Advice Please- Poodle has a torn ACL

Shop Till you Drop · ‎03-10-2010

My 11 year old poodle (ten pounds) went to jump on the couch this week to greet me as he does everyday when I get home from work. He missed the cushion and hit the front of the couch and went to the floor. When he stood up he would not let his left hind foot touch the ground and he was lifting his leg. I hoped it just was a sore leg, but the next morning, he still would not put his foot down. I took him to the vet that morning and upon examination, my vet determined he torn the ACL ligament. We did an exray and no break was seen. He has suggested that we try and keep him on very limited activity and no running or jumping for the next few weeks and see if the scare tissue builds and he starts walking on it more. He did also give him an injection and a little pain medicine. My worry is he said that we would know in a few weeks if the healing does not start, he will need surgery to corret. Has anyone ever had a dog that needed this surgery? And if so, how did it go? Thanks for any input. Some of you might remember this is my precious Joey that just last year went through a horrible sickness, but he pulled through and now this. I am beyond worried about him once again.

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

Our golden tore her ACL when she was twelve or thirteen. The first few days were painful for her but after that it was more of a nuisance for her. She was too old for surgery so she just had to live with it and she did pretty well. There are doggy wheelchairs for torn ACL's that can help a dog ambulate. I never got one for our golden and would just pick her up and carry her on longer walks where she'd get tired quickly.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

My sister's lab tore both of his. He had surgury to fix. He runs just as fast as he used to.

ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

I forgot to mention I think her lab was around nine when he tore the second one. About six or seven with the first one. I would spend the money to have surgury if your dog is otherwise healthy.

CrazyDaisy · ‎03-20-2010

Had a poodle mix dog that had one leg done, then the other 5 years later. The first few days you will kick yourself for putting him through the surgery. Then in a few weeks when they are back to normal you will be glad that you did.

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ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

On 1/9/2015 CrazyDaisy said:
Had a poodle mix dog that had one leg done, then the other 5 years later. The first few days you will kick yourself for putting him through the surgery. Then in a few weeks when they are back to normal you will be glad that you did.

I would agree with this. That's how my sister's dog was. It didn't take to long for him to get up and going again. Within a few days he was up and walking around pretty good.

Lacey1 · ‎03-09-2010

Our English Mastiff, (160 lbs) had bilat ACL repairs. It is expen$ive surgery and the post rehab is rough. No running, jumping, steps, etc. Lot's of pain meds, etc. You basically either have to be home 24 hours/day to watch the dog or keep it in a crate. We had to lift her in and out of the back of the car for rechecks.

If I had an older, small dog, I would try to let it heal without the surgery. They will never be as good as new but the surgery is tough.

Shop Till you Drop · ‎03-10-2010

Thaks for these responses. I am hoping he will start feeling better after limited activity and see how it is doing. I will do the surgery if needed in a couple of weeks, but because of his age and a bout with kidney issues last year, I worry greatly about having the surgery done. My vet said with his very small size after a few weeks i might start seeing some very good improvement. Just hate seeing him hobble around. I also had a knee injury about 2 months ago very similiar in the injury, not jumping on the couch and mine is just now starting to feel better. I will watch him closely and carry him along until the decison is made. Thanks so much..

Love4cats · ‎03-09-2010

Years ago I had a kitty that I used to take outside on a leash. One day I was walking him in my yard and he saw a squirrel and turned quickly, and tore up his knee pretty bad. My Vet was closed so I took him to the Emergency Clinic and then to my Vet the following morning. My Vet explained that it would heal and some people choose to not do surgery BUT the best option was to do surgery. I choose the surgery. The most difficult part was keeping my cat from any activity for six weeks. I took two huge dogs crates and put them together. One half was his sleeping area and the other half was his potty. During the day he stayed with me on the couch. He healed up great and never even had a limp years later. I think having the surgery helped him not to develop arthritis later as he aged.

lucylover64 · ‎01-04-2013

Although we have never experienced this issue with any of our 4-legged kids so I can offer no info to you, I do hope regardless of your decision that your poodle heals quickly! Best wishes.....