CCL Repair in 5 Year Old Dog

[KHCO]

We have a 5yr old lab/doberman mix. In July he "had a night out on the town" (escaped from the yard), and came back with a slight limp. We took him into the vet who said he probably overworked himself. It's now November and a couple of weeks ago he suddenly went lame. We thought maybe he had re-injured the same leg, so gave it a couple of weeks. It didn't get better so we took him to another, new, vet. Upon physical examination the vet said he had torn his CCL, and recommended the TPLO surgery. Unfortunately that surgery is $3,000, which although we REALLY love our dog, we simply cannot afford. We elected the $1500 "conventional surgery" that involves the "fishing line." The doctor essentially said this wouldn't do anything and that he wouldn't get back to his old self. Now we're extremely confused about what exactly to do. We want to do what's best for our pup, but can really only afford the $1500 option. Is it even worth it then, or would it be best to pursue some type of physical therapy or something? Thanks in advance! And sorry for the long-winded post.

[reilly42]

my 7 yr old stressy lab has been told she needs ccl knee surgery! we cant afford treatment and insurance will only pay £500 and surgery is £2000. if this restores her back to normality i will go into debt! but if the other goes there is no way we can afford it! also the surgery itself and rehab sound horrendous and my dog hates vets and gets very stressy around them i worry about her going through it! she doesnt appear to be in pain at the moment and isnt even limping.

[Jaybay]

We had the same choice a few years ago and opted for the TPLO surgery.  The problem is that when a ligament is seriously blown, the joint loses a great deal of support.  Everything I've heard about the "fishing line" procedure is that you may get some short-term relief but it doesn't last.  Our dog's ACL was completely separated and the ends so shredded there was no possible way to repair it.  TPLO was the only option.

The TPLO procedure got our dog back on all 4 legs for the rest of her life.  She eventually developed pretty obvious arthritis due to both the injury and the surgery, but she could at least use the leg.  It never slowed her down and we kept her on deramaxx for her last 6 years.  

Physical therapy is extremely important after any ortho surgery, and swimming is cadillac of therapies.  The water takes away so much gravity resistance which helps with pain (while in the water anyway) and allows the patient more range of motion and muscle strengthening.  You get more bang for the physical therapy buck.  The idea is to strengthen the muscles enough to support the injuried area and take some of the stress off the skeletal system, ligaments and tendons.  That's true for humans and pets both.

You might ask the surgeon if they take Care Credit.  Check it out online for details.  It's a low-interest line of credit to be used only with one medical provider.  Make sure you read the fine print.  Like any credit offering these days, that low interest can disappear if you miss one payment or run late.  Many vet clinics and hospitals use Care Credit or offer similar financing, so all is not lost.  You're already halfway there with the $1,500.  Is there any other way you can either finance or raise the rest?  Sell any assets?  Have a huge garage sale?  Sell on ebay?  I'd hate to see you spend the money you have on a surgery that likely won't help long-term and then have to spend more on one that will in addition to putting your dog through 2 major operations.  Lots of things to consider, but try not to focus on "can't."  :-)