Canadian Tire/grocery tote bags.

Good luck to you