Possible Knee injury/surgery for my dog?

FIRST... let me clear up a misconception someone has given you.

The knee is checked for the Drawer effect when the dog is NOT anesthetized. The physical exam of the knee is NOT done under anesthesia. Only the Xray requires anesthesia. The vet has to be able to position the knee to get a good xray view. I doubt that positioning of the knee ever actually further injured the joint, although people might believe this. If there were any such "common mistake by vets" I am sure I would have heard about it.

There are two Yahoo Groups you need to join RIGHT NOW!

Ask your questions there. They talk to people like us every day.

Below I put links to them. First go to ConservativeManagement and learn the alternatives to surgery. Then go to Orthodogs and learn about the various types of surgery.

If the Drawer Effect shows the joint to be loose and sloppy, then you probably have an injured ligament. My dog's ligament was 75 to 80% torn, so the surgery was the best choice. Some people have had excellent results without surgery, but you have to do a lot of reading so you can make your own decision.

You have to consider also the dog's age, activity level, health conditions in making your decision. It's a scary and agonizing decision to make. There are many professionals in these groups and many who have had both ligament and hip joint problems. Any fear you have, we have all had. Any question you have, one of us has had, and there are many who are highly qualified to answer all your questions much better than the general public here at Yahoo Answers.

The controversy is Conservative Management vs surgery... when can you use CM and when should you opt for surgery. If your dog is old, CM is best. If your dog is a very healthy and active dog like my working farm dog, and the injury is advanced, then surgery is the best option. Then you have the question... which surgery???

There's the traditional, TPLO and TTA.

Try to think if you can whether she's had any recent accident.

Join the groups.

Research websites on the topic.

TRY to not worry.... (yeah, I know... I know)

First of all, as a dog owner you did the right thing by doing research on all of this. It's very helpful to the veterinarian when the owners are able to understand what they will be doing.

Your first question about doing an exam on an anestizied dog being dangerous, I have never heard of this. Trying to do a proper orthopedic exam on a dog who is awake and in pain is NEVER a good idea, for patient or doctor. If you had a torn ligament in your leg, would you want something pulling on it just to get an x-ray. I don't think so. Taking x-rays on animals is diffiult, especially when they are in pain. So the anesthia allows the animal to relax and allow the vets to get a better x-ray. Remember that the veterinarians are only there to help, not hurt more.

Second question-about the knee surgery. Our clinic does this surgery, called ACL surgery. This is a common surgery, especially is large dogs. As far as it being a success, I think it's helped many dogs. Dogs who couldn't walk without a limp were back to running like a puppy 6 months after surgery. It's a difficult surgery to preform and following the aftercare instructions is extrememly important. When the vets same no excercise, that means this dog really can't do ANYTHING. If you do not follow the aftercare instructions, the surgery will not be effective and you have essentialy wasted your money. If you are uncertain whether a surgery is the best solution for your dog, tell your vet that. It is their job to explain everything to you and to make sure that you understand.

Hope this helps

Well this is something I know about. My 7 year old German Shepard/Lab mix started limping one day and several days later started holding up his leg...not using it at all. Please keep in mind this was 8 yrs ago... The vet took an xray.. I don't remember if he was anestizised or not but I have to believe he was. Buck was 85 lbs and not all that friendly. Anyway, we ended up going to a specialist 2 hours away. He had ripped the ligament in his knee that was not going to heal... there was no blood flow to help in healing. So he still had lots of years to his life and I decided to go ahead with surgery. First let me tell you I loved this dog to death!! I spent 3,000 on surgery for him and they took out the ligament and all was well for about 5 more years. At the 5 year mark he would limp when he over used the leg or took a flying leap from the deck...LOL BuckShot had 7 good years after that surgery... but his last 3 he was on pain meds and then I finally had to put him down this year after he couldn't get up the stairs any longer.

My point being... Find out your options, start with the least evasive option.... could you live with yourself if you didn't do all in your power to help the dog? Those are the things I had to ask myself. But you will have to make the right choices for you and your dog.

Good luck

My only experience with an ACL was fortunately a minor one. The injury healed itself with three weeks of strict crate rest and anti-inflammatories. I always prefer to go the non-surgical route whenever possible, and besides the ACL surgery is very expensive. However, sometimes the surgery IS necessary.

Definitely discuss your concerns with the vet, and if you are not comfortable with his diagnosis and treatment then by all means seek a second opinion.

First of all, address your concerns with your vet. And if you're not comfortable doing this, then you need a different vet because you need to be able to talk to him, as you would a dr. for yourself.

Torn ACL's (anterior cruciate ligaments) is not an uncommon injury for dogs and from my experience they do significantly better afterwards. I'd do it.

And if you're getting the ligament replaced, there's no need to worry about further damaging it.

TALK TO THE VET ABOUT YOUR CONCERNS.

Bottom line, you need to see a vet. No can on here can tell you for sure what it is. See a vet.