Acl

[Matthew 55]

My Cane Corso has torn her ACL and I am struggling with what to do. I don't have the money for surgery. After keeping my last dog alive to long I really don't want her to live in pain. I feel that putting her down is the best decision for many reasons, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Please tell me what you think. I'm not a heartless owner, we have been through a lot together. I know she's not happy.

 

[Laura Lee]

I’m sorry to hear about your girl. While I’m not an expert, I’m certainly experienced and can sympathize with you. I’ve owned two adult Bullmastiffs, both of whom suffered full ruptures of both their cruciate ligaments.


Do you know if your CC has a fully-ruptured CCL, or just a partial tear? I believe you would have more options if it’s a partial, at least initially.

 

[DennasMom]

How old is she?
How bad is the tear?
Are there other issues she's dealing with besides the ACL?

I've known dogs that have recovered completely from ACL tears just with lots of rest and activity restrictions... there was a thread here not too long ago on that very subject.

If you don't think you can handle her during recovery, please check into surrendering her to a rescue group. A lot of times they will have resources available to provide for the surgery and can then find her a foster home during recovery - before going to a new final forever home.

 

[Smokeycat]

One possibility to look into is having the surgery done at a teaching clinic, they're supposed to be much cheaper than having it done by either a regular vet or specialized surgeon (depending on treatment course).

 

[alwcm4]

Unless she's riduculously old putting down a dog with an ACL tear is like killing a person because they broke their leg. Do some research on conservative management. I know of alot of Mastiff folks that go that route and don't do the surgery. All it takes is due diligence on your part, which is free

 

[angelbears]

Unless she's riduculously old putting down a dog with an ACL tear is like killing a person because they broke their leg. Do some research on conservative management. I know of alot of Mastiff folks that go that route and don't do the surgery. All it takes is due diligence on your part, which is free

I agree 100% It worked for my dog.

 

[ParentsofVegas]

Agree with the above. There can be good quality of life after acl injury.
Our boy Ninja (85 pound lab) had a fairly bad tear at six years old.
He is now 11 and we call him happy boy because he is.
We had to stop playing outdoor fetch and try to limit
his running as much as possible.
Anti inflammatories and joint supplements along with
trying to keep a food loving lab lean have all been
helpful.
He is starting to slow
now but we have never regretted choosing to manage
his injury with non surgical methods.

 

[cayeesmom]

My Newfie 130lbs blew both his knees at age 8 after some down time he made it to 10!

 

[Bigdaddyjak]

I'm not familiar with the activity level of your breed but our first EM tore his at the age of 4. We really didn't have to do much, kept him from jumping off things and didn't encourage running at all. He got much better as he got older at regulating his activity on his own, and just generally slowed down. He lived to almost 9 years old and had a great life after the tear, that included lots of play time, vacations, beach visits, and walks out back. Are there other issues or is it just the injury that is leading you to this decision?

 

[dogman#1]

I know many dogs that have gone into their golden years with torn cruciate... dont put him down and just to let you know the surgery, even with it being a success will still leave your dog limping some...My own Maddy literally broke her knee and tore her cruciate in one injury, got her knee put together again and had the surgery for the acl FULL tear... she isnt as nimble as she was before but she gets around fine. A friend of mine had a dog tear both sides.. no surgery, the dog limps a lil but no more than my maddy does with the surgery. Put it to you this way, you wouldnt even notice the limp unless you knew her from before... they get around just fine.

 

[Primehns]

Had to comment, A dog can live with a torn ACL, even getting a savings fund for the dog would help, i don't think lack of cash should lead to the dog being put down, it is kinda like killing someone who broke their leg, it happens but killing them isn't the best option, that's only for dog's that can barely get around with crying from pain, a dog can live with a torn acl.

 

[raechiemay]

Would your vet allow you to make payments on the surgery? I know if something unexpected pops up my vet allows me to do payment plans.

My first EM tore her ACL at 7.5 years old. Surgery was not an option & the vet suggested basically taking the pain medication route & just watching her. But with Jessie having HD & terrible arthritis on top of everything, we just couldn't let her go through that so we did put her down. I think in your case if your dog is young enough & healthy otherwise, you may look into going through a more conservative route of treatment like suggested above. Explore all your options.