# Labs blown knee... anyone had to deal with this situation?



## WOODS N WATER (Oct 20, 2009)

My 7 year old lab blow her knee out and the vet said i needed to take her to UGA for surgery. Has anyone had this happen to there dog and was it worth the surgery. I was told it was going to cost $2900. This happened about a month or so ago and she is doing a lot better. for a couple of weeks now she has been running just as fast as she did before she hurt it just with a little limp. Will this heal it self over time? Just wondering because 2900 is a lot of money. Especially during these times.


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## Backlasher82 (Oct 20, 2009)

My dog had the surgery done at UGA and it was the best money I ever spent. Be aware that it takes a LOT of time and dedication on your part during rehab and that part is critical. I followed their guidelines religiously and my dog had a full recovery with no more knee problems.

It isn't just the expense of the surgery, it requires a lot of your time afterward. They will explain that to you but I can't emphasize it enough.


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## WOODS N WATER (Oct 20, 2009)

Backlasher82 said:


> My dog had the surgery done at UGA and it was the best money I ever spent. Be aware that it takes a LOT of time and dedication on your part during rehab and that part is critical. I followed their guidelines religiously and my dog had a full recovery with no more knee problems.
> 
> It isn't just the expense of the surgery, it requires a lot of your time afterward. They will explain that to you but I can't emphasize it enough.



How did it happen to your dog.


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## Backlasher82 (Oct 20, 2009)

I had a puppy that would come running up and jump on her, just playing of course, and he apparently caught her just right and tore the ACL. Think football tackle.


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## injun joe (Oct 20, 2009)

I had an 8 year old lab who tore her ACL and I decided to retire her from hunting rather than have the surgery because of her age. It is an expensive surgery but if the dog had a lot more years to hunt I may have decided differently.
I've had 2 ACL replacements myself and it is a good deal of rehab as stated above. My new parts however have worked very well so if you decide to have your dog repaired, it will probably work. The ligament will not heal itself, however.


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## horkhacker (Oct 20, 2009)

My lab tore hers in 1998 and we had it fixed. She was just a couple of years old at the time. We are unsure how she tore it but was diagnosed by our vet with a torn ACL after she limped for weeks with no improvement. I am in the medical field and can tell you that a torn ACL will NOT heal. There is not enough blood supply to the inside of the knee for healing to take place so the ACL has to be reconstructed. It will have an impact in the quality of life of a younger dog but not so much in an older lab that is not very active. I am very glad that we chose to fix it and would do the same if I owned another lab that had the same condition. As far as rehab goes, we did not do much different except keep her on leash to avoid running for a while and put her in the lake or pool for lots of swimming to rehab the leg. Keep in mind this was in 1998 and vets may do a different technique now that requires more advanced rehabilitation. If I were you and cost was an issue then I would shop around and look for a better price. I had a friend just go through this with an Akita and they had it repaired for $1800 I believe with a local good vet. You have to be careful and choose a vet who has done this procedure before and knows what he or she is doing. Sometimes you get what you pay for! If you have any questions for me feel free to shoot me a pm. Good luck.


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## Backlasher82 (Oct 20, 2009)

Woods N Water, you didn't say but I assumed the surgery you were asking about is TPLO, is that correct?


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## Bkeepr (Oct 20, 2009)

My Australian cattledog blew an ACL when she was around 7 or so, took her to Gwinnett Animal Hospital in Snellville.  I think it was around $1200.  I like them, they are a group of vets.  Athletic dogs tear up their ACLs doing athletic stuff, she was sprinting across the yard and stepped in a hole.  After one knee healed she blew out the other from just overusing it.  She was 15 in June and is laying at my feet right now snoozing.


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## crbrumbelow (Oct 20, 2009)

Give Dr. Denard in Gordon GA a call..Gordon animal hosital. Or Gordon animal clinic.


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## kfoskey (Oct 20, 2009)

Our female Lab tore a ligament in her knee when she was only about 6 months old. She jumped off the tailgate of my Father-in-Law's truck and tore it. The vet wanted me to send her to UGA, but since my wife and I were both in college and working part time jobs at the time, this was impossible to do. My vet agreed to do the procedure for me with the understanding that it may not be as effective as what the folks at UGA would do. The vet ended up charging me about $350 compared to $1500 at UGA. The procedure was done back in 2004 and she has not had any problems with it so far. It may not be as good as what the folks at UGA could do, but I couldn't be happier with the results. The procedure was done by Dr. Jim Hobby at Smalley's Animal Hospital in Dublin, GA if you're interested.


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## raggedy ann (Oct 29, 2009)

I tore my ACL.  The surgery was a lot more! LOL When I did, my vet and I compared surgeries.  He has done it quite a few times.  When it is reconstructed with muscles or whatever, it actually becomes stronger than the original ligament.  It does take a lot of rehabilitation and work though, but good results.


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## Jrocket (Nov 5, 2009)

Sometimes you just got to suck it up and go with it. Have you taken the dog yet?


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## atlashunter (Nov 5, 2009)

Man that is a tough decision considering the age of the dog and price of the surgery. At least it would be for me. I was in a similar situation with my dog but he was only a year or two old and the surgery was $1400. Plus it was my fault he was hurt and I felt terrible about it.


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## SHADOWRUNNER1812 (Nov 8, 2009)

*surgery or not is the question*

i have a bmc namd gene he was fine till one day he was dragging in his hind end he is very lg bmc an i rushed him to one of my vets he xrayed him his knee was shattered they said possibly from a bb pellet but they where not sure  i had a bad neighbor at the time so bad he stole one of my dogs hes not a neighbor no more thnaks to the law  but i asked the vet what he wanted to do he said give him meds an see if we can get him walking first he was confined for months in a very large custom built kennel off the ground i had made just for gene we went the route the vet wanted to try gave him meds an a lot of glucosamine complex with chrodriton in it , gene never had to have surgery but i was willing to do what ever was necessary to make him walk rite agian he slowly got up a lil more each day till he was back on all fours then the vet said i no you dont like chaining dogs but i want you to do him a lil each day if he gets down take him back to his kennel i did what this vet said every thing he said would happen did except the falling down part gene is back on all 4s an he wants to stay on the ground if i go now an put him in his kennel he pitches all kinds of barking fits so he is back in his area i had it fenced in had a nice dog house built for a huge bmc but what worked for gene dont all ways work for others except my vet believes in holistic medicine also, gene no longer needs the glucosamine an chrondriton meds any more , that was a yr ago gene is doing fine but had he had to have the surgery i would of paid for it no matter what  it would of cost he can no longer hunt his favorite which is coons he is not the least bit interested in a hog or a cow for that fact, but he is well an happy an on 4 legs in his half acre pen doing what he does best sleeping an eating  an running around an just being gene a bmc an every once in a while a coon will screw up an enter genes pen he gets treed at night an we must endure gene  an his mouth an one of my kennel people an  myself go out an have to get the coon out of the tree a chore in its self  other wise gene has treed a coon an every one has to listen to him like it or not, what worked for my dog may not work for yours but my vet tried some thing most vets wont even think of an maybe would not work or would it,i thank this  vet an i have several vets for my kennels every time i see him for saving gene from surgery, but what ever works for you an your dog you need to do what worked for gene maynot work for your dog at all ,gene is a bmc going on5yrs now an acts like a pupy  an a fool at times with these stupid coons who gene lets get into his pen then he gets them up a tree an we have to hear him but im glad he is able to play cat an mouse with these coons something i never thought hed ever be able to do with the way he had been


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## THE1WINSTON (Nov 10, 2009)

put a little dmso on it every two days - it'll be just fine


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