Surgery for pets

[Que]

I was told that my dog will need surgery for a slight tear in her ACL. One vet said she needs joint auppliments and will be fine. The other said she needs the surgery or it will get worse, along with arthritis.

I never imagined this dog becoming so much a part of our family. We don't want to see her injured or in pain, but I hate feeling like I'm being hustled. The surgery is estimated to run from $1,300 to $1,500. Have any of you ever experienced this? Did you do the surgery or a different route?

 

[ruger1800]

Don't do it, dogs don't feel pain like humans, also since they have 4 legs its easy for them to compensate.
Dogs are lucky to have only 8-10 years of life.

 

[pudly]

I had a cocker spaniel that ended up needing similar surgery on both rear knees at ~$1,000 each about 10 years ago. Loved that dog, but he was expensive.

 

[lovemachine]

Get a second opinion from another VET.

Few years ago, my parents Rottweiler was diagnosed with a torn ACL. And she recommended surgery. About the same price you have been quoted at.
My parents got another opinion from a different VET. Who recommended they wait, the ACL was torn, but this VET believed surgery wasn't THAT necessary.

Their dog lived another 5 years, without surgery. But it was like arthritis, the pain came and went depending on the weather. And they have him pain killers for it.

 

[Snapdragon]

We owe it to our pets to keep them healthy and pain-free. I disagree with ruger1800 about dogs not feeling pain like humans do. They may not show it, but they feel it. I would do the surgery.

 

[Crbn79]

Get a third opinion. I had a vet try to push surgery on my dog. Was going to be about $3,000 to fuse a few vertebrae in his back. Said it would help him walk better, if I didn't do it I'd be putting him through pain every step for the rest of his life. A second vet explained it was just arthritis, showed me a few stretches to give him when it acted up. 6 years later all is fine, when he starts tightening up I just stretch him out. About once a month, 10 mins of my time, and he's good to go.

 

[HoughMade]

All I can say is, what you quoted would be about my upper limit...and if a doc said supplements were fine, then that is what I would do.

If it was much more than that and the pain was intractable....

 

[nocash84]

I think ruger 1800 is wrong about dogs not feeling pain like humans, I've had dogs around all my life and I know when they are in pain.

 

[mbills2223]

I agree with perhaps getting a third opinion. Like with surgeons, doctors, etc., vets may disagree on the best course of action based on their experience, education and so on.

 

[olhorseman]

I love all my animals and would not subject them to surgery unless they are in pain and can't compensate for the pain. We have had dogs that compensate by reducing its usage of the injured leg long enough for it to scar up and reduce the pain.
I always consider if it was me and which pain I could deal with better, the injury or the surgery.

FWIW, for dogs with arthritis check out Rimadyl. It significantly reduced the discomfort of our 14 year old mutt during his last year.

 

[Ericpwp]

When my wife got our dogs, before we met, one had Patellar Luxation in both knees. I'm told the bill was 5Gs to get her fixed. Lesson: there is no such thing as a free puppy. She is good 7 years later. I can't say I would be okay with the decision if it was presented to me at the time. I can say that I would not be nearly as happy in life without her in it.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

The veterinary field is rife with inconsistency. I hate it.

Near impossible to tell who's just wanting more cash from you, and who has a legit concern for your pet's well-being. We've dropped vets in the past that obviously took advantage of our patronage and tried to milk all the money they could out of us.

Pay someone for an opinion, with the pretense that they will not be performing the procedure... I don't know, some sort of objective third-party that will be honest.

 

[mrjarrell]

I'm in the "get a 3rd opinion" group, too. Surgery may be necessary, (is it necessary if it happens to a human?), or maybe you can get away without it. Whatever happens, you'll feel better with another informed opinion to work from.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Another opinion from someone in a small town. Why does a partial tear need fixed? What symptoms? How old is the dog?

 

[Que]

I have already paid over $500 in x-Rays and pain meds. I am trying to not make it about the money, but...

My dog is approximately seven, but we are not sure because she is adopted.

 

[lovemachine]

If it was me, I would not do the surgery. Simply because with a large dog, there's no guarantee the ACL won't tear again. The ACL WILL heal, you'll just have to make sure to keep your dog from running around. Your dog needs to stay calm.

You can request pain killers from your VET. They're cheap, and the dog thinks they are treats.

I'd give it a month or so, and see how your dog is by then.

 

[The Keymaster]

We had a knee repair done on our Cairn Terrier when he was 3 due to a hereditary issue. He will be 10 this year, and the repair seems to have been worth the $1200.00. We learned with our first dog not to put off doctor recommended treatments. There is a certain amount of trust and faith you have to out into your vet. Animals are different as they cannot tell us what is wrong, or if they feel pain. We trust our vet, and do whet is needed to keep our pet healthy. These are personal decisions that every pet owner must make at some time.

 

[Snapdragon]

We had a knee repair done on our Cairn Terrier when he was 3 due to a hereditary issue. He will be 10 this year, and the repair seems to have been worth the $1200.00. We learned with our first dog not to put off doctor recommended treatments. There is a certain amount of trust and faith you have to out into your vet. Animals are different as they cannot tell us what is wrong, or if they feel pain. We trust our vet, and do whet is needed to keep our pet healthy. These are personal decisions that every pet owner must make at some time.

 

[nakinate]

I dropped $550 on getting a tumor removed from my dog's leg last month. She'd had the tumor for years, but it had not shown signs of malignancy. In the span of a few days it tripled in size. We could've sent it off to labs to be sure it was benign and the doc got it all, but that would've cost more. My wife and I have already agreed that if she gets cancer again then we'll make her as comfortable as possible until the end. Unfortunately, financial restrictions are real.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Any chance in checking with vet school and seeing if they do low cost work? Only asking because I don't know, I know they do for dentistry. Might be worth looking into. For me and my family, I would probably fork up the cash and help the dog out, but would definitely seek multiple options.