ACL & LCL tear

M

Maggiemay

Forums Regular
Help! My Sheltie tore her acl and lcl and is now facing surgery. I would like to know if anyone has had this surgery done to their sheltie and where I can go to get the best possible care for my girl. I live in southeast PA about an hour west of Philadelphia. The other problem I have is the financial end of things. I just retired and funds are a little tight at this time. Is there any vet that will do the surgery and accept payments on the bill? Also if anyone has had this surgery done on their dog was the outcome a success? I thought I would reach out to the Sheltie Nation for advice.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions


Maggie's Mom:(
 
I'm so sorry that your pup is hurting.

I don't have experience with this type of injury or surgery, but have you looked into Care Credit? It's a credit card specifically for healthcare needs that aren't covered by insurance (in this case, veterinary care). I've never used it, but I know it's an option that's out there.
 
I would also recommend Care Credit. I've not used it before, but wish I had known about it before my dog's stomach surgery. It's definitely worth looking into.

I know that there are people who specialize in orthopedic veterinary services. I don't know of anyone around here (I moved here not too long ago) but if no one else answers in the next couple days I can reach out to some of my other sheltie friends to see if they have any recommendations.
 
Thanks

I have heard of Care Credit but I was unaware that it could be used for vet care. I will look into that. I would still like to know a little more about the surgery and recovery so if anybody has gone through this I would love some input.
 
There are alot of ways to repair an ACL tear. I am not a othropedic surgeon so I can't really say which way they will fix it. Maybe extracapsular(sometimes that is the choice for a dog under 30 lbs) or TPLO. Small dogs usually do quite well following surgery. You have to keep them quite and there is alot of PT following the surgery. The PT is almost more important than the surgery itself. A good surgeon will give you all the after care and may even have a rehab place they work with. Follow the instructions to the letter and your sheltie should be fine.

My one advice is have the surgery done by someone who specializes in othropedics(if you can). Alot of GP vets will say they can do it and usually cheaper but alot of times it doesn't work and ends up needing to be redone and ends up being more expensive than if you had the sepicalist do it in the first place. If you can't afford a specialist get a good referal from someone who has had the surgery done by that vet. Believe me, one of the ladies I train with, had to have her dogs(small BC) knee done 3x and he never was the same.
 
Presently stem cell shots are being used for ACL repair with success. Dr Chris Serpico here in IL leads on Viva stem technology with good results. It is not a cheap option either but it avoids surgery with simple intramuscular injections. Just something to consider. Dr Serpico usually very happy to educate your vet about these shots.
 
Good to know Sheltieche. Wow that is spectacular news about Dr. Serpico and acl repair.

CareCredit will help you, just as everyone has said. Just go to the website and follow instructions.

Best,
Kate
 
Thanks

Thank you for the input. I am going to do as much research as I can and hope to resolve this in Maggie's best interest.
 
I hope Maggie is on the mend soon. I do not have experience with this surgery and Shelties but have plenty with my lab who has now passed.
Beau injurred his knee when we were playing in a field and he torqued it stepping in a hole while running. Before we had the surgery there was time for some arthritis to settle in and he lost quite a bit of mobility. This was also 10 years ago.
Having the surgery was the best thing we did for hiim. We had an ortho specialist recommended by our vet do the surgery. Recovery takes a big time committment (and probably more complicated for an 85 lb. lab than a smaller dog) but well worth it. Beau had 8 great years with tremendous mobility...no limitations (although we were very careful not to play any games that might involve torquing his "bionic man" knee)...lots of swimming for physio(labs are more excited about this than shelties :)) We were fortunate that the arthritis never progressed and at 13 he passed after enjoying a life of running, swimming, and long hikes.
I highly recommend the procedure...and as Justicemom has said...there has been much health care and intervention progress in this area.
Good luck with Maggie.
 
Sorry to hear about you girl. I know this all to well, my boy Elvis tore is left acl a little over a year (surgery was Dec 23 2010). My vet here in Elizabeth Pa a suburb of Pittsburgh sugested a Dr Caslow of East Suburban Animal hospital in Export Pa. Dr Caslow does this surgery for a fraction of the cost of the others in this area. What he does to fix the tear is to use 80 Lb test fishing line to take the place of the ligament. I was skeptical at first but he has been a Vet since 1970 and does about 4-5 surgeries two days a week.
When I went there I was suprised to see how many people were there for the same thing. Elvis had his surgery and actually walked out to me, no cast just a shaved leg and stitches. Its a 12 week adventure. The sad thing is that they say if one is torn there is a good chance the other leg will suffer the same fate. Elvis was no exception . He had his right acl done the day before Good Friday. Again he came out of surgery walking. Elvis is no little boy very tall and weighing 50Lbs. After doing all the exercises through out both sugeries he is back to jumping on the bed and running like a wild man in the yard. Oh sorry the price was around 800.00 per leg compared that most surgeries of the same cost around 2500.00 per leg. DR Caslow is very good and I wouldnt hesitate to go to him
again. Hope this helped you out and sorry it was a bit long winded. Elvis is a Tri Colored pure bred Shelty. Hes just a Big Boy.
 
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