input/advice from those who have had dogs with ruptured knees

[Sally]

Hi everyone,

I have a good friend who has a 2 year old boxer/bulldog (i.e. LARGE) named Angeous. He has apparently ruptured BOTH knees. Poor fella. My friend is asking for advice from anyone and everyone before he makes a decision on what to do. (apparently his vet mentioned a few options).

I thought I'd ask here since I know some of our DK doodles have gone through knee surgeries...Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

His vet suggests surgery (2 months apart for each knee) approx. $2,000 per knee. 

Thanks so much!

-Sally (and Duncan Doodle)

[Karen and Bridget]

My Lab had surgery on one knee for a torn ACL then promptly tore the other one.  His surgeries were about 6 months apart.  We used a wonderful orthopedic vet in Columbia SC for both surgeries.  Both times he used the TPLO procedure and each was about $3000.  The recovery went better than I expected and he did not have any complications.  It's been about a year since his last surgery and he has very few residual issues.  He cannot jump into the car and he is a little stiff in the morning but he runs with Bridget and chases her all over the yard.  I do have him on daily Glyco-flex tablets.  

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Did your friend's dog have cruciate tears or luxating patellas? I had a dog that required surgery on both knees but it was due to luxating patellas, not a tear. This was MANY years ago. She ended up with a little stiffness in the leg that was operated on last and probably would have done better with some PT but she didn't get any. But she was a very active girl and could jump in and out of cars and hike long distances just fine after the surgeries.

Best wishes to your friend and his pup!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If you mean torn CCLs, my Springer has fully torn both of them (luckily not at the same time).  He is currently recovering from the second one.  The surgery here in Southern California is $4,000 when performed by a veterinary specialist.  There are several ways to do the surgery and the vet can advise her of what he considers the best choice (or the one he does, Gordie's was the most up to date method).  If the CCL is not fully torn, some people don't do a surgical but use confinement - up to 6 months to allow for healing.  If I had an old dog then perhaps I would let them heal naturally but with a young dog I would always opt for the surgical repair and by a specialist surgeon.  This gives a much better  chance of full recovery with fewer problems when the dog reaches old age.