Cost for ACL surgery on dogs in NOVA (Leesburg, Purcellville: transplants, insurance) - Northern Virginia - Virginia - City-Data Forum

ShannonMilligan · 02-11-2010, 07:43 PM

Just found out my yellow lab, 100 pounds, probably has a torn ACL. (full or partial...have to take her to the specialist tomorrow. $500 down the drain for my regular vet to tell me to go to the specialist!) Anyway...anyone ever have this surgery for their large dog done here in NOVA? What was your experience and the cost? Heard cost can vary from area to area...may go to Pennsylvania to have it done if it will cost a lot less. (Read where one person had their dogs done in CA and it cost $3500 and another persons dog in Texas was half of that)

Thanks!

Dennis-and-Sue · 01-03-2011, 05:46 PM

We are looking for cost information for surgery for torn ACL for dog over 50 pounds. Any info? We are being told it will be between $4,000 and 4,500 for the surgery plus prep vet work and follow up of $500.
Any info out there on cost comparisons?

snoie · 01-03-2011, 07:09 PM

I haven't dealt with ACL, but I'm going through an FHO for my dog (55-60lbs). It's going to run me around $2400 per leg, plus any additional fees (x-rays after the fact, extra pain meds, rehabilitation if needed). I had x-rays done at my normal vet, which were around $600, which I took with me a specialist.

A co-worker of mine had a TPLO on her dog here, was around $3,000. Same goes for my sister down in NC.

Definitely look around at different vets in the area if you can. We are using Veterinary Surgical Referral Practice of Northern Virginia, as they were recommended to us from our neighbors, trainer, and our vet. We heard of a few different places, but this place was the one that came up the most. There was another vet, DC Vets, that came up, but the vet floats to different practices, and I didn't want to deal with that.

ShannonMilligan · 01-03-2011, 07:12 PM

Where are you located?

We lived in Ashburn when Bella needed this done. TLC was $5K for the TPLO (which heavier dogs tend to need...) I ended up taking her to Central PA as it was $4K there and I had family I could stay with for a week or two. After the surgery and follow up visit I spent about $4700.

Just FYI: after one leg is done there is a 40%-50% chance the other leg/knee will go within the first year. I found a pet insurance that will cover the "good" leg in case it would happen. I spend $30 a month on the insurance, but worth it to me not to pay close to $5K again if the other leg happens to need the surgery. Petplan is who I went with.
My dog was over weight and that contributed to her knee going bad. So, we put her on a diet by cutting her food and adding in green beans (no salt added, one can a day.) She went from 100 pound down to 79. The vet would like her to lose another 5 pounds or so, but what a difference so far.

I wasn't prepared for how much work taking care of her would be after the surgery. First of all, it was the saddest sight when she came out. She was drugged up, couldn't stand, and it was AWFUL. The first week was the hardest...meds made her sick, she was in a lot of pain, I had to rehab her with exercises several times a day, I had to ice her incision several times a day. Taking her out to potty was awful...especially b/c it was winter. Argh. I spent the next 4-5 months sleeping with her on a mattress in the living room. (And making sure she didn't jump on anything...had to lift her onto the matress.)

Anyway, just wanted to give an honest insight into it. All this being said, she has never been better. She is in gret shape...she's 5 years old and acts like a puppy again. I also put her on Glucosemine suppliment and it has made a difference. Her sugery was Feb 2010, so almost to the year mark!

Good luck!

snoie · 01-03-2011, 07:17 PM

Glad your dog came out ok! I'm stressed about the FHO, especially since I have a 6 month old puppy in the house. Our dog is only 15 months, and will likely be needing his other leg done. Thankfully the recovery for it requires them to get up and exercise the leg. It's going to be tough with the stairs - takes a flight just to get into our house!

Dennis-and-Sue -- Look at Virginia Tech as well. They have a teaching hospital and with a referral you can go down there. We looked at going there originally, as we wanted a total hip replacement for our dog. It was going to be $3500-$4000 there, verse the $6000+ here we were quoted. Turns out he wasn't a good candidate, so we went with the FHO. I didn't call down for the cost there, as I really like the vet here. The only thing you have to be understanding of is that they rotate students, so you will talk to someone different each time. The dog is in great care though, and it was highly recommended to me.

khuntrevor · 01-03-2011, 10:00 PM

I heard 2350 for an achilles tendon in a small dog. The MRI was 650 right off. In Phoenix.

mdcrim · 01-04-2011, 05:44 AM

We paid about $4800 for an ACL repair for a 65 pound dog about 6 yrs ago. We went through Stream Valley Vet in Ashburn, as they had a mobile surgeon that came and did the surgery (can't remember the name of the surgeon). We had great results. Our dog was 7 at the time and his other ACL didn't tear until he was about 11 or 12. We finally had to say goodbye to him when he was 13.5 so I think it was definitely worth the cost. The surgery was a huge success but we don't go to Stream Valley anymore due to cost. We go to Leesburg Animal Hospital (about 2/3 the cost of Ashburn vets and they are wonderful).

When we were switching vets, I got on the phone and called them all to get prices. The costs of just a visit varied tremendously. May be worth taking some time on the phone to get quotes.

arielmina · 01-04-2011, 07:45 AM

my old lab (now deceased) had an ACL tear this fall and we were quoted $1500 for the traditional repair and $2500 for the TPLO at our vet in Purcellville. She weighed 85 lbs and was 10 yrs old. PM me if you want the vets info.

mominbristow · 01-04-2011, 07:51 AM

There was just a bit on the local news a couple weeks ago about a VA vet who has started using stem cell transplants for ACL and other ligament/tendon repairs. The stem cells are harvested from the dog's own fat cells and is done as an outpatient procedure. Cost is less than surgical repair. Can't remember the name of the vet, but you can go to Dog Stem Cell | Vet-Stem | Arthritis | Tendon Ligament Joint | Horse Cat | San Diego | Equine | Canine | VetCell to find out more info and get referral. Can't vouch for its efficacy, but the vet that was featured performed it on his own dog with good success. Good luck.

ShannonMilligan · 01-04-2011, 09:09 AM

Thanks! Bella is FABULOUS now, lol! Everyone in my family thought I was crazy to spend that kind of money but what was I going to do? I couldn't put her down knowing it was fixable. We had been saving to add a bathroom to our basement...so she is a walking bathroom, lol!

You will do fine with the FHO. It's stressful, but you will manage! Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!

Quote:

Originally Posted by snoie

Glad your dog came out ok! I'm stressed about the FHO, especially since I have a 6 month old puppy in the house. Our dog is only 15 months, and will likely be needing his other leg done. Thankfully the recovery for it requires them to get up and exercise the leg. It's going to be tough with the stairs - takes a flight just to get into our house!

Dennis-and-Sue -- Look at Virginia Tech as well. They have a teaching hospital and with a referral you can go down there. We looked at going there originally, as we wanted a total hip replacement for our dog. It was going to be $3500-$4000 there, verse the $6000+ here we were quoted. Turns out he wasn't a good candidate, so we went with the FHO. I didn't call down for the cost there, as I really like the vet here. The only thing you have to be understanding of is that they rotate students, so you will talk to someone different each time. The dog is in great care though, and it was highly recommended to me.