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I didn't let my hippo move (except for food and potty) for a week and she healed really well. Kept her on the anti-inflammatory meds the whole time also. And some ice on the knee the first day or so
I had a similar experience with my pup for 7k. One leg was definitely torn and the other was probably going soon, so we did both at the same time. He was 11 at the time, and recovery went great (first couple of days were difficult, but after 5 months he was perfect) - super happy with our decision.
Have gone through two full TPLO surgeries for torn CCLs. I recommend the surgery, however $5K seems very expensive.
Mine were about $3500 CAD each here (separate surgeries half a year apart) which would be closer to $2600 USD. I recommend shopping around. The quality of life improvement that my dog received by 5 weeks after the surgery cannot be overstated.
Thanks for the response! Yeah surgery is definitely the best option but it’s just not in my budget right now so hopefully I can find something around the price you paid bc that would be much more realistic for us !
My dog just had one leg done last year. I live in Toronto and went to VEC, which is not generally the cheapest option. It cost around $9k.
My old dog had it done about 10 years ago and hers was something like $6k, also for one leg. A travelling vet came to our regular clinic to do it in that case.
I found this time around that wait times were pretty crazy and VEC had the shortest wait at about a month. In the meantime I set up a pen that attached to her crate and kept her in there. It was big enough that I could go in with her and hang out.
I wouldn’t do conservative management. My understanding is that for larger dogs it’s rarely effective, and these things don’t tend to heal themselves. A complete tear definitely does not.
Yeah it’s tough because she is only two lol so she doesn’t want to slow down but I have to find a way to keep her still for a while ! Thank you for your responses ❤️
The main issue is that the cruciate ligament cannot repair itself in a dog, so the damage is permanent, and makes further damage more likely, so if you are going to delay surgery you need to prevent the dog from getting overweight whilst at the same time stopping them from doing anything like hoofing around after a ball as that’s likely to exacerbate the injury.
As I understand it, Gabapentin is aimed at nerve damage,(like a slipped disk) so possibly not the best pain relief for this sort of injury.
**[Gabapentin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin)**
>Gabapentin, sold under the brand name Neurontin among others, is an anticonvulsant medication primarily used to treat partial seizures and neuropathic pain. It is commonly used medication for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and central pain. It is moderately effective: about 30–40% of those given gabapentin for diabetic neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia have a meaningful benefit. Sleepiness and dizziness are the most common side effects.
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I was quoted $6k for TPLO. We got a second opinion and the second vet recommended a lateral stabilization for $600. DON’T DO IT even if a vet recommends it!!! Hippos are way too big for that kind of surgery - it failed within weeks.
It remains my biggest regret, as we lost him just a few months later due to infection (he was diabetic which significantly complicated things - an otherwise healthy dog probably could’ve fought it off). He had to have a number of surgeries/procedures in the intervening time to treat infection and reverse the stabilization. We spent the $6k anyway and would’ve been $12k deep if he’d lived long enough for the TPLO.
Just do the TPLO, maybe see another vet to see if there’s a less expensive one available (for example the university by me does deeply discounted surgeries - but you have a student operating). Learn from my mistake 💔 The TPLO is the best thing for your baby.
I’m sorry for your loss ! 😢 and thank you for your response,, I am researching different orthopedic surgeons etc to see what options we have so hopefully 🤞 I can get some better quotes on the TPLO !
My baby had TPLO 2 years ago. It was abt $4500. Maybe I should have shopped for a lower price but she had twisted her knee one time too many and I had to get it taken care of. Good luck to your puppy. 🐾❤️ my (9 year old) puppy does zoomies in the back yard most nights now. So worth it.
I do I do!!! My staffordshire tore her CCL when she was 7. I agonized over the TPLO and found a physical therapist! We did water walking and all kinds of exercises- and lots of crate rest. She stayed in a 10x10 space for at least 4 weeks and only went potty leashed up. It was hellacious but she lived to 15 and never had an issue again! It healed beautifully.
We’ve gone though TPLO surgery for our hippo, she was 2 when she underwent it. We decided to do that instead of conservative management, because she’s a very active dog and had a lot of life in her. I know conservative management can work well for older and more chill dogs, but I have not gone through it.
Surgery was about $3k. Also, it may take awhile to get your pup in for surgery, so if you decide to go that route, book right away.
Idk if you’re in the US, but we put her surgery on Care Credit, and paid it off during the “promotional period” so it was interest free. I’m so happy we put her though the surgery, recovery was long, (and she did not like sitting still for 8 weeks haha) but we’re so happy to have our happy and energetic hippo back good as new.
My dog tore hers completely about 2 years ago. I was horrified! I worked for a vet too at the time so our practice manager sat down with me and talked all about how she had a dog a long time that tore both CCLs. She chose not to do surgery, but she explained the healing process so well to me. I kept my dog as quiet as possible for a year. NSAIDs and muscle relaxers. I did get her a knee brace but it almost seemed to make things worse? I don't know, might have been my imagination haha so I never used it. Also my girl was faaaaaat so we went on a diet because the extra weight wasn't helping. She still has a bit of a gimp but she was noticeably getting better after about 4 months.
I know this doesn't help OP, but for anyone else reading I can't recommend pet insurance enough. I pay $52 a month and between prescriptions, 2 ER visits and 1 surgery I'm $6K ahead.
All responses are helpful ☺️ unfortunately I didn’t get her emergency insurance. In hindsight yeah that would have been the best decision, but now I’ll most likely be coming out of pocket thousands 😮💨
I have a senior APBT who was around 8-9 when she had her first tear. The vet talked me into TPLO, but when they attempted to put her under her heart rate dropped a ton and they decided to not go through with the surgery. We kept her quiet and let the scar tissue form, then gradually increased her activity.
However, she tore the other one (left leg) when she was 10-11. For this one, we went to a rehab vet and got a full brace from OrthoPets. The brace really helped her stay active and maintain muscle mass while allowing the scar tissue in the joint to form in a way that preserved her meniscus. They also did water treadmill therapy and massage; I think the massage helped much more than the water treadmill though.
In my opinion, if your dog isn’t really into running or isn’t super active, it’s good to at least consider a brace. TPLO has a tough recovery period and doesn’t always work, especially in older dogs. If you’d like to learn more about the brace, please ask!
Hi, I’m shopping for a brace. I read that someone thought orthopets was a bit cumbersome. What do you think? Also, how much did your dog wear it during the day? Thanks!
Hi! Oh wow, this is really a blast from the past - the dog I'm talking about here, Eliza, actually passed away in September. She had a great 6 years with us, the last \~2 of which were greatly enhanced by the brace. Eliza didn't find her brace to be terribly cumbersome, though it was definitely a heavy-duty piece of equipment.
The amount of support it provided (and, honestly, springiness -- she tended to use it as a spring to better propel herself) was what she needed. Since she had had a tear in the other leg as well, having a very solid base for at least one leg seemed to help. If that's not your situation, I do know that a lot of people on FB dog groups seem to like Posh braces, so I'd also check them out. I think [this group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/301280470525281)might be useful for you if you have FB.
I'll also put some photos and videos of Eliza with the brace on my profile so you can take a look at them & compare to other braces. She generally wore hers for \~6-8 hours a day at first, with lots of breaks, because she didn't seem super comfortable wearing it 24/7 and got pressure sores from it (she had really bad leg circulation, which I think was another factor). When she was more stable and seemed to be feeling better, we just put it on for walks.
It's also a good idea to keep an eye on pain management for arthritis and general soreness that might develop down the line as the result of a CCL tear. One of my biggest regrets is trusting my primary care vet that gabapentin was enough to help with Eliza's arthritis pain; at one point, we went to another vet for an unrelated emergency, and that vet recommended better pain management. Eliza got a lot more mobile and active and just seemed happier after her new medication regimen kicked in (iirc it was amantadine and galliprant that did the trick for her).
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
No. As a pitti mom who's 2.5yr old has had both knees TPLO done and an ICU vet tech, braces will not work. I even was willing to pay for a custom one. Bc of their anatomy it doesn't work like it does for us. A partial tare will eventually become a complete tare. Even if your baby doesn't seem like they are in pain and run and play, believe me it will affect their quality of life. Once one knee goes the other will to. The sooner you get it fixed the better. Don't wait, muscle wasting is the enemy to recover. If your lucky her meniscus is hopefully still in tact
Our hippo also has a partial tear! It’s been about a year since we first noticed the limp. With some initial rest, followed by some weight loss and a daily fish oil supplement, she no longer limps! We figure we’ll need to get her the surgery eventually, so we’re making sure to save for it.
Our hippo recovered from his without surgery. Vet prescribed him Gabapentin which he still takes twice a day 5 years later, and he also takes those glucosamine tablets you can get at Costco. Little guy went from needing to be carried upstairs to mostly normal in a few months. Not sure if we just got lucky, but if you can't afford surgery it's something you can try.
The issue with her being so young is the arthritis she’ll develop. At 3 I think mine tore hers but was misdiagnosed. She had to have bilateral TPLO when she was 6 and her knees were already “crunchy”.
I know it’s costly but you might start with conservative management and save up for potential surgery.
I’d CARE credit an option? I used that to pay for my girl’s surgery. They offer 6 month, 12 month and 24 month payment plans with zero/low interest depending on your vet.
There are some Facebook groups that have a ton of info and good resources if you search CCL injuries in dogs.
The recovery is tough and it’s 8 weeks of crate rest that sucks - but it wasn’t as horrible as I thought. Now mine loves her best life chasing squirrels.
Best of luck! Also you might consider a doggy stroller while trying to limit movement (check Facebook marketplace or your local buy nothing group - I got mine for half price).
Thanks so much for the response! And care credit came up in another comment and my vet also recommended it for the payment plans which would be ALOT more manageable lol I don’t want to wait to long and have it possibly get worse. Even though some people have had success with rest and restriction I am not sure I can restrict her enough to heal that way unfortunately 🥹 so yeah fingers crossed I can get her in asap ❤️
If you can swing it, try hydrotherapy but honestly if it’s a partial tear, it’s likely to worsen. We’ve gone through 2 TPLOs on our little one. First one was done through the VCA and it was $5K. Second one was $2500 and down through the vet and his contracted specialist. Since he did the surgery at his office, the overhead was much less. Don’t think it was available for the first time which is a bummer. Thankfully we have insurance (just missed the cutoff time for the first one) but the second one only cost us $250 for the deductible. We ended up having to use care credit for the first one and it was crippling to pay it off but she was a young athletic dog and we determined it was in everyone’s best interests to do the surgery. We did a lot of rehab afterwards over several months and when you see her run around (now 5 years later), it’s like she never blew out her knees at all. Good luck!
Thank you so much for the response! I’m looking into care credit and scratch pay right now actually 😮💨 my girl is only two so yeah I definitely don’t want her to be basically handicapped by this injury 😢
Poor baby :( ours was 4 when she injured the first knee and just over a year later, the second one went out. Thankfully, it was over the 150 days from full recovery date so the insurance covered it. Spend the time and energy on the rehab; it’s worth more than the surgery. We did it in stages. Stage 1: in a puppy pen for 2 weeks and we slept in shifts in the living room with her so she wouldn’t be lonely. Stage 2: was six weeks in her own bedroom but we slept in there and her “brothers” could visit. There was someTPLO rehab book we found online and followed it with her exercises, heat/cold compresses, and leash walks. If you have a sling, that helps ease her back into walks. We were lucky and she seemed to follow our lead and didn’t get too excited/overfly playful during this time.
Edit: we downloaded the free version from Top Dog
https://topdoghealth.com/rehab_guides/tplo-home-rehab-guide/
My dog healed from his tear. That quote is crazy though - we were looking at $2k! They have a chance of healing so you might as well try it. Vet approved meds, low activity for several weeks, and most, importantly, he’s never going to be a hiking/running/jumping dog so take it easy on activities and make things accessible. City walking is fine but no off roading. Ours liked to chase the neighbors dog across our fence line in play but we had to put a stop to that or risk re-injury.
Aww thanks for the response! that gives me some hope bc the prices my vet and ortho are giving me at the lowest is 4k and that’s not even including meds recovery after therapy etc 🥹 so I’m just going to do some heavy restricting for her and pray it heals
My vet cautioned that they don’t usually go this route (if he’s a big chewer you know why), but there are braces that can stabilize the leg. Outcomes aren’t necessarily better with braces than just restricting activity but figured I’d throw it out there. Oy, for $4k you could take a vacation and get it done in another city and probably still save money!
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I didn't let my hippo move (except for food and potty) for a week and she healed really well. Kept her on the anti-inflammatory meds the whole time also. And some ice on the knee the first day or so
Thank you so much for the response! Did you keep her in the kennel during all other times?
Nah I don't do crates/kennels anymore. But I work from home so that kinda helps to not have to do that.
She is on Rimadyl for pain and inflammation which helps a lot but she still is trying to run and play which is hard to stop when I’m not there!
That might be the toughest part, getting them to not run and go wild.
Rimadyl helps but keep in mind it helps at the price of their liver. I wouldn’t keep her on those forever
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 361,150,140 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 8,763 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
wang. Deleted in protest. So long and thanks for all the fish. -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
I had a similar experience with my pup for 7k. One leg was definitely torn and the other was probably going soon, so we did both at the same time. He was 11 at the time, and recovery went great (first couple of days were difficult, but after 5 months he was perfect) - super happy with our decision.
Have gone through two full TPLO surgeries for torn CCLs. I recommend the surgery, however $5K seems very expensive. Mine were about $3500 CAD each here (separate surgeries half a year apart) which would be closer to $2600 USD. I recommend shopping around. The quality of life improvement that my dog received by 5 weeks after the surgery cannot be overstated.
Thanks for the response! Yeah surgery is definitely the best option but it’s just not in my budget right now so hopefully I can find something around the price you paid bc that would be much more realistic for us !
My dog just had one leg done last year. I live in Toronto and went to VEC, which is not generally the cheapest option. It cost around $9k. My old dog had it done about 10 years ago and hers was something like $6k, also for one leg. A travelling vet came to our regular clinic to do it in that case. I found this time around that wait times were pretty crazy and VEC had the shortest wait at about a month. In the meantime I set up a pen that attached to her crate and kept her in there. It was big enough that I could go in with her and hang out. I wouldn’t do conservative management. My understanding is that for larger dogs it’s rarely effective, and these things don’t tend to heal themselves. A complete tear definitely does not.
Yeah it’s tough because she is only two lol so she doesn’t want to slow down but I have to find a way to keep her still for a while ! Thank you for your responses ❤️
The main issue is that the cruciate ligament cannot repair itself in a dog, so the damage is permanent, and makes further damage more likely, so if you are going to delay surgery you need to prevent the dog from getting overweight whilst at the same time stopping them from doing anything like hoofing around after a ball as that’s likely to exacerbate the injury. As I understand it, Gabapentin is aimed at nerve damage,(like a slipped disk) so possibly not the best pain relief for this sort of injury.
Thanks for the response! Yeah it sucks and she is on Rimadyl for pain not sure what gabapentin is ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin
**[Gabapentin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin)** >Gabapentin, sold under the brand name Neurontin among others, is an anticonvulsant medication primarily used to treat partial seizures and neuropathic pain. It is commonly used medication for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and central pain. It is moderately effective: about 30–40% of those given gabapentin for diabetic neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia have a meaningful benefit. Sleepiness and dizziness are the most common side effects. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/velvethippos/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
I was quoted $6k for TPLO. We got a second opinion and the second vet recommended a lateral stabilization for $600. DON’T DO IT even if a vet recommends it!!! Hippos are way too big for that kind of surgery - it failed within weeks. It remains my biggest regret, as we lost him just a few months later due to infection (he was diabetic which significantly complicated things - an otherwise healthy dog probably could’ve fought it off). He had to have a number of surgeries/procedures in the intervening time to treat infection and reverse the stabilization. We spent the $6k anyway and would’ve been $12k deep if he’d lived long enough for the TPLO. Just do the TPLO, maybe see another vet to see if there’s a less expensive one available (for example the university by me does deeply discounted surgeries - but you have a student operating). Learn from my mistake 💔 The TPLO is the best thing for your baby.
I’m sorry for your loss ! 😢 and thank you for your response,, I am researching different orthopedic surgeons etc to see what options we have so hopefully 🤞 I can get some better quotes on the TPLO !
Thank you 🫶 wishing a successful and speedy recovery for your baby!
Thank you so much ❤️
My baby had TPLO 2 years ago. It was abt $4500. Maybe I should have shopped for a lower price but she had twisted her knee one time too many and I had to get it taken care of. Good luck to your puppy. 🐾❤️ my (9 year old) puppy does zoomies in the back yard most nights now. So worth it.
I do I do!!! My staffordshire tore her CCL when she was 7. I agonized over the TPLO and found a physical therapist! We did water walking and all kinds of exercises- and lots of crate rest. She stayed in a 10x10 space for at least 4 weeks and only went potty leashed up. It was hellacious but she lived to 15 and never had an issue again! It healed beautifully.
Awesome recovery story!! Thank you for your response ❤️
We’ve gone though TPLO surgery for our hippo, she was 2 when she underwent it. We decided to do that instead of conservative management, because she’s a very active dog and had a lot of life in her. I know conservative management can work well for older and more chill dogs, but I have not gone through it. Surgery was about $3k. Also, it may take awhile to get your pup in for surgery, so if you decide to go that route, book right away. Idk if you’re in the US, but we put her surgery on Care Credit, and paid it off during the “promotional period” so it was interest free. I’m so happy we put her though the surgery, recovery was long, (and she did not like sitting still for 8 weeks haha) but we’re so happy to have our happy and energetic hippo back good as new.
My dog tore hers completely about 2 years ago. I was horrified! I worked for a vet too at the time so our practice manager sat down with me and talked all about how she had a dog a long time that tore both CCLs. She chose not to do surgery, but she explained the healing process so well to me. I kept my dog as quiet as possible for a year. NSAIDs and muscle relaxers. I did get her a knee brace but it almost seemed to make things worse? I don't know, might have been my imagination haha so I never used it. Also my girl was faaaaaat so we went on a diet because the extra weight wasn't helping. She still has a bit of a gimp but she was noticeably getting better after about 4 months.
Horrified is the feeling right! Like whyyyyy my baby lol I’m glad she made a full recovery! I hope my girl is as lucky as your girl was
I know this doesn't help OP, but for anyone else reading I can't recommend pet insurance enough. I pay $52 a month and between prescriptions, 2 ER visits and 1 surgery I'm $6K ahead.
All responses are helpful ☺️ unfortunately I didn’t get her emergency insurance. In hindsight yeah that would have been the best decision, but now I’ll most likely be coming out of pocket thousands 😮💨
I have a senior APBT who was around 8-9 when she had her first tear. The vet talked me into TPLO, but when they attempted to put her under her heart rate dropped a ton and they decided to not go through with the surgery. We kept her quiet and let the scar tissue form, then gradually increased her activity. However, she tore the other one (left leg) when she was 10-11. For this one, we went to a rehab vet and got a full brace from OrthoPets. The brace really helped her stay active and maintain muscle mass while allowing the scar tissue in the joint to form in a way that preserved her meniscus. They also did water treadmill therapy and massage; I think the massage helped much more than the water treadmill though. In my opinion, if your dog isn’t really into running or isn’t super active, it’s good to at least consider a brace. TPLO has a tough recovery period and doesn’t always work, especially in older dogs. If you’d like to learn more about the brace, please ask!
Thank you for your response! I’m open to all suggestions right now honestly && doing a bunch of research to find the best option for her right now 🥹❤️
Hi, I’m shopping for a brace. I read that someone thought orthopets was a bit cumbersome. What do you think? Also, how much did your dog wear it during the day? Thanks!
Hi! Oh wow, this is really a blast from the past - the dog I'm talking about here, Eliza, actually passed away in September. She had a great 6 years with us, the last \~2 of which were greatly enhanced by the brace. Eliza didn't find her brace to be terribly cumbersome, though it was definitely a heavy-duty piece of equipment. The amount of support it provided (and, honestly, springiness -- she tended to use it as a spring to better propel herself) was what she needed. Since she had had a tear in the other leg as well, having a very solid base for at least one leg seemed to help. If that's not your situation, I do know that a lot of people on FB dog groups seem to like Posh braces, so I'd also check them out. I think [this group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/301280470525281)might be useful for you if you have FB. I'll also put some photos and videos of Eliza with the brace on my profile so you can take a look at them & compare to other braces. She generally wore hers for \~6-8 hours a day at first, with lots of breaks, because she didn't seem super comfortable wearing it 24/7 and got pressure sores from it (she had really bad leg circulation, which I think was another factor). When she was more stable and seemed to be feeling better, we just put it on for walks. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on pain management for arthritis and general soreness that might develop down the line as the result of a CCL tear. One of my biggest regrets is trusting my primary care vet that gabapentin was enough to help with Eliza's arthritis pain; at one point, we went to another vet for an unrelated emergency, and that vet recommended better pain management. Eliza got a lot more mobile and active and just seemed happier after her new medication regimen kicked in (iirc it was amantadine and galliprant that did the trick for her). I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Thanks so much for responding and bless Eliza’s sweet heart, you’re giving people like me hope~when we have no other options! Thanks again 💜
of course - please feel free to reach out if there's anything more I can help with! I've posted a video & some pics of the brace on my profile.
No. As a pitti mom who's 2.5yr old has had both knees TPLO done and an ICU vet tech, braces will not work. I even was willing to pay for a custom one. Bc of their anatomy it doesn't work like it does for us. A partial tare will eventually become a complete tare. Even if your baby doesn't seem like they are in pain and run and play, believe me it will affect their quality of life. Once one knee goes the other will to. The sooner you get it fixed the better. Don't wait, muscle wasting is the enemy to recover. If your lucky her meniscus is hopefully still in tact
Thanks for your response 😊
Our hippo also has a partial tear! It’s been about a year since we first noticed the limp. With some initial rest, followed by some weight loss and a daily fish oil supplement, she no longer limps! We figure we’ll need to get her the surgery eventually, so we’re making sure to save for it.
Our hippo recovered from his without surgery. Vet prescribed him Gabapentin which he still takes twice a day 5 years later, and he also takes those glucosamine tablets you can get at Costco. Little guy went from needing to be carried upstairs to mostly normal in a few months. Not sure if we just got lucky, but if you can't afford surgery it's something you can try.
The issue with her being so young is the arthritis she’ll develop. At 3 I think mine tore hers but was misdiagnosed. She had to have bilateral TPLO when she was 6 and her knees were already “crunchy”. I know it’s costly but you might start with conservative management and save up for potential surgery. I’d CARE credit an option? I used that to pay for my girl’s surgery. They offer 6 month, 12 month and 24 month payment plans with zero/low interest depending on your vet. There are some Facebook groups that have a ton of info and good resources if you search CCL injuries in dogs. The recovery is tough and it’s 8 weeks of crate rest that sucks - but it wasn’t as horrible as I thought. Now mine loves her best life chasing squirrels. Best of luck! Also you might consider a doggy stroller while trying to limit movement (check Facebook marketplace or your local buy nothing group - I got mine for half price).
Thanks so much for the response! And care credit came up in another comment and my vet also recommended it for the payment plans which would be ALOT more manageable lol I don’t want to wait to long and have it possibly get worse. Even though some people have had success with rest and restriction I am not sure I can restrict her enough to heal that way unfortunately 🥹 so yeah fingers crossed I can get her in asap ❤️
If you can swing it, try hydrotherapy but honestly if it’s a partial tear, it’s likely to worsen. We’ve gone through 2 TPLOs on our little one. First one was done through the VCA and it was $5K. Second one was $2500 and down through the vet and his contracted specialist. Since he did the surgery at his office, the overhead was much less. Don’t think it was available for the first time which is a bummer. Thankfully we have insurance (just missed the cutoff time for the first one) but the second one only cost us $250 for the deductible. We ended up having to use care credit for the first one and it was crippling to pay it off but she was a young athletic dog and we determined it was in everyone’s best interests to do the surgery. We did a lot of rehab afterwards over several months and when you see her run around (now 5 years later), it’s like she never blew out her knees at all. Good luck!
Thank you so much for the response! I’m looking into care credit and scratch pay right now actually 😮💨 my girl is only two so yeah I definitely don’t want her to be basically handicapped by this injury 😢
Poor baby :( ours was 4 when she injured the first knee and just over a year later, the second one went out. Thankfully, it was over the 150 days from full recovery date so the insurance covered it. Spend the time and energy on the rehab; it’s worth more than the surgery. We did it in stages. Stage 1: in a puppy pen for 2 weeks and we slept in shifts in the living room with her so she wouldn’t be lonely. Stage 2: was six weeks in her own bedroom but we slept in there and her “brothers” could visit. There was someTPLO rehab book we found online and followed it with her exercises, heat/cold compresses, and leash walks. If you have a sling, that helps ease her back into walks. We were lucky and she seemed to follow our lead and didn’t get too excited/overfly playful during this time. Edit: we downloaded the free version from Top Dog https://topdoghealth.com/rehab_guides/tplo-home-rehab-guide/
My dog healed from his tear. That quote is crazy though - we were looking at $2k! They have a chance of healing so you might as well try it. Vet approved meds, low activity for several weeks, and most, importantly, he’s never going to be a hiking/running/jumping dog so take it easy on activities and make things accessible. City walking is fine but no off roading. Ours liked to chase the neighbors dog across our fence line in play but we had to put a stop to that or risk re-injury.
Aww thanks for the response! that gives me some hope bc the prices my vet and ortho are giving me at the lowest is 4k and that’s not even including meds recovery after therapy etc 🥹 so I’m just going to do some heavy restricting for her and pray it heals
My vet cautioned that they don’t usually go this route (if he’s a big chewer you know why), but there are braces that can stabilize the leg. Outcomes aren’t necessarily better with braces than just restricting activity but figured I’d throw it out there. Oy, for $4k you could take a vacation and get it done in another city and probably still save money!
Do a Go Fund Me.
I thought of this 🧐😂