[livingwith]

I have a 4 year old golden who started limping about 6 months ago. After many visits to my vet I finally landed at the local university to find her injury could be repaired with a $2,800 surgery, followed by another $2,800 for the other leg. (She is not yet having problems with the other leg but they want to do the surgery right away!) I am sincerely heart broken and confused…….I want to do all I can to help her but just cannot affort the $6,000 for the surgery. Has anyone out the...Read the full article

[cjamienikki]

Hi,
I read your story about your dog. I am in the same boat! My dog is a 6 year old AKITA. She has been limping for about 2 weeks and finally I was just playing with her in the back yard this past Sat. and she was jumping and running in circles and she just stopped abruptly. We took her to the emergency vet care that day and they said she has a total ligament tear in her left knee, and they think a partial tear in the right! She would need surgery on the left and probably the right eventually. Costing between $3000-$3500 for the kind of surgery you said, putting a metal plate in the knee instead of artificial bands. They made it sound like the plate was the only way to go. We are sick about this expecially since the other knee needs to be done too. Just wanted to let you know we are in exactly the same boat too.
Colleen and Kirk Walker
Rochester, NY

[jamiller]

Hello
I to am in the same boat with my 9 year old x. He started with just limping like he was stiff and then 1 day he ran real fast acrss the yard and then would not put weight on that leg. I am confused about the price you are paying. My vet wich is a very respected vet in our community has offered the band as the best soluton and my dogs knee is a full rupture. The cost with X-Rays, blood work and his shots is $1500.00 Canadian tax in. I do hope all goes well for your dogs and maybe if you have had the surgery completed you could post how things are going as I am very worried as what to expect and my dog is booked to go in for next wednesday.
Jan

[nugga]

Hi there - I've just read your story and we are in the same boat! Sun afternoon we took the dogs (rottie & lab) out for a walk. We went for sunday dinner (something us uk's do every sunday!) only gone 2 hrs at most when we got back our rottie was dragging in bum along the floor and yelping in pain. Within minutes he was back to his normal self and has been ever since, we took him to the vets immediately as we thought it may be his hips, after xrays and a stay in the vets overnight we were told he had crusciate injury in his left hind and they would need to operate, and probaly do the other leg at the same time. we have now been referred to a specialist hospital and like you said where do we get the money from? he is insured for £2,500 (5,000 usd) but we've been told this won't go far, so we are dreading what the bill is going to be. Not only are we animal lovers and are responsible owners we don't seem to get any help. we have so many unanswered questions. Its interesting the prices you have been quoted as they seem alot less than ours. We have a consultation in Nov so I will keep you updated, would be grateful if you could do the same as its interesting what different sides of the border are charging and doing/recommending. i will post back in nov with an update, in the meantime I will keep looking for your updates.

[cjamienikki]

Hi,
Well, Nikki our 6 year old Akita had her surgery a week ago. It went better than we thought. I learned a little more about her surgery. They put a TPLO metal plate in her knee. Almost like reconstructing her knee. They said this was suppose to be the best way to go and with this way the knee should never blow out again, she will just experience some arthritis. They use to only have the band option, but now they have this. They said that the bands can possibly snap again and they definetly would experience more arthritis. I was afraid to go this route. It would of cost $1,000 less but they say the recovery is longer and they will only recover up to 80% to 85% back. We ended up choosing the other one, not because we have the money, but because they get 94% back, recovery is much quicker and it should never blow out again. As it turns out what we thought was going to be a $3,300 - $4,000 bill was $2,600 and $450.00 follow up. We saved $500.00 because Nikki went home a day early because she did so well. After a week she is walking on her leg, (carefullly). And has her normal fisety happy self. She does have to wear that horrible cone on her had, which she hates. This has interferred with her bathroom going (I guess because she isn't able to smell the ground as much, so they said to take it off when we take her for her bathroom walk and put it back on when she gets back in the house and is confined to her 6 x 6 area for 12 weeks!!!!! Yeah, that's right 12 weeks. I think this is killing us more than it is her. Good Luck to everyone out there with the same problem as us.
Colleen and Kirk Walker

[Daveyo]

Greetings to those people who are experiencing animals with Cruciate Injurys.

On some of the posts here I see other outfits or clinics are trying to tell their customers that the other leg is having some problems, thus causing many customers and patients a lot of confusion.

First and most of all get a MRI done on both legs in question. Also then get X-rays. Then compare. If in DOUBT go to another VET and show your results. If still in conflict go to a third VET. 2 out of the 3 will be correct and you should have at least 2 VETS saying the same diagnosis. When you hear that, then choose between those 2 VETS who have the most experience in dealing with such injury. It is not an easy surgery to do.

Here are some of the links for those to find out more information.

Cranial Cruciate Ligament Ruptures

Extracapsular Stabilization Method

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ivapm/professionals/members/current_articles/budsberg.htm
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04302003-201619/
http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/5/988

Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteolomy (TPLO).

http://vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm
http://www.fvarc.com/PAGES/ARTICLES/images/fall-2004.pdf

A bill for the TPLO sounds about right depending the VET and their expertise. Really the cost should be around $1,800.00 to $2,000.00 USA and should also include the follow up, and meds. 12 weeks sounds about right but 8 weeks is average.

I suggest strongly that all dog owners obtain Animal Insurance. It can go a long way in helping pay the bills. In getting such insurance make sure you get the major injurys covered as well as the major illnesses. But then again everybody is trying to save money and think they can, but when a major situation strikes, its too late to get the insurance to cover it, hence the big bill that strikes you.

I got 12 dogs and I worry about this myself too. So really I am with all of you folks and can be in the same situation as you if any of my dogs started having these problems. I would cry at my bills when they arrive. 12 X 2,000 = $24,000.00 USA dollars!!!!!!!!!!!! (For only just ONE LEG for 12 dogs) So for goodness sakes I hope none of this happens to me. For just one leg on all 12 dogs my out of pocket expenses with insurance covering the rest is $500.00 per dog. If two legs for 12 dogs a cool $48,000 USA dollars. Having insurance will cover about $36,000, so that still will leave me to pay out of pocket $12,000.00 USA or $1,000.00 per dog out of pocket expense.

So for what it is worth. Get that insurance.

Example cost of surgery 1 leg doing the TPLO cost 2,000 + maybe 250.00 = 2,250.00 USA. Insurance should cover 75%. This coverage will pay $1,687.50. Out of pocket expense is $562.50 USA>

Big difference huh!!!

Remember IF IN DOUBT ASK QUESTIONS EVEN IF IT IS A DUMB QUESTION ---> ASK!!!!!!! and also GET SECOND AND THIRD OPINIONS TO RESOLVE DIAGNOSIS PROBLEMS.

There are too many VETS proclaiming their expertise and many of them cannot tell the difference between true Canine Distemper vs the other symptoms that mimic the same. I see all the time many owners are putting their dogs to the graves when it was the wrong diagnosis. What a shame to the VET industry.

VETS are not closely tightly regulated as Human Doctors are in their respective fields.

Sorry to tell you folks this but this is the HONEST TRUTH.

[Jakes_mom]

Hi there, how's your dog doing now? I'm very interested because our dog, Jake, who is a 2 year old hound, is going for the TPLO surgery tomorrow. He's a very active dog and until a week ago, was still running, using 3 legs! Last week, we were advised not to allow him to run anymore, but to just take him for leash walks. He's been very good about this....he's a really patient dog :)
I'm kinda worried though about after the surgery. We have to keep him confined to the kitchen and only outside for the bathroom. He won't be allowed any of his toys because he runs around with them and that's a no no for the next several weeks :(
He has never pooped while on leash so this will be a real challenge.
Anyway, I'm interested to hear how things are progressing for you and your dog.

[Daveyo]

Be advised that this surgery is highly debatable. I have heard alternate methods which is non-invasive means (no surgery) is also helpful with some success. I suggest you look it up in the web site here and there, because this information that I have found sounds plausible.

I would first try the non-invasive alternate method. For me I am more comfortable in this regard. Why, because if it works, then you not damage the dog. If it not work, then by all means surgery is the only other alternative.

However when it comes down to surgery, many doctors do more damage rather than good. I would prefer a micro surgery procedure which minimizes the extensive damage and they can concentrate only to the area that is damage without ruining the rest of the dogs legs.

I strongly suggest you search some more to find someone who does microsurgery in this situation. The results from what I understand is very good.

Its a bit more expensive but it also saves grief later on when a problem happens.

[wintermeadow]

My 6 year old Bouvier had the TPLO surgery on his left knee in march of this year. It was a major surgery and quite hard on him, but it was very successful. I don't think I would have done the surgery if he was over 10 because of how major the surgery was. I researched all the possibilities and this was the only procedure that would insure a successful and permanent sollution. The vet told me at the time, that there was a 40 percent chance that the other knee would also require the surgery but to wait and see and hopefully it would be fine.

I would only do surgery on the effected knee now, and wait to see what happens with the other one. The cost of the surgery here was $2,200.00 plus our federal tax (Saskatchewan). I had to take a loan to pay for the surgery which was really hard for me, but I could not leave him the way he was.

Now I am in another dilema, because I know the other knee is showing the same symtoms, just our luck! The knee is not torn yet so I am going to try to prevent that or delay that from happening, by reducing his weight (he is about 8-10 lbs over) and not allowing him to jump or run hard. If it come down to another surgery, I am hoping the vet will allow me to set up a payment plan. I think the hardest part of having to do this surgery again, is to put him through it again.

Hope this helps.

C.

[Daveyo]

Hi

Just to inform you they now have a stem cell surgery procedure in place provided the ligament for the most part is still intact and not completely torn. If you are showing some of those symptoms from the dog now , then its time to get it done so it does not completly rip off.

I have that information on my site at caninedistempercure dot com and also have the resources that can help you financially as well to get this surgery done without it breaking your piggy bank.

Please take a look there and register to my site and then you can really have the full scoop and full information and it will be worthwhile for you.

Hope to see you there and good luck.

Daveyo