Cruciate ligament surgery

[Rizzo]

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Afternoon all,

I am looking for some advice on surgery options, Rizzo has previously torn her back right ligament a year and a half ago and had surgery in our local vets to repair this, we felt the surgery went well and she recovered well also. She was never 100% on the leg and was noticeably weaker on it and a little tender on it if she over exerted herself (which we tried to prevent but being an athletic high energy dog this was difficult). She has now torn the other ligament on her left leg which we were told to expect however the vets have informed us that there is a specialist option available at nearly £2000 more. I'm a bit confused as to what to do, we are told the recovery period is a lot better however the long term benefits are hazy with nobody able to tell us if it is going to do her a world of good compared to basic surgery? can anyone offer me advice please?

 

[gypsysmum2]

Are you insured? As this is such a specialist subject I would ask for a referral to a centre of excellence in your area.

Given that your dog did not make a complete recovery from the first op it would sound as if the vet thinks the more specialist op would be the better option.

Can I ask if your dog is over weight? It is often considered that dogs carrying extra weight are more at risk of cruciate rupture. In fact vets will often refuse to operate until the dog has lost weight. I expect the vet has explained that the first leg will have to take extra strain while the second leg is recovering?

Did your dog have any hydrotherapy and physiotherapy after the original op? You might like to look into this treatment as it is very beneficial. If it were my dog I would consult an ACPAT registered physiotherapist for their opinion. They see a lot of dogs with this condition.

 

[Rizzo]

Thanks for your reply, she is insured but not for the back legs, she ruptured the ligament when she was really young and as she was so small at the time recovered well, it wasn't till two years later she completly tore it so I'm the insurance put amy exclusion on her legs. She is very lean and fit, but we suspect her breed has something to do with it also. I actually called the specialist surgery and they didn't offer me any help at all

 

[gypsysmum2]

The specialist surgery will not be able to help until they have done a full assessment of her.

Check with your insurance company. If you have lifetime insurance you should still be covered. If not, they may have only excluded the original leg and not the newly damaged leg.