Help Needed: Dog Brace vs. TPLO Surgery

[Linda Dutchess]

We have a large (135 LB) dog that was diagnosed with left cranial cruciate ligament tear. He was referred for a Tibial Plateau Leveling surgery. The surgeon says he has several things going against him, age, size, etc. My husband saw the website with the Stifle - Hock leg brace for dogs. Is this a possible alternative? At least to give us some more time with our dog? We are looking for any alternatives. We love him so much. Thank you for any suggestions or information.

[Diana R.]

Linda:

I had a pitbull mix (around 70# and 12 years old) when Quincy was diagnosed with a torn cruciate ligament. The vet recommended against surgery because of his age and the length of time for rehab. We did put him on Cosequin (glucosamine + chondrotin) and Rimadyl. This helped him a lot and he was able to get along pretty well until he died (he was almost 15 years old). I do not know about the brace. It would probably be a good idea to discuss this with your vet or an orthopedic specialist. Diana R.

[critters]

You might want to try Orthodogs http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodogs/


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodogs/

[Toni]

Our shep/lab mix weighed about 150 lbs when he tore his ACL. He was not a good candidate either (even though he wasn't old..he had other health issues) We had it repaired (this was before the great techniques they have now). He had quite a bit of pain after...until we did acupuncture on him..so when the other side went we did acupuncture and that stifle seemed to repair faster and better than the surgical knee...of course without going in and looking we don't really know if it was torn as badly as the other...however I do know the acupuncture did help both "knees"
You can get more of Ivan's story on his page at:http://www.handicappedpets.com/gallery/ivan11/index.htm

Ivan's Page