Torn ACL in a rottie

[Judymae]

Has anyone had a rottweiler or any dog with a torn ACL? The ACL is a tendon in the knee. My rottweiler, Shiloh, couldn't walk easily and was crying out when she got up and down. I took her into the vet and after examining her and getting xrays they diagnosed her with a torn ACL. They can't do the operation to repair it so they have sent us to a specialist. $3000 atleast to repair it. I don't have that kind of money to spend on anything! The question I have is that the vet put her on Rimadyl. He said he has seen many dogs live happily on the Rimadyl for several years. But the med will cost me right at $200 a month. I'm not sure what to do. Shiloh is only 4 years old. Very sweet and protective. My dh works outta town for 3 weeks a month. Shiloh protects us and makes it easier for me to sleep at nite. She is responding very well to the Rimadyl. She follows me from room to room all day. Before the med she would try to follow me and get nervous when I was outta her site. She has to be able to see me at all times. I really love her and want to do the best thing for her but I wanted to know if anyone has ever dealt with this before. Has anyone tried the Rimadyl long term and if so did they have good results? Has anyone ever done the $3000 surgery? Is the recovering long and hard on the dog? I know that she has to drop some weight very quickly. The vet already told me if she lost some weight she would be able to recover easier.

I'm at a loss! Please....if anyone has ever gone through this please help me!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Not on a rottie, but last spring my Aussie tore her, crewsha ligament (I know that's not the spelling but that's what it sounds like) It's the one on the backside of the knee. ACL is on the front side. $3000????? my vet only charged me $1500 and Spook was only one meds for about 3 months.

She has done fantastic since the surgery and you have to realize that she was 8 years old when she had it done. and FAT!!! She was putting her leg down 3 days after surgery and walking on it within a week. Full recover was within 10 weeks. Day after school got out we had the surgery and she was back at work the first day of school on all 4's!

I am sure your dog would do even better than Spook because of the age. Spook has spent 8 years chasing frisbees on everything from hard packed clay to school bus parkinglots. This dog used to fly thru the air to catch a frisbee, backflips, rolls and everything before landing on her feet on a hard surface

never thought about it hurting her until the day her knee went.

If you have the surgery just remember not to baby your dog. They will want to lay there and not do anything (my hubby wanted to baby her) I made her go outside with me and kept reminding her to put her leg down. She could hop fast on 3 legs but for some reason couldn't go slow. She'd have to put the other leg down for ballance.

Check with other vets and see what you can find. Maybe they will let you work out a payment plan

 

[justusnak]

You might also want to look into a Rotty Rescue. There may be one in your area, and they might be able to help you with this surgery. Good luck. I hope your Rotty gets better.

 

[showme31]

I believe this is what my german shepard/chow did this to her leg about 3 years ago. Is this the tendon that holds the knee in place as they move it? She was 9 then and my vet wouldn't perform the surgery due to her age, he felt her age and surgery weren't a good thing to mix. They put her on Rimadyl. He sold me 2 weeks supply and told me to refill as needed for her pain. I've never had to refill the script. You can tell she's done the damage when she walks, she limps. She is 12 now and most days goes off running with the kids, instead of laying around like the old girl she is. They warned me that arthritis most likely would set in the joint, but if so she's not acting that way.

I would definitely consider a second opinion, and definitely ask about payment options. On major work mine has allowed me to pay 1/2 up front and then a set payment schedule, but I've been taking critters to him for about 20 years.

Good luck
Smiles
Jul

 

[BeckyLa]

You also might want to at least contact 2 of the closest University Vet teaching schools. Often these schools will do serious operations for little if any expense to you just for teaching purposes. Give it a try. Nothing to loose but long distance phone calls.

 

[Judymae]

Thanks everybody! Taking her to the vet yesterday was so hard just because of her size and strength. She doesn't like men to be around me at all so I was really worried since our vet is male. They of course stretched her out pretty good yesterday and made her even more sore than she was so last nite she didn't move around much. But when she got up this morning she was all over the place.

Jul-the vet also warned me about the arthritis probs from this kind of injury if it isn't treated. But then he turned around and said he has seen many dogs take the Rimadyl and live a happy long life. I think I will call around and find another vet to get a different opinion. I've used this vet for 9 years now.

CoyoteMagic-The ACL is the tendon in the front of the knee. If not repaired then arthritis sets in right behind it and will cause her leg to eventually lock up. Especially with her size. Her size is also the reason for the high cost of the operation. The larger the animal the more the cost. She is right at 105lbs. She recently lost 20lbs. I'm working on her losing more. The vet said one cup of dry food morning and again at nite. Poor thing just looks at me and licks her lips.

 

[apbgv]

There are a few different techniques used to repair acls. In large breed dogs they generally prefer to what they call a TPLO. Basically they have to cut and pin bone back together at a specific angle to stablize the knee. Recovery to full use generally takes 2-3 mos with a gradual increase in exercise.

If surgery is not an option weight loss and strict rest for at least 6 weeks is very important. No jumping or running. Rimadyl can be given on an occasional basis once the initial inflammation and pain is gone. I would also recommend using a glucosamine/chondrotin supplement to help the synovial fluid maintain itself. Swimming is a wonderful exercise that can be done while she is healing as it is a non weight bearing exercise.

Hope this helps some

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Quote:
Yeah I know. I was trying to tell you that the tendon the blew on my dog was the one behind the knee and that my dog was fat, not yours.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Quote:
I still give Spook the glucosamine/chondrotin.

It does really seem to help. So dos the the swimming, that's what we did as soon as the incision was cleared up and staples were removed.

 

[dakinsmimi]

You might also want to check the price of Rimadyl on internet pharmacies. It requires a prescription but most vets will authorize one if they are seeing the dog. A few will also price match when asked to do so. In my area a 60 count bottle of 100 mg sells for about $100. (I'm assuming you are giving one 100 mg tablet twice daily.) Rimadyl can cause some liver problems when used long term but blood tests can monitor this. The beauty of Rimadyl is that it gets into the system pretty fast but the down side is that once you quit giving it, it gets out of the system in a short time (as far as pain is concerned).

Hope this helps you make a decision.

Good luck, and let us know what happens.