Honey needs help!!!

[Doodle]

We just received a phone call from the vet confirming Honey (only 8 months old!) has 2 partially torn ACLs!!!! Our vet's office has an orthopedic surgeon as well and he agreed with our vet and asked that the x-rays be sent to a radiologist to double check. All three are in agreement it is both knees.

How can this be? Our poor Honey!! She's on meds to control the pain.

The vet is talking about surgery on BOTH knees with extensive recovery time.  Honey would have to be still with no exercise. Did I mention she is only 8 months old?

I'm sure it must have happened when Honey and Shadow were chasing and wrestling, they always have a good wrestle and run. 

The vet said it is going to cost anywhere from $1500-$2500 that's PER KNEE!!!! Tears are flowing as I'm writing this and my heart is breaking. We can't pay for this. We've already spent over $2,000 in medical bills on her just in the last 4 months! What am I going to do? I love her so much. If we don't do the surgery than she will either get a full tear in one or both knees and get arthritis and have to be on constant pain meds until she can't take it anymore. I can't do that to her. I feel horrible. I told the vet I heard that sometimes it can heal on its own.  She wasn't as hopeful because Honey is bigger (50 pounds) and generally speaking that happens in smaller dogs and it's not all that common.

HELP!!! What do I do??

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I'm sorry to hear about Honey.  Do you have pet insurance for her?  I think some vets offer something called Care Credit.  Check with your vet and see if that is an option.

[Doodle]

Thank you for replying. The last hour has been rough!!! We don't have pet insurance.  I'm going to find out about Care Credit now though.  Thank you.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

My sis has used care credit a few times for her chihuahua's mounting dental bills.  I am so sorry you are having to deal with this.

Just curious, what has the other $2,000 been spent on?  Wondering if you need to contact her breeder?

[Doodle]

We got her as a rehome.  We asked about the breeder, we found out she was purchased by a place called Daisy Hill Labradoodles. After some research we found out there are 2 breeders with the same name and within the same state.  One is completely legitimate and the other is NOT! I figured it out because the website names are www.daisyhilllabradoodles.com (good one) and www.daisyhillabradoodles.com (bad one).  Did you catch the difference? One has 3 L's in a row and the other has 2 L's in a row. 

Honey was 4 months old when we got her. We were told she was not wanted because she raises her gums when people approach her. Clearly it was a smile, she wags her tail while she's doing it and there is no snarl or growl (it's quite endearing I loved it!). So we took her in. Poor girl was covered in fleas and nasty bites, severe ear infections, giardia, worms, and the list goes on! We had all these things fixed up immediately of course; We brought her back a couple of times to make sure her intestines and ears were clear (poor baby). We had her spayed and she earned overnight accomodations for a minor complication. Then we started noticing the limping.  We were in and out quite a few times.  Sometimes she seemed to get better, then it would start again. Then the x-rays, the specialist, the radiologist, the meds, etc. 

This poor girl has had a rough start.

[Doodle]

Top answer your question about the breeder; I took a trip to visit the "breeder" the conditions were less than impressive or healthy. I contacted Animal Services and asked them to please check them out. So I don't think she'll be any help... :-( But hopefully she finds it difficult to further breed.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm so sorry to hear about Honey. A couple of things came to mind.  One was the possibility of using orthopedics to support her knees and give them a chance to heal. There are vet and human orthopedic specialists who make devices for dogs now. Perhaps since the tears are just partial they could be healed this way? I don't have any experience with this but perhaps your vet would know more about it. If not maybe be proactive and make some calls yourself. Sometimes vets have limited vision.

http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2011/07/dogs_best_friend...

http://www.mypetsbrace.com/product-overview.php

Also there is a site, Doodle Messenger, for doodle owners who need financial help for medical situations for their doodles. They may be able to help with fund raising for surgeries and also give you some other ideas for covering the costs.

http://http://doodlemessenger.webs.com/

Good luck, keep us posted on Honey's situation!

[Julie C]

www.tiggerpoz.com  (Regarding Dog ACL Injuries and Surgery)

The link above talks about the ACL problems that Honey is having and at the very least gives you a lot of information about ACL tears and the options open to you.  I don't remember if I got the site from Doodlekisses or The Goldendoodle website but I felt more informed after I had read it.  I feel so sorry for Honey and I definitely know how hard 2 doodles play and hard it is to keep them quiet when they are hurt.  I hope others have even more good advice for you. 

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

I'm so sorry I hope there is some type of payment plan you can figure out :(

[Lynette Main]

Shea did the same thing,and the med bills were going to be the same. My step son is a Dr.of Physical Therapy and we tried the less expencive way to treat .That ment taking pain killers for a while( That can hurt a dog also) then allowing him to go out side on a lead,no playing and very little time with the other dogs. It was very hard for him and for us. We had to be with him every minute.It worked.. You re right  Honey prob. did it playing.Shea loves to jump out. I  should get him into jumping for length  on TV.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would definitely look into Care Credit. Another option might be the Doodle Messenger. http://doodlemessenger.webs.com/

I really think that for a dog this young, the surgery needs to be done somehow. If she was an older dog, it might be different, but for a dog this young, facing an entire lifetime of possible pain, arthritis, etc, I don't think gambling on a long shot that the knees are both going to heal themselves is realistic or fair to Honey. 

Did you adopt her directly from the previous owner, or through a rescue? If the latter, perhaps the rescue could help you cover the funds for the surgery. 

I'm very sorry that you and Honey are dealing with this. 

[Doodle]

Thank you. 

We didn't adopt her directly through the "breeder" or a rescue. It was a 3rd party who got her from the "breeder" and said they were moving. We've questioned her whole story but didn't care because she's such a love.

I'm so appreciative of the suggestions. I too feel like she needs the surgery so she can have the kind of labradoodle life she deserves. I have my research ahead of me: Care Credit and the websites for financial assistance. I know I'm completely emotional right now and feeling overwhelmed with all of this. I feel like I have to figure all this out so quickly.  

I called my husband at work and gave him a few details and he was less than thrilled; he grew up on a farm.  He loves our dogs but not like I love our dogs.  I know you ALL get that, that's why we are here. I'm so grateful you are here. Thank you so much. You have NO idea how much it means to me that you are chatting with me.  I'm appreciative of all your suggestions and words. sniffle sniffle>> I need to get our options together. 

Shadow is at work with me today, Honey is home with the babysitter, kids and meds. Just thinking about seeing her is making me all teary. How can those little doodles worm their way into our hearts like this? It just be their kisses. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am very sorry to hear all this and hopefully some of the advice others have offered will help.