Torn ACL on a Dog. Any experience?

Did the vet sedate the dog and check the knee for drawer movement? That is usually the best diagnostic technique besides an MRI or arthoscopy. It's cheaper too. Your dog should be crate confined for six weeks. He should only be leash walked. Do not allow the dog to jump on or off anything. If your dog is overweight it needs to go on a diet. With care about half of these heal on their own and don't reqiure surgery. The other half will require surgery as a full tear will occur. Sadly there is a 50:50 chance that this will occur in the other leg.

Hi...my dog has torn acls in both knees and had to have surgery twice. At first the vet did reccommend using anti-inflammatories but that can just mask the pain and at first your dog may seem better but depending on the severity of the tear it may not help and is unlikely to fix it. Vetprophen sounds like a generic ibuprophen for dogs, it is just a pain medicine. Acl injuries are very common in large breeds and some vets take alternative routes than others but I would get a second opinion if you think your dog is getting worse. Surgery can be very expensive but it helped my dog walk again and after a few weeks she acts like nothing happened. You could also look into vet school programs where they can perform the surgery in a class for a little less money. Take good care of little Otis, good luck and I hope he gets better soon.

Well I haven't had the experience with any of my dogs, but I'm definitely familiar with torn ACL's. I'm 16 and have torn mine twice.

Anyway The most effective option would be the surgery if it is a tear, but of course that's not always an option. Also recovery time after surgery would be hard because it takes months, however in smaller dogs if the ACL isn't completely blown rest for 6-8 weeks could help or show some signs of improvement.

Of course we on here are not vets so it would be best to consult your vet/orthopedic vet and see what options you have.

I had a beagle mix that tore her ACL. It was surgically repaired, successfully. Recovery time is approx 6 weeks. You can do physical therapy, it definately wouldn't hurt. There are canine P/T who when the appropriate time comes, can recommend exercises to help your dog get strong. There's also hydrotherapy for dogs.

Back then, I paid approx $2500.00, but that was a long time ago. You want to find an orthopedic surgeon. You want a vet who does many of these.

Your dog needs to see a canine orthopedic vet. My old Chow had to have surgery, which cost $3000.00 to fix the torn ACL. Recovery time was around 5-6 weeks.

We went the conservative management route using a brace. Our Vet suggested the atrac brace from woundwear. Instead of surgery.

I tore mine and it took forever to get better. I have never had this happen with one of my dogs.