Dog question re: surgery
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Dog question re: surgery
Riff (my soon-to-be 9 yr old Jack) had a torn ACL back in Nov. We had it repaired to the tune of $600. The vet told us at the diagnosis that after the surgery he would be "good as new", no more problems with the leg. The only negative he said was that there is a tendency sometimes for the second back leg to eventually have the same problem. He said they just see that sometimes and it's unknown as to why.
Fine. We have the surgery. It took him longer to recover and start using the leg fully (they said 8 weeks, it was at least 12 for him). Since the weather has gotten warm here and we are outside a lot with Natalie and playing with her in the yard, he has been more active. I noticed a few weeks ago that it seemed like in the evenings, he was limpin on that leg and didn't want to jump on the bed. I gave him some leftover Rimadyl (which the doc had recommended for arthritis) and just kept watching him. For the most part he seemed to be fine, but has had a few days where he limped some. The last 2 days and lastnight especially I'm sure the leg was in pain. He was literally on 3 legs again and seemed irritated when I would stroke the leg even gently.
Grrrrr......
I called the vet yesterday to ask about it. The doctor (through the nurse) said that we should bring him in "to make sure everything is still in place where it should be". WHAT??!!! I thought I paid for everything to be put in place where it should be in November!!
I'm taking him in this afternoon and not looking forward to it. I will probably have to spend some $ just getting him anesthetized and x-rayed, let alone what they will tell me. If they tell me he needs another repair I'm going to GO OFF. Don't you agree? We were given no cons to having this surgery other than a second leg possibly going in the future. NONE. Everyone there acted like it was not an uncommon surgery or an uncommon occurence.
IF they have to do something else, what are your thoughts about that? I mean surely it will not be the same cost as before???? I may be jumping the gun, but I know how much pain he was in lastnight, on meds, and that's the way he acted when it originally happened.
Yes, he is a Jack, but he is not half as active as he once was, believe me! he can still catch rabbits with the best of them, but as far as just generally being hyper, those days for him are pretty much over. He has settled A LOT in the last 4 years or so. PLUS, if Jacks have a tendency to blow out a repaired ACL, then I think that should have been told to us when we asked about all the pros/cons. At least then I would have known what the future might hold, you know?
I'm frustrated, would love to hear what you think, and will let you know what happens!
Well............the thing is, with surgery, both in pets and humans, there are no guarantees. Sometimes things just happen. AND - it's pretty much up to you (and by *you*, I mean any of us in general) to educate yourself about a particular breed, its health issues, etc.
BUT - that being said, *if* another surgery is warranted, perhaps you can have a conversation with your vet about being misinformed last fall, and possibly at least only being responsible for a portion of the fee. I do feel that since your dog had these problems not even a year ago, and your vet did mention there was a possibility of the other leg being affected, *if* there was a chance that the one that he did have surgery on would need another surgery, then it should have been mentioned at the time.
Just a thought...........
OH - and Deanna, I know you have that red-haired temper - so try to remember that you catch more flies with honey............and I'm saying that *affectionately*, I don't mean to offend you in any way, OK? 
I hope your dog will be OK!! {{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}
Hopefully it is nothing. I have a friend who had that surgery done. The healing time for her was at least a year. If she over did it, she had swelling that affected the scar tissue. I assume it can happen in dogs too.
I agree they should have completely informed you. I would also say confront the vet before giving them any more money.
Deanna, I'm asking Scott to look at your post. We went through the same thing with Sascha, his Rottie, and had to have the other hind leg done a year later. Both legs are somewhat sensitive, and some days she will limp, other days she will run. But, he knows a lot more than I do.
LOL Karen - Not offended at all Are you my mom? It's like you know me too well for saying that! I haven't heard that phrase before "you catch more flies with honey"...I think I'll hang that on my fridge LOL! I will try, try, try to catch flies if necessary this afternoon!!
I know for people it is such a major surgery, with rehab and such. Oh Ginny...don't tell me that about having the other leg done! I don't even want to think about that happening!
I'll let you know what we find out!
Deanna, Sascha is a 100+ pound Rottweiler with really bad hips - on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being lousy, one hip is a 4 and the other is a 3. So we are talking about two entirely different kinds of dogs here. But I am still asking Scott to look at this thread when he gets time today.
Thanks for those details Ginny. They *are* different, so that's reassuring. I would appreciate any thoughts your son might have.
I've felt so sad about his leg since it first happened. He just hasn't seemed like himself in a lot of ways since the surgery. I don't know if it's the leg or if he's just finally starting to act "old". He's truly our baby and I can't stand to see him feeling bad. I'm very anxious to go to the vet this afternoon.
Poor little guy!!! I can just picture him limping and whimpering in pain. Ugh.
Well, hopefully it's nothing more than a strain and that everything in his last surgery is still ok.
Keep us posted. It's hard to have another "baby" that can't tell you what exactly is wrong! 
And, yes, I would be angry too...I hope that, if you have to do the surgery again, they will do it for cost this time or less.
Deanna, here's Scott's reply:
"Jacks aren't particularly prone to ACL tears. Most dogs under 50 pounds aren't, unless they're particularly active and at risk of injury.
The surgery should have fixed it the first time. If it was reinjured during the healing process, he could have undone the surgery. In that case, it would have to be redone, just like if you re-broke a leg or re-tore a tendon after it was set. It's hard to keep a Jack convalescent, but it really is necessary to prevent blowing the surgery.
Without examining the dog, I consider it possible that he's blown the repair. Take the dog to an orthopedic specialist."
Deanna, I would add that Sascha's first ACL repair cost us $1800, and the second one $2000. I would also add that if the vet who did the first surgery is not an orthopedic specialist, you might look into using an orthopedic specialist vet if the surgery needs to be re-done. We are "fortunate" in that there is an orthopedic vet specialist about 25 miles from us, and we could afford the surgeries. (I can imagine having to make animal care choices based on economics, but I'd rather not.)
Just got back and good news! The ACL repair is perfectly fine (whew!) and hips and other leg areas are in great shape. The vet told us that the ACL would not re-rupture, although other things could go wrong with the leg.
He has some serious arthritis and inflammation in that leg and is just on meds. What a great, easy, and relatively inexpensive fix! I'm pleased to say the least.
Ginny's son: Thanks for your input. I appreciate it and will keep everything in mind!
I'm really glad the Rimadyl works for him, but do watch out for side effects. http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/
When it works and your dog has no bad reactions, it is wonderful, no two ways about it.
Great news!
That's good news! Phew!
Glad he's going to be okay!
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