Our Dog
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive December 2007:
Our Dog
Our poor dog has Cranial Cruciate Ligament disease which is common in her breed. She has a partially torn ligament in her right knee and they think a fully torn ligament in her left knee. We have been advised that she will require surgery in the left knee and possibly the right knee as well. The cost of the surgery for one knee is $2,500 - $3,000. I think by the time it's all said and done it will be $3,000 as the estimate for the surgery does not include the first visit for diagnosis and any follow-up visits post surgery.
I am so torn about what to I know that most people would not even consider doing the surgery. I hate the way this sounds but we can afford to do this. It may mean no vacation or putting off getting new windows but that is just stuff to me and not as important as making sure our dog is not in constant pain. My DH is reluctant and wants to look into alternatives, I've done some research but from what I can tell because she is a larger breed (Golden cross, almost 90 lbs) there are no effective alternative treatments and I'm afraid delaying the surgery much longer will result and serious osteoarthrits which will require medication and potentially pain management and a lame dog. We both agree that putting her down is not an option.
Anyway I just needed somewhere to go to try and sort out my thoughts and I came here. My heart hurts and I'm so very sad. I look at my dog like a member of my family. My DH keeps asking people what they would do and no one would do the surgery. I just feel so alone in this decision and I don't want my DH to resent having to do this. You know even if we didn't have the money as crazy as this might sound I would borrow the money to do if I could.
Sigh, this just sucks. 
I am sorry you are going through this right now. Dog health can get expensive, I know this first hand. In Aug 2006 my Golden retriever had the that ACL surgery, (I think thats what its called). With the pre op tests and surgery it was around $1800. Believe me when I say my husband was not happy about spending the money, and to this day he still "complains" about it.*sigh*...but I would do it again for her in a heartbeat. If I have to charge it, and pay monthly bills for a year then thats what I do. I know everybody doesnt share this thought on dog/pet care..
I know you will do the right thing for your poor doggie...
Please do no feel alone in your decision. I did the surgery, and would do it again.
I believe when you adopt a pet, you have the pet for life, and you have to be "willing" to do what it takes for a happy, healthy life.
Chai, my son's Rottie, Sascha, had ACL surgery in both hind legs, $2,500 the first time, $3,000 the second time. Scott is a Vet Tech, so is a bit more knowledgeable about this stuff than I am. If you'd like to "talk" with him about it, pluses and minuses, indications, etc., email me through the contact menu on the left side and I'll have him get in touch with you.
I understand your thinking entirely. I was really glad we (me, actually) could afford this. Some people (maybe a lot of people) would say "it's just a dog", but in my family, our pets are members of our family and the only time money would factor into this decision is if it were a question of mortgage payments or surgery. I do understand the other point of view, I just don't share it. And I don't think you can go by what "other people" say. This is a family decision and should be made in the family, not by consulting outsiders who don't have a relationship with your dog.
Thanks you two, your support means a lot to me. I just spoke with DH and he realizes how sad this makes me and he loves our dog as well. He has agreed that we will go ahead with the surgery. We live in a university town that has a vet school. So we will now be looking at two potential financial options:
Will the surgeon who diagnoised her take cash and offer us a savings?
Can the school do the surgery at less cost? Hopefully our vet will call this weekend and let us know her thoughts on this option and reassure my DH that we are doing the best think for our dog.
Our neighbor was over yesterday and said "Pah! She's just livestock, chattel, for that money you could buy three more dogs". My thought was but I didn't say "Yeah mister know it all, you little doggy sleeps in your bed, you'd have the surgery done in a heart beat!"
Good to hear that others have had the surgery done and it's been successful. She will be having the new procedure done it's called Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO), this is where they realign the bones rather then trying to repair the ligaments. The recovery is three months. I hope we can have it done on Tuesday so DH will be here to help me with her over the holidays.
I've had my feelings hurt by so many people like your neighbor. They like to sound tough. The great thing about getting older is seeing what they actually DO, and you're right, they often do exactly what they mocked you for considering.
It sounds like you're pretty clear on what you want. Is there some way to make the money aspect okay between you and your DH? Also, my dog kept me up all night after she had surgery, though it was a different kind, be ready for that.
There are people who simply do not understand the connection between animals and humans.
Pets are NOT livestock! They are family members.
((((hugs))))
After Sascha's second surgery she also was in a lot of distress and it turned out that it was not really related to the surgery but rather to a morphine based pain med that they gave her and that she had a bad reaction to. She was constantly whimpering and whining and would not respond to us at all. Given that she is a Rottie and at that time weighed 115 pounds, we wound up taking her to our regular vet to be watched and tended for 3 days. (The surgery was done at a veterinary orthopedic practice; our vet is very good but doesn't do orthopedic surgery.)
I would have concerns, though, Chai, about not repairing the ligaments if they are torn. What do they say about the fully torn ligament? Do they intend to leave it unrepaired? Do they think the partially torn ligament will repair itself after the surgery? If it were me, I'd have a lot of questions. I know in people, torn ligaments almost always need repair; that they do not heal without surgery and if left alone when partially torn, the tear can expand until the ligament is fully torn. Have you done some google research at what is on Vet School websites about this disease, torn ligaments, and treatment options? I understand your wanting to have this done as soon as possible, but you may want to do some checking before subjecting your dog to surgery, to be sure it is the right surgery.
One thing that was great for Sascha after her second surgery is that one of the vets at our regular practice was working on her certification in animal physical therapy, and used Sascha as her "practicum" for a paper. So Sascha got about 6 weeks (3 x week) of physical therapy free, and Scott got some really good advice on how to continue the PT afterwards. She has bad hips (common to Rotties) and the PT has been very helpful in keeping her able to move with minimal discomfort and keeping her hind leg joints more flexible.
Chai, here's a link to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons that discusses CCL and treatments, and it is very informative: CCL
The article says, among other things, that the kind of surgery your vet is recommending has results as good as the more traditional surgery (about 90%), but does warn that this particular surgery "has a steep learning curve and should only be performed by a veterinary surgeon with advanced training", so you may want to ask the vet surgeon about his/her experience (as you would for surgery for yourself or a family member). I want to alert you that there are very graphic photos of the interior of joints and you might find them uncomfortable.
The article also gives good advice about post-surgery care.
Thanks Ginny for the info, I'll look into those articles. The surgeon that does this type of surgery has done over a thousand of these types of surgeries. Apparently from what I've read and what my vet told me this is the best type of surgery for large breed dogs. They no longer need the ligaments as the whole knee joint is changed, they cut through the bone and realign everything, however you pose a good point and I should look into it a bit more. I do know that this surgeon is the best in the region, he lives in another town about an hour away from us and I trust my vet's recommendation on this one.
He suggested that we will have to confine our dog to a small room directly after surgery and make sure that we have mats down on any slippery surfaces. I'm going to take the laundry tub out of the laundry room as it is on the main floor. I have a baby gate on that room anyway as the cat's food is in there and the gate keeps my little ones from messing with machines and the cat while she's eating. I'll put the dog bed in there and I told DH that I would be staying with our dog for a few days in the laundry room after her surgery. He didn't even bat an eye so I guess he knows me well. LOL
We found that an indoor/outdoor type rug was best for Sascha after her surgery, because it has a deep textured surface making it less likely for her to slip. We anchored it with tape on the back, so the rug itself wouldn't slip. Or, if you have a piece of left over carpeting, that would be good also.
Sounds like your well-loved dog is in very good hands, both the vet surgeon's and yours.
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