Quote:
Originally Posted by JTurman
I just found out that my 11 year old boxer/heeler has a torn ACL. We have him on antinflammitories for 2 weeks and then we have to decide if we should put him through surgery to repair the ACL. Wondering if anyone has had experience with an old dog and surgery and what will happen if we don't get the ACL fixed. Will he be in pain forever?
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I am sorry I am not a Veterinarian but have experience with one of my Lab/Blue Heeler/Chow mixes. His name is Bear, he is 8 1/2 years old now, and we have just had his second surgery. The left leg ACL last year and the right leg this year. Both times we researched it heavily and decided against all but the TPLO surgery. We wanted it done the first time with little chance of issues later.
One of the items we were concerned with was how long we could wait for the surgery if needed. The surgeon did advise, on the first incident, that eventually he would damage his other leg from hopping on it since he is an active dog. According to the Surgeon each dog is different, and different situations, so a specific length of time obviously could not be given. Your furry legged little one would never regain the use of his leg due to the damage if it is torn severely enough. If allowed to go for a long period of time then scar tissue and other potential damages, including bone, are always a possibility. The condition is such that they would experience pain if they tried to use the leg.
You should talk to a surgeon that performs the various surgeries available (TPLO, Tightrope, etc.). Let them examine your little one and give you the details, diagrams, examples, and costs. According to our surgeon a fuzzy one that experiences ACL has a high chance, not always though, of having the issue on the other leg. In our case it did happen but he is too important to us to not give him a chance.
There are potential alternatives to surgery. These would depend on your situation and are worth speaking to the surgeon about. They do make orthopedic devices (braces, slings, etc.) that can be used instead of surgery. These are not a correction to the problem, and some can be very pricey. Again speak with a surgeon about the procedures, alternatives, reasons and costs.
Good luck and let us know how your little one is doing!
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