ACL tear in 9 month onld puppy, what to do?

April 1, 2008 12:50 PM

I rescued a 9 month old boxer/Staffordshire terrier mix about 10 days ago. As per the agreement with the humane society I took him in to get his rabies shots as well as a check up and after a physical examination and x-rays the vet told me that he had a torn Anterior cruciate ligament.

Because of his size the vet made it sound like the only option was TPLO surgery.

Well, this is heartbreaking news because even though I have only had him for a short period of time I have grown very fond of him. The truth of the matter is though that I don't have $2000 to pay for knee surgery especially with the high probability that he will blow out his other knee as soon as he recovers from the surgery.

I called the humane society that I rescued him from and they told me the only thing they could do is take him in and put him to sleep since they don't have the resources to deal with this kind of situation.

So here is the question: are there any alternatives to TPLO surgery that would work for a larger dog? (he is about 50 lbs right now and growing) Is there anywhere we can turn for financial assistance? What kind of quality of life can he expect if left untreated?

As of right now, he favors one left and is stiff when he starts moving after laying for a while, but once he gets warmed up he runs and jumps and carries on as one would expect a puppy to do. Are we letting him further his injury by not keeping him more immobile?

posted by prk14 to pets & animals (10 comments total)

I have a torn ACL. They didn't put me down :)

Seriously, is their some sort of simple wrap/brace/ support that could somewhat protect his knee when he's out for a romp, and maybe be conducive to some healing?
posted by Artful Codger at 1:00 PM on April 1, 2008

There is another surgery that's cheaper than TPLO, where they use suture material to reinforce the joint. From what I remember it's not as effective as TPLO, and the dog will likely suffer earlier onset of arthritis in the joint, but it was about 1/2 the cost at the time we looked into it.

We had a pound-rescue pit mix who had a TPLO and promptly blew out the other leg just after fully recovering from the first surgery. Then a second TPLO. We opted for the more expensive surgery figuring she was still young (around 2) at the time, and that was a long time to deal with arthritis. Then she died about 2 years later from kidney failure. You just never know.

As much as I love animals, it's hard to recommend going ahead with something like that if you're not in a financial position to handle it. Our neighbors spent 2 years and probably 35k keeping a boxer with an inoperable liver shunt around, with what in my opinion was not a great quality of life, and are sill paying it off and probably will be for some time. Think hard about it before you make the commitment.
posted by JohnYaYa at 1:32 PM on April 1, 2008

is getting a second opinion an option?

it's true that larger dogs are said to need the surgery. my dog at half that weight had the same problem. his vet recommended that we take our dog to the vet school to be seen.

we got a second opinion from a vet at the veterniary school. he gave us the option of surgery OR the canine equivalent of "bed rest" with a gradual return to activity. we chose that option, and it worked.

then, when his second knee blew the following year, we knew what to do.

i have no idea if that option exists for a dog that weighs 50 pounds and is so young.

my hope is that you find a solution to his knee problem that won't be heartbreaking--or super costly. good luck to you and to your puppy!
posted by subatomiczoo at 1:33 PM on April 1, 2008

Definitely recommend a second opinion - when my roommate's dog tore her ACL, she got quotes that varied by 2-3x.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:51 PM on April 1, 2008

The people at Boxer World deal with this all the time and a wealth of info andresources when it comes to ACL options - this is a really common injury in dogs:

http://www.boxerworld.com/

I think you have to register andbe approved for the forums but it takes less than a day.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:09 PM on April 1, 2008

Here is a cut-n-paste of my Vet Tech's wife's suggestion last time someone asked a similar question:

My suggestion would be to discuss your financial concerns with your vet, and/or get a second opinion. While the TPLO may be considered the best solution to some it is certainly not considered the best by all. I have worked for boarded surgeons for years and they have mixed opinions.

Regular "old" ACL release surgeries have worked well for a lot of our patients. The recovery time for a TPLO is longer than the regular release, also. It is said that larger, active dogs, such as a pitbull, need the stabilization of the TPLO. The bottom line is that a regular ACL release can be significantly less expensive. Keep in mind, however, whichever way you go the chance is there that your dog may blow the other cruciate. We often see repeat offenders with ths type of injury.

Also, to help you financially, I would ask about Care Credit. This is a credit card that you can use for vet services. Not all hospitals accept it, but you can shop around. You fill out the application at the animal hospital and they can tell you if you are approved in a few minutes. I know it has saved many of our patients from having to be euthanized. So, in summary; regular ACL=cheaper, similar if not same outcome in some instances. Care Credit=good. Talk to your vet. Most of them really want to do what is best for the pet. Good luck.
posted by Rock Steady at 3:13 PM on April 1, 2008

Explain your situation to the vet. See if they can reduce the price of the surgery. My neighbor rescued a dog and found out she was heartworm-positive. The vet knew he had rescued the dog and didn't have a ton of money, so he gave him a discount on the treatment.
posted by radioamy at 4:43 PM on April 1, 2008

Contact the rescue service that you adopted the dog from. They may have some sort of emergency fund to cover events like this -- especially as the injury was present when you adopted the dog. It doesn't hurt to ask.
posted by sgmax at 6:00 PM on April 1, 2008

Whoops - sorry - just re-read and you already tried this. You could also try other animal charities/rescues in your area, to see if they have a friendly vet who would do the operation at a discount.
posted by sgmax at 6:02 PM on April 1, 2008

Definitely agree with Rock Steady ('s SO). TPLO is talked up a lot (including by me in the past), but now that I'm back working in the veterinary world and more up to date with current thinking, I know that TPLO is not the proven best treatment for cruciate tears (and it is much riskier than the old style repairs, since it involves cutting bone to a large extent). However, a traditional cruciate repair should not be cheap either, or I would be very suspicious of the quality of care your dog will get.

No, there is no alternative to surgical repair, cruciate tears in dogs do not heal very well, especially not in larger dogs like yours, and the alternative to surgery is a lifetime of an unstable knee joint, which means arthritis and serious effect on quality of life. CareCredit is certainly a good option to consider.
posted by biscotti at 6:34 PM on April 1, 2008