dog with knee injury--torn CCL

bookiemom · 11-02-2009, 10:54 PM

My German shepherd was diagnosed today with a probable torn CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) in her back leg. It's like the ACL injury in human knees. I've been reading online and it is the most common orthopedic injury in dogs. It can be corrected surgically but it is expensive and sounds very hard on everyone--dog and owners. If you don't have the surgery the dog gets arthritis in that knee.

Has anyone had this surgery for their dog? I am really sort of horrified by this. Our dog is only four and in great health otherwise. She loves to chase her ball and especially loves it on the beach. That is where the injury happened this past weekend.

I'd love to hear if anyone has experience with this.

anothermom-w-q · 11-02-2009, 10:58 PM

Our Westie had the surgery around 6 years ago. He is now 11, and has done fine. He was unable to put any weight on that leg until we had the surgery done. We felt is was a good investment in our dogs health and happiness. It was expensive though, and the money was not an object for us at that time.

mmaah · 11-02-2009, 11:10 PM

My much beloved mutt had this injury and I did get it repaired and he lived and prospered a good long time so it definitely felt worth it. It did mean he was able to be fully active and didn't limp. I was a poor graduate student at the time and the vet very kindly let me pay it off over time. The recovery was actually very swift as I recall and not a hardship for either of us; the challenge was restricting him for a few weeks while healing but it mostly meant confining him in the house and walking only on the leash for a time. Good luck...

MomofWildChild · 11-02-2009, 11:14 PM

We have had two ACL repairs on our big Golden and he did fine through both surgeries. We were told if one tears, there is a high chance the other one will, too. It was about a year apart. He did fine with the recovery. It IS expensive, but he is worth it! The worst part was the gigantic cone collar he had to wear. He slammed into all the furniture with it.

bookiemom · 11-02-2009, 11:33 PM

Thanks so much for the prompt responses! It's so great that you can find responses about just about anything on CC! I feel so sad for my dog--she is lying on quilts in the corner because she can't jump up on the couch right now.

Son of Opie · 11-02-2009, 11:38 PM

Our chow had one done... probably much easier to keep her from being real active during that time frame than other breeds...

NewHope33 · 11-03-2009, 12:27 AM

Our midsize (i.e., 60 lbs.) shepherd-cross had both rears done ... two years apart if I remember right. Surgery went well, recovery was very straight-forward, and the dog did great afterward. Add me to the list of posters who say "it was worth it."

BunsenBurner · 11-03-2009, 12:39 AM

bookiemom, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog! Our dog did not have this particular problem, but he needed lifesaving back surgery this summer. The dog was 10, the chance of him recovering from it was about 20%, and the price was astronomical... But I'm so glad we went with the surgery. The weeks of recovery were very hard on everyone -walking a 100-lb dog who has little movement in his back legs is a 2-person job. Little by little we got him walking on his own, and now he even chases his favorite soccer ball when we paly with him in the backyard. The surgery was worth every penny. Since your dog's surgery is not an emergency, it might pay to shop around.

dbwes · 11-03-2009, 07:52 AM

Bookiemom -- So sorry to hear about this! Hugs to you and the dog.
We once had to contemplate hip surgery for a beloved Berner with hip dysplasia. We ended up not doing it because too much damage had been done to the hips and to her elbows in compensation, but that's another story. Anyway, at the time, someone told us to contact the vet school at the University of Illinois, where the operation would be cheaper. Any vet schools within a reasonable distance for you?

dbwes · 11-03-2009, 07:53 AM

MOWC -- LOL! I just started a whole thread on the dreaded cone collar yesterday!

radannie · 11-03-2009, 08:59 AM

This is a very common injury, my husky shephard did the same thing on the beach when seh was 18 mos old! Get the operation, find a good orthopedic in your area, healing time is not intolerable. She had to have her other knee done 3 years later. Totally worth it! Good luck.

coureur · 11-03-2009, 10:42 AM

Our Miniature Pinscher blew out his knee this way. The breed is said to be suseptible. Getting it surgically fixed cost us almost exactly $1000.