# Possible ACL tear ??



## Bully4Life (Oct 21, 2010)

We flirt poled yesterday afternoon and everything was fine, as my girl got off the couch at 9pm she was limping off the rear left leg. Ive gone thru 4 of these ( ACL surgeries)with 3 dogs in the last 6 years. She is active 78lb AB and coming up to 2 years old. Has anyone ever let this injury heal on its own with crate rest ?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

It depends on how sever the tear is but most times it may heal up but tear again. This is why when flirt poling a dog you have to be careful how sharp you turn and no jumping. Sometimes though especially with the bigger dogs you can try to be easy on them and they still blow a knee. I would crate rest your dog for a week with some pain meds and then see how she is. I have dogs tear muscles or other soft tissue injuries all the time and crate rest is the only way to let it heal up.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Oh I wanted to add..... I know many people who opt not to fix the ACL's and the dogs live in constant pain and when it tears completely they are lame. I am so mad at my mom for being cheap and not getting her dogs knee fixed and it kills me to go over and see her dog drag it's leg. I also know many clients who have opted not to fix them and over time it really can do more damage, the other leg also compensates for the injury and then it is just a matter of time before the other one goes. If it truly is an ACL or something similar I would get the surgery done when you could afford it. I do not think it needs to be done asap but in a few months should be enough time to save and get it done. JMO


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## Bully4Life (Oct 21, 2010)

crate rest is in order...shes even walking a little better today... agree, when i flirt pole i do looooong sweeping turns and straight runs. No need to turn my dog into a pretzel just for my amusement.


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## Bully4Life (Oct 21, 2010)

performanceknls said:


> Oh I wanted to add..... I know many people who opt not to fix the ACL's and the dogs live in constant pain and when it tears completely they are lame. I am so mad at my mom for being cheap and not getting her dogs knee fixed and it kills me to go over and see her dog drag it's leg. I also know many clients who have opted not to fix them and over time it really can do more damage, the other leg also compensates for the injury and then it is just a matter of time before the other one goes. If it truly is an ACL or something similar I would get the surgery done when you could afford it. I do not think it needs to be done asap but in a few months should be enough time to save and get it done. JMO


She's fully insured, so surgery and price are no problem.. but it seems like even the mention of a torn ACL has all the vets around here salivating.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

lol I hear ya, find a good vet and look into some options. Kane's mom just had his knee repaired and she talked about a new procedure over the TPLO I think she called it TTA? Anyway it sounds like a better option and you can do a quick search in this health section for it, pretty good thread. Crate rest and hopefully it is a torn muscle


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

Lisa's right. Try the crate rest first and see what happens. I would even go for a full two weeks of crate rest just to make sure it's completely healed. If she still comes up lame afterwards, please take her in to the vet. I didn't, and it turned out that Kane had a torn Cranial Cruciate ligament (CCL -- or ACL in humans). If left on it's own, the injury will progress to a full tear (if it's a partial) and will lead to arthritis in the joint later on in life. Kane has a predisposition to arthritis in his knee now, but by nipping it in the bud when I did, I prevented the arthritis from being worse and, with the glucosamine and chondroitin supplements he's on now (and for the rest of his life), he should be fine.

Here are my links on his surgery (TPLO) and the difference between it and TTA.

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/39445-kane-surgery-update.html

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/39146-kane-has-partially-torn-cruciate-ligament.html

I really hope it's just a pulled muscle for your girl. Kane just got home from surgery this afternoon and I can already tell it's going to be a long road ahead to recovery. 

eta: The TPLO was about $3100, but it varies depending on where in the country you live (if you live in the US). I've heard prices ranging from bottom of the barrel $1500, all the way up to $8-9000 in the California area. TTA surgery tends to be cheaper, but it was just recently introduced (in 2004), so a lot of the vets that are out there practicing right now don't have any experience with it (in actually doing the surgery, not necessarily their knowledge of the surgery). In the end, I chose the TPLO because that was the surgery Kane's orthopedic specialist had the most experience in.


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## Bully4Life (Oct 21, 2010)

k8nkane said:


> Lisa's right. Try the crate rest first and see what happens. I would even go for a full two weeks of crate rest just to make sure it's completely healed. If she still comes up lame afterwards, please take her in to the vet. I didn't, and it turned out that Kane had a torn Cranial Cruciate ligament (CCL -- or ACL in humans). If left on it's own, the injury will progress to a full tear (if it's a partial) and will lead to arthritis in the joint later on in life. Kane has a predisposition to arthritis in his knee now, but by nipping it in the bud when I did, I prevented the arthritis from being worse and, with the glucosamine and chondroitin supplements he's on now (and for the rest of his life), he should be fine.
> 
> Here are my links on his surgery (TPLO) and the difference between it and TTA.
> 
> ...


Hey , thanks for all the info. Im in the Chicago area,last one we did was just shy of 3k, and that was 3 years ago.


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## jsgixxer (Mar 9, 2009)

My Bentley had TPLO surgery on both knees in May at it cost $2500 per side


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