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Torn ACL?

2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  bwire 
#1 ·
I think Blitz may have torn his ACL a couple days ago. He won't jump up on the bed and has yelped on the rare occasion he did jump. It didn't happen doing any hunting. I think he was just out in the backyard when it happen. I tried to find a spot that may be causeing the pain but I can't find anything. Does anybody have any experience with this? I'm going to try and get him to the vet on Monday and see what's going on. Thanks for any insight on this.
 
#2 ·
I have had several dogs tear an ACL and typically they hold the leg up and don't like to put any weight on it. However, I had one dog run and hunt like nothing was wrong and then just acted like he had a sore foot and would just put light pressure on it. I guess I may not have been much help because there are various symptoms and no easy way for the average guy to check for it.

I hope it is simply a sprain and Blitz will be back chasing birds very soon.
 
#4 ·
Oh man...

I have no info or knowledge to pass on, but I will be routing for you and blitz. Hopefully it's a muscle strain and he gets back to normal in a couple weeks.
 
#6 ·
I agree with Pointer. Generally they will hold their leg up or just land on their toe. Sometimes they act like they are working out of it but the damage is done and must be repaired. A major headache. The aftercare is a must. No shortcut. Months of confinement and care. I hope you just have a sprain. Good luck at the vets.
 
#7 ·
If it is an ACL, there are several types of surgery and a very large variation from vet to vet on what you pay. My last surgery was very new and only required a 6 week recovery period before the dog could be put back in action. I took longer than that to really work him hard, but he was back running unrestrained in that time. It was much quicker and easier than the typical 6 months.

If it is an ACL and you have any questions on any of the procedures, don't hesitate getting in touch with me.
 
#9 ·
Can you post some details on the different types of surgeries and their cost?

Is there anything a guy can do to minimize the chances of this occuring?

Just want to know in the unfortunate case I ever have to deal with this.
 
#10 ·
I'll be taking Blitz to the vet Tuesday morning. I hope it is nothing serious.

I was wiping of his paws this morning from the outside mess and when I lifted up his back right leg he let out a big yelp. He's still walking on it but he won't get up on the couch now.
 
#11 ·
HighCountry,

I am certainly no expert but will try to share what I know. Costs of each of the procedures vary depending on what procedure you choose. The more complex the procedure, the more the cost. The price of a particular procedure also varies from one vet to another, so you can save a lot by checking with different vets and comparing costs. For instance, I had a client who was quoted over $3000 and got the same procedure done through my specialist for $1200. I am fortunate to personally know a very good specialist who is somewhat of a friend and I have never paid more than $1000 for any of them. Even the last one which was somewhat experimental and was the first sporting dog repair he had done this way. He was hoping to see the results on a performance dog and fortunately it has worked very well. It is the 6 week procedure that I mentioned and I am not sure what the method is actually called. I didn't ask when he ask me if he could try it on my dog. I simply asked if he had confidence that it would work and if so, I had no problem with him doing it. So far, it has be flawless.

In regards to methods, the three I know of are ECR, TPLO, and TTA. They are all abreviations of much bigger terms for the type of surgery. First, an ACL tear in a dog is actually a tear of the CCL or cranial cruciate ligament. The ECR method is "the rope" method and simply replaces the ligament with a rope or wire type material. It will be the cheapest of the three procedures and have seen it work very well in sporting dogs. The TPLO method actually modifies the stifle joint functions. The procedure does not replace the ligament but stabilizes the joint by modifying the bones so the joint functions differently with plates and screws holding the bones in place till they heal. The TTA method is much like the TPLO method in that it modifies the joint by cutting the tibia bone but in this procedure the tibia is cut to realign the patellar ligament. However it is less invasive than the TPLO procedure. The work is also held in place with plates, screws, and a bone graft.

That is a brief overview of what I know of the procedures after having been through it four times personally and many more times helping out clients looking for advise or direction with their dogs. All of the procedures have their own advantages and disadvantages, so discussing them with a vet to determine what is best for the particular situation is always best.

There is a lot of information on the web in regards to each of the procedures, so if you need more information, I would simply do a search on what procedure you want more details on. The most important thing is to cost compair if you do need surgery. From my experience, there can be a great deal of cost difference for the very same surgery.
 
#14 ·
Glad everything seems to have turned out good.

I am not sure that things occur today more than they have in the past. I simply think that the social media and web have simply made more guys aware of other peoples issues. I know that the internet has made a lot of guys aware of these issues where as 10 years ago, if it didn't happen to you, you never heard of it. Also, in the old days, going to the vet was certainly not as frequent a many dogs were simply hunted lame or took into the woods and did not return. I know that is how it was for the generation or two older than me.

I simply think we are all aware of a lot more issues of others than we were only a few years ago.
 
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