all you dog owners out there- my 5 year old Giant Schnauzer has apparently torn both his ACLs. One went last month (diagnosed) and the other I am pretty sure went the day before yesterday as he's holding/dragging that leg now. When he first got hurt, my original vet gave him some anti-inflammatories and doguprofin, and said to call him in 2-3 weeks and I could decide if I wanted to get surgery (he would refer; he's not a surgeon) or if I wanted to decline and then let arthritis eventually set in likely shortening the dog's life. So today I call the vet back and got a surgeon recommendation and also did some research and called some surgeons in the area on my own. Other than the recommended surgeon, most of them said they did not usually recommend surgery for this injury, but if they did it would be around $2000.00 For me, it's not about the money. I'm doing OK and this damn dog has cost me well over $10k over the duration of his life already. I love him and he's worth every penny. But he's a maniac, and we also have a 1 year old pup who's even worse and they run around going full retard on each other all day. I am afraid that if he gets the surgery it's going to get messed up because he literally can't help himself from chasing the pup around all day. Sorry for the long intro...has anyone gotten their dog this surgery; and was it worth it? High chance of re-tear? I'll spend the money but not if he's just going to re tear it or if there's no long term difference in arthritis risk b/t surgery vs. non-surgery.
I can't advise on that specific surgery but, we have 4 dogs 3 of which are boys. We had the female, a German shepherd, spayed a few months and she is very much the same temperament; extremely hyper a majority of the time and she and the little white dog are constantly at each other playing, he can't even go outside without her chasing him all over the yard. We made sure she was in the crate at all times when we weren't home or sleeping, she only went out to use the bathroom by herself and with an escort, and while we were home we kept her on the bed with us so she wasn't being too active. The only time we even used the cone was at night in the crate. That's the best advice I can give is just constant attention until healed and keep them separated at night or whenever you can't be home. Hope that helps, good luck and I'll be hoping for a speedy recovery for the little guy! Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
I’ve got a puggle, probably about 4 years ago we were wrestling and he blew out his ACL. Took him to the vet and X-ray confirmed it. Got a surgeon recommendation and drove 2 1/2 hours to Columbus, Oh. When the surgeon examined Zack he said he could fix it for 1200.00. I had just driven 2 1/2 hours...... I figured I could either get it fixed or put him down. Well, had the ACL repaired and it’s been fine ever since. I believe they either use a band or wrap a ligament to repair it, our surgeon used the ligament method to repair it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
One of my MIL's rottie/lab mixes had double ACL surgery. She walks with a permanent limp but she's not in pain anymore. Watch your dog's weight after surgery; I think most of Maggie's problem is her weight.
I have a little 35 pound dog that tore it loose did not do the surgery, he limps unless he is chasing a squirrel or going for his daily walk up to the deer feeder then he runs like the wind. Unless the dog is a prized hunting dog then invest but daily dog they will be just fine.
Unfortunately the little one refuses to go potty outside unless her big brother is out there- coyotes are always skulking around and she's petrified of them (for good reason.) Outside is where most of the wrassling happens. Thanks for the well wishes! I have to laugh at you calling him the "little guy." He's 90# of bone and muscle. Well, OK and some fat. A limp is how I know mine is in pain. You could hit him with a hammer and he'd not make a sound. I do have to watch his weight tho; luckily it's almost time to switch the 1yo from high calorie pup food b/c the older dog loves to steal it. He's not a hunter although I have been training him to track a little. He's more of a guard/companion dog. It hasn't slowed him down running around the yard that's for sure. But when he comes in he's hobbling so much I want to cry. I suspect when the swelling goes down in a couple days he'll be getting around better. He's not limping much on the first one he hurt. Pardon the pun, but I'm really torn on this one. Giants tend to live a long time (12-15 yrs) which is unusual for a big dog and one of the reasons I got his breed in the first place. I don't want his quality of life to suffer and I would drop the money in a heartbeat if I knew his chance of re-injuring it was small and it was going to help him long term. But if it's not going to make much difference in his day to day; or he's going to get arthritis anyway or there's a good chance of a re-tear there's not much point in spending $2k+.
How long would you have to limit your dog's activities? Is he crate trained? Why don't they normally do surgery? My 4 year old lab shattered her femur two months ago. She spent 8 weeks in a crate except for potty breaks. She took it well since she's crate trained but it still was tough. The bummer is that despite wires, metal plate and screws, her leg did not heal well. We're giving the leg another two months and if it's not better we have to decide if a bum leg is better than an amputated leg. We could try a bone graft, but honestly, it would be easier on her and our checkbook to go with amputation at that point. It sucks seeing your pup in pain. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Dang, Christine, how did that happen? Car? I took mine to a surgeon today for a second opinion. He actually said the first injury was not an ACL tear. Possibly just a sprain that is now healed/healing. However the second one is definitely injured and a couple weeks of steroids and non narcotic painkillers and he will re-assess. He did say that if it is torn he definitely recommends the surgery due to his relatively young age. Very low risk for a re-tear.
My dog lept very enthusiastically out of the jeep while it was still moving. Hubby was taking her up to the pond for a swim. Either she was even more eager to swim than usual or she saw a rock squirrel. Because the jeep was still moving she flipped over and smashed into the ground knee first. The bone poked holes right through her hide. Dog is usually really good about staying in the vehicle but she's fearless and the hubby has encouraged her to catch squirrels a bit too much. I found out I need ankle surgery. I hope I'm not on restricted activities for too long. Lol. I sure hope your dog heals without needing the surgery. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
do you need ankle surgery from breaking your foot off in your hubby's rear end? My wife is always on me for letting the dogs act like maniacs. I feel bad now that he's hurt but they love it.
Lol. No. He feels super bad about it. Not bad enough to encourage other stupid things... but not much I can do about that. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
My Catahoula tore both of her acls when she was like 2 and 3 years old. Terrible limping. Fixed them both and she has been great ever since. She is about 10 yrs old now. Greatest dog I've ever had. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
did she tear them separately or same time? And if torn at same time did you have both surgeries done at same time?
Tore one. Surgery. One year later, tore the other. My bank account suffered but she is the kindest, nicest dog ever. And she was only two to three years old when she tore them so I had to help her out. Surgery was expensive as heck.
Yeah, this guy said I'm looking at 13 to 1800. That's what I get for letting his insurance lapse now that he's not a puppy.
