Surgery needed for cruciate tear?

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh dear. This is a very difficult situation.

Unfortunately I would agree with the second vet. If a dog has a cruciate tear, they almost always need surgery in order to recover. The exception would be a very small dog. Small dogs can sometimes heal with rest alone.

If the first vet thought that things would heal within a few weeks, it's possible that they were thinking that it was not a complete tear. Often, when I have a dog where I am not sure whether the ligament is torn or not I will put them on anti-inflammatory medication and prescribe rest for a few weeks to see what happens. But,if there is a tear then this is not going to heal without surgery.

Recovery from cruciate ligament surgery depends greatly on the type of surgery that is done. In our practice we use something called TPLO surgery. Dogs generally tend to recover very quickly from this and are walking on their own without assistance within a couple of days. But, TPLO surgery is expensive. It can cost $3000-$4000.

Will the other knee rupture? That's a tough one to answer. The textbooks tell us that in large dogs, there is a 50% chance that at some point in their life the second knee will rupture. In my experience, this number has not been so high. I would say that maybe 20% of my patients have had their second knee tear. It is rare that it happens while they are recovering from their first tear. When it does happen it tends to be a year or more later.

This is a really tough call for you. If you are not handling things well emotionally (and I can understand why) then you may want to visit your doctor before making any difficult decisions. No one can tell you exactly what to do in this situation, but if the doctor can help you to be in a more calm state of mind, then this will help you to think more clearly about the decisions you need to make.

It sounds like you can trust the advice that your regular veterinarian is giving you. It may be worthwhile to have him or her take a look at Gracie if that is possible as they will be better informed on how to advise you once they have examined her.

I hope that everything works out ok.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

I pray that everything goes well. Dogs are really good at recovering from surgery. Best of luck!

Dr. Marie