ACL Injury

[Tysonmoose]

My baby, Tyson, (3 years old) was recently diagnosed with a torn ACL on his right rear leg. He's a pretty big boy, 130lbs+ (but very lean) and is taller (longer legs) than almost any other Rott I've seen. The injury has done little to limit his ability to walk, run and even jump but when he gets up from laying down it's obviously stiff and causes him some pain (he limps noticably, but not all the time). I am extremely apprehensive about having him put under the knife for surgery to correct the injury, being that he will be knocked out and that the surgery is not a guaranteed fix. Does anyone have any input that might help me determine what the best options are and which ones are worth exploring, if any?

Thanks for your help in advance!

[Skip]

it won't get better (and it will get worse) without surgery. I'll check back here to see what others say, but that's my understanding.

[Miabella]

Skip's right. Surgery is the only way to stabilize the joint, the cruciate will never heal on its own. An unstable joint will continually be reinjured, and severe arthritis will development in a matter of months. Your dog will end up crippled without surgery.

My dog tore her cruciate last summer, and she came through the surgery quite well. Aftercare and confinement are the most important factors in making sure the surgery is a success.

[Sharon Marples]

Agreeing with the above, surgery is the ONLY way to fix an ACL tear. If you don't fix it, he will have pain the rest of his life.

Be sure to have a vet skilled in this procedure (one that does at least a couple a month) or else ask him to refer you to someone who does them quite often. It's not a difficult surgery, but the recuperation is the hardest on everyone because you really need to monitor his activities, etc.

Aftercare is the utmost importance. One of our bitches had the surgery on BOTH legs (done at separate times of course) and after a good recuperation and conditioning program, she is back running agility (and I can brag, was Top Ten in Novice Agility in 2002)!

You can also do a search of the archives on this subject, you'll come up with a lot of experience from the various members here.

Good luck and don't worry about having the surgery.

Sharon

[chivas]

Whoa, first of all make sure it is really torn! My Chivas had what we thought was a torn cruiate, went to VA tech - did a orthoscopic look on it and it was just stretched, no tear. I was advised not to fix it - rest and anti imflammitories worked in that case. This was 3 years ago and it did WELL, never had a problem.
WHen she had cancer - she did tear the other one, but we were unable to fix it because of the cancer, but since she was on anti imflammatories before she tore it and also on MSM/glucosamine and sharks cartlidge, it actually did pretty well but i doubt most people have their dogs on those meds when the dog injures it.
Good luck nonetheless. Kim

[cyberrottie]

I concur--opt for the surgery if it's definately a tear. When my wife and I rescued Xena, she had a torn ACL. The surgery greatly improved her quality of life.

I understand your apprehension. It's a major surgery, and you'll have to go the extra mile for Tyson until it heals. For example, my wife and I built a long walkway and nailed it to our back porch so Xe could have access to the yard and avoid the steps. I can't recall how long she wore her cast....the surgery was 5 years ago....but it seemed like forever. Even afer the cast came off, it took a while for her to build up strength in that leg again. Once she was 100%, however, she was as good as new.

There's always a risk of re-aggrivation, but Xe's surgery fixed the problem for good. All in all, it was money well spent.

[Miabella]

Partial tears will almost always end up needing surgery as well. On an older, low activity dog, you might be able to get away with the scar tissue, but it's pretty unlikely that a partial tear will hold for a 3 year old dog. When my dog had the surgery, hers was a partial tear.

[Anne]

My dog had TPLO for a torn ACL at 18 months. Arthritic changes had already begun. My girl did not limp but occasionally was a bit stiff when she got up after resting.

As everyone has said, the worst part is the recuperation period, this is critical in the successful outcome of the surgery.

I would not even consider delaying the surgery, it doesn't take too long for degeneration to set in.

[flyballmom]

I agree..first of all get a firm diagnosis of ACL tear if you haven't already done that. The most definitive test is one called the drawer sign, generally done under sedation. The drawer is abnormal movement of the knee joint-the femur and tibia sliding across each other in ways they shouldn't. Then make an appointment with an orthopedist. You have 2 options: "traditional" repair where a fishing line type material is placed where the ligament was, then scar tissue is allowed to form around it. The other is TPLO, a more permanent fix which actually changes the bony structure of the knee and considered a better option for a large, young active dog. It's also more costly, more invasive, and complications can be more serious. It's a very personal decision, one only you can make with the help of an ortho. My girl Charleigh had her 1st TPLO done in November 2001 and was playing flyball 6 months later. She had the other knee done in March of this year and is doing great with this one also. If you haven't already, do a web search for acl injuries in dogs-all kinds of stuff comes up. There's also a great Yahoo! group called Orthodogs, that I'd suggest you join. I can't remember the address off hand but if you do a search for Yahoo groups orthodogs you'll find it, then just follow the prompts to join. Warning-if you mark "Individual e-mails" every single post will come to your e-mail in-box. I leave mine set so I have to go to the web-site to read and post messages. Takes a little longer, but better than having dozens of messages and replies to wade thru. If you have any other questions let us know.

Beth

[Tysonmoose]

I genuinely appreciate all the feedback. It sounds like there is really only one option, surgery. I had my vet diagnose the ACL injury recently and he recomended a specialist who we are scheduled to see later this week. I feel better knowing that others have come through the surgery as good as new....but.....I will tell you though, I am scared to death to have him put under and operated on. If anything happened to him I would be crushed! I will , however, get over my fears and do what sounds like "the right thing" and "the only thing" to do for the longterm benefit of Tyson. Again, I genuinely appreciate the feedback.

[Miabella]

It IS scary! The first time one of my dogs went in for major surgery, a total hip replacement, I didn't sleep for days because I was so worried.

But if you get an experience, board certified surgeon to do the procedure, AND you are conscientious about following the post-op confinement and exercise limit instructions, Mr. Tyson will do just great. :)

[clastala]

My One Year Old female has just recovered from TPLO surgery. The change is amazing. She seems back to normal. It has now been 5 months since the surgery and I highly recommend it. It is so wonderful to see the Rottie smile again!

[Asteryx]

Hi,

I can understand your concern with putting your dog on the operating table, but I have to say, I personally have torn an ACL and it is agony. So is the surgery but at least it heals to better than it was before surgery but not quite to where it was before injury.

Things might be different of a dog who has four legs to balance on but for me, the acl tear was awful. As soon as I straightened my leg with all my weight on it, it collapsed underneath me, causing swelling and pain. The pain was okay if I didn't put my wait on it, but sometimes you can't help it, when you lose your balance or tread in soft ground. And you definately can't run - would be terible for a young dog, because running and jumping around is how they express themselves.

The surgery is quite well researched nowadays, and improvements are being made every day. It is not life threatening, but will take some time for your dog to recover and it will be imperritive that you ar able to properly control your dog in the months that follow the surgery, to stop him injuring the knee again, whilst the joint is weak and still healing. Since the dog is young the joint should heal well. The injury site will still be prone to arthritis in later years, but at least there will be a good chunk of the dog's life when he can run around and chase a ball with the other dogs.

[ALBR549]

tyson will be alright, have 2 females and both of them have had to have the surgery done on both back legs. it's expensive but they were worth it I was just like you before the first one scared to death, even cried when I had to leave her. Both of mine are fine now strong back legs run play and you wouldn't no they had surgery the way they romp. Good luck, hope things work out, just remember they need alot of love after the surgery, I even slept on the floor with mine to make sure they didn't get hurt anymore think it made us closer though. No how you feel but hang in there and you will be glad you done it in the long run...AL..XENA...GABREILL