# Torn ACL and surgery



## Joellyn (Apr 9, 2009)

In a recent post, I spoke of my little Leela having been diagnosed with bilateral medial subluxation by my regular vet. Now having been seen by an orthopedic specialist, we find that she has a torn ACL, the subluxation is not the issue. The specialist is recommending surgery - a procedure known as a TPLO. Has anyone had this surgery? Any advice anyone has to offer? I just want to be sure in my heart that this surgery will be in her best interest and have a little peace of mind with my decision.

Surgery is tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday.

Thank you for your input. I am so very sad right now.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Joellyn said:


> In a recent post, I spoke of my little Leela having been diagnosed with bilateral medial subluxation by my regular vet. Now having been seen by an orthopedic specialist, we find that she has a torn ACL, the subluxation is not the issue. The specialist is recommending surgery - a procedure known as a TPLO. Has anyone had this surgery? Any advice anyone has to offer? I just want to be sure in my heart that this surgery will be in her best interest and have a little peace of mind with my decision.
> 
> Surgery is tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday.
> 
> Thank you for your input. I am so very sad right now.


Some here have had that, so I hope they chime in. I have a friend who's Standard Schnauzer had that and is recovering. Sometimes I will see her walking him out at the lake. He's coming along nicely! A torn ACL seems to happen sometimes with the dogs doing agility. I know Coal got his jumping. Good luck to you with the surgery!


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## Paige (Sep 12, 2006)

My lab torn both of her ACL's. One at 6 months and the other leg at 1 year of age. I don't know what the surgery was called. She is going on 12 years of age now, it was done by my vet. She was whining when she laid down, was what brought it to my attention that something was wrong. Being a young lab, she was still full of energy and still is. She runs and plays with my havs and swims during the warm months. She is getting old now and has the older dog issues, but the legs never had to be repaired again.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

My neighbor's dog had it and he did great! He had to lay low for a few weeks, poor baby even had a cast, and then he was fine and he's acting like a puppy again.


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## Paradise Havs (Sep 25, 2008)

Bentley, my 9 year old HAV has torn both ACLs. When he tore the first, my vet at the time recommended immediate surgery at $1500 ish. There is a very well respected Ortho vet near me and I decided to get a second opinion. His opinion was that in small breeds surgery is usually unnecessary and certainly worth waiting to see how he did with rest. That was 2 years ago. He doesn't even limp on that leg and continues to RLH. This summer he tore the other one. Since then I have switched to that vet practice and his daughter a recent Orthopaedic Vet specialist has also joined the practice. When I took him in for that tear, the 1st tear had completely stabilized and they did not suggest surgery for the second tear either. That was 6 months ago and although he limps a bit when he over does it his is about 95% asymptomatic. 

BTW my son is an Ortho rep for hip and knee replacements and when I asked him if I was right to not do the surgery. He said "Mom, lots of people don't have their ACLs repaired and they do fine!" 

By all means do what you feel is right!! I was comfortable with my decision to let Mother Nature do her thing.


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## Perugina (May 28, 2008)

LOL! I saw this and said yup, just had a new one put in last Friday. It's so hard for me to keep my leg up...can't imagine it for a dog!


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I'll copy this here too:
I guess that good news???? I know freddie tore something. I almost think it was his ACL. He slipped on the tile while playing with my ex husbands dog. Boy did he scream and cry! All I know is it healed and he's has been fine since then. He was on the strictest crate rest for 2 weeks. Only allowed to stand to do his business, then right back in the crate. I also carried him outside. He was not allowed to walk at all. They told me if i didn't keep him in for the 14 days, he would need surgery. He seemed better after about 10 day, but my vet warned me not to take him out before the 14 days. I hope this works for Leela.

Here's are the threads:
http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=2450&highlight=freddie&page=3

http://havaneseforum.com/showthread....freddie&page=5

I just reread my threads and now I remember it really took almost the entire 2 weeks for him to heal. I think he was better a couple days before the 14, but I kept him in. I guess I forgot it was so long ago, but he actually fell off the doggy steps! The tile was a separate incident. I think the injury was caused by him having the luxating patellas.


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear about Leela, and I'm sure you'll decide what's best for her. It's good to know that some have healed without the surgery, so maybe a second opinion is a good idea if your undecided.


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

This is a tough one. IDK. My tendencies are to usually go for surgeries. But the peeps on this thread sure make a good case for not doing it. I'm so sorry for his injury!


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## LochTess (Aug 22, 2009)

Poor Leela and mom!!

Ricky (9 years old)tore both ACL's and had Extracapsular Repair surgery about one year apart from each other.

Extracapsular surgery is very different from TPLO surgery.
This technique is most commonly used in small dogs and cats. They say about 85% of patients show a significant improvement after surgery and are able to resume pre-injury activities.

It was a long recuperation but Ricky's out of pain and able to go on his long walks...
Hopefully the surgery will slow down the risk of arthritis!

I learned a lot from Orthodogs http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodogs/

Good luck on you decision!


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## Narwyn (Jan 24, 2010)

Whether or not you need surgery depends on the size and activity level of the dog, and the extent of the injury. 

With a smaller, less active dog with a small tear in the CCL, often several weeks of crate rest will let the knee stabilize itself. My aunt had a lazy Bichon who put a minor tear in his CCL and was great after about a month.

With a larger dog, more active dog, or a complete tear, you really need to go with surgery. Last November, Clover ruptured his CCL playing with another Hav. I rested him a month and saw zero improvement, so went ahead with an Extracapsular surgery ("traidtional repair"). The surgeon told me his CCL was totally severed and he'd done damage to the cartilage as well. No amount of rest would have helped this one! Two vets told me they routinely recommend rest for smaller older dogs but both believed his injury was beyond that. They were right. I agonized over it. 

Clover spent two weeks in a cast, two weeks in an expen, two weeks allowed to walk around my (small, one-story, carpeted) apartment, and then has been going on walks of increased lengths to help rebuild muscle. He's 11 weeks out, and aside from the hair still growing back and the occasional slight limp at night after a really long walk, you wouldn't be able to tell. I know he NEVER would have been up for this without the surgery.

Tough choice to make - I would say rest and see if there is actual improvement - but the surgery really, really helped my guy.

Karen


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Joellyn, maybe I missed it, but did you end up getting the surgery done on Leela? How is she doing?


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## Joellyn (Apr 9, 2009)

marjrc said:


> Joellyn, maybe I missed it, but did you end up getting the surgery done on Leela? How is she doing?


Hello all and thank you for your care and concern. It's been a little crazy and hectic here but I wanted to give you all an update.

This experience has been very enlightening in both good and unpleasant ways. I admit to being a bit naive in current dog care - it was 17 years between dogs for me and things have changed dramatically in pet care.

I had the naive notion that vets were vets because of their love of animals. Perhaps that is true in the beginning...but then...for many...it becomes merely a cash cow...and I am sickened to heart by that.

I told the orthopedic surgeon that I wanted to let Leela rest for a while to see if she could heal without surgery. He did everything in his power to frighten me into rushing to surgery - telling me she would deteriorate dramatically in those few weeks, develop arthritis and decrease the chance for surgery to be successful...all in a few weeks time.

My regular vet wanted to get into a bidding war - pushing for surgery but of the kind he could do.

Luckily...I found a wonderful and very experienced vet and surgeon who is also holistic - offering chiropractics, micro-current therapy, homeopathy, etc. He looked at her x-rays. She isn't even finished growing. He did not think her ACL was torn at all - she shows none of the symptoms and never has.

He's worked with her - doing chiropractic adjustments and bathing her leg in a laser light to relax the spasms that kept her kneecap out of place. In three treatments and with six weeks rest, she is in fine shape...no favoring of the leg at all.

This vet thinks it is her subluxating patella, grade one not grade two as the others said, and that it can be managed very well without surgery, perhaps for her entire life.

Needless to say...not only am I relieved...but I have placed both of my dogs entire care into his very able hands.

So...though I am horribly disappointed to find that with many vets, its all about the money, through that I found a vet who truly puts the dogs welfare above all else.

Thank you all for thinking of Leela and me. I hope you all may find as good of health care for your dogs as I have finally found for mine. :amen:


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Joellyn, that is fantastic news! It's incredible how all these doctors could vary diagnosis and prognosis. Scary ! I am very glad you found a vet you trust and who prefers less invasive solutions. Great news for Leela.


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