Possible cruciate ligament 4yo dog

[ElsaSnow]

I’ve been up most of the night stressing that my 4yo dog might have torn her cruciate ligament.

From online it suggests the surgery if required is approx 4k, is this accurate? I have just checked the small print of my policy and despite the annual limit being 9k it only covers 2k for cruciate ligament injury!

I have read the opposite leg is likely to go soon after - again from those who have experienced similar did this turn out to be true? Also do insurers then not pay for the second leg as it’s a bilateral condition?

As she is only 4 if surgery is required is she likely to bounce back and return to her previous energetic self quickly or is she going to struggle for years stiff and in pain? Can anyone offer advice until I can see the vet?

Hi there. This happpened to our dog this time last year. We were quoted the same for a wedge osteotomy ( from memory) went to a different vet and had a lateral suture op. Was less - about £1500 for op. We had a maximum pay- out too so we were relieved at the alternative the more experienced vet suggested. Lateral suture was less invasive and I liked the idea that it stabilise the joint u til the dog’s own tissue grows to connect the tissue naturally rather than screws and bolts. She said it was the gold standard for 40 years . Message me if you want more info. Our dog is now 11 and is as good as new. We haven’t let her off for zoomies since though!

What breed/ size is your dog. Under 50lbs is ok for lateral suture. Ours was 10lbs.

Our policy was a lifetime policy so we could have claimed again for the other leg if it happened however we decided to cancel after the claim. We barely got our premiums back that we had paid in over 9 years. After the claim they put our premium up by loads. We have savings and she is 11 now so….

@greengreybluethanks for your quick reply! Glad your dog is ok, is your dog ever able to run offlead since the op as that is my dog’s highlight running freely in the woods/parks and I don’t think she’d be happy to be confined to lead only walks for the rest of her life. Also did you have any other issues with the opppsite leg? And whereabouts in country are you as prob affects the price - sorry I can’t pm via the app I don’t think? Also how does it work finding a different vet to do the op regarding insurance and then aftercare or did you switch vets after? Thanks

Ah ours is lifetime too but she is only 4 so hopefully longer life yet. She is approx 13.9kg not sure in lbs. And yes I can imagine they put premiums up to cover the op++

Inlaws dog had 1 cruciate ligament go then about 4 months the other went. Oh and their other dog then had op and had complications and was left with arthritis and needed a monthly injection for that. I will say though my inlaws had form for not exercising and allowing dogs to get obese which I think contributed significantly to why the CL issues started.

I've noticed on my dogs policy, which is lifetime, they don't cover both anymore.

I've been reading quite a lot recently about people not having their dog operated on but enforcing rest instead.

Sorry she’s 10kg not lbs!!!

My 10 k dog, then 6 years old, tore her cruciate December 2023, surgery January 2024. The first 8 weeks were a bit tricky, the bone needs to knit with the plate so the dog is really limited. After that recovery was pretty straightforward and after less than 6 months she was running, playing, swimming and as good as new. Surgery and tests and so on total was about £5,500. The bad news is that once one goes, especially if it’s degenerative joint disease rather than trauma, the other is likely to go. Mine is currently limping so we are a bit anxious! Also her premiums are high but when I tired to switch insurers, they would not cover for the other cruciate so I had to stay with her existing insurer.

I worried too, but honestly, you wouldn’t know mine was injured after 4 or 5 months. We got a puppy towards the end of the recovery and the pair of them bounce around like nut cases, there is no suggestion of years of stiffness and pain! And if her second one has gone, I’m pretty relaxed-when the first went I too had many sleepless nights imagining it all going horribly wrong and having a 3 legged dog!

Yes she was signed off and can do what she wants, we just took the decision to limit that as vet said 60% chance the other would go. She also said lead walks are fine, especially at her age. She had had the odd limited run but she used to bound up and down through long grass and run in speedy circles( that’s when it happened) so after the recovery( which is tough) we didn’t want to go there. A friend had similar with a younger dog and she lets her run, no other issues so far and that’s been 2 years.
As for the vet , you can go where you like. We had consult and X-ray at first vet - was £509 as anaesthesia needed. Then they quoted so we spoke to some people who suggested this other vet and just took her there. The vet there was much more knowledgable and experienced and offered 3 options whereas the other would only do the expensive surgery. New vet said it was our choice but when I asked if she would do the lateral suture on her own dog she said yes and had done hundreds with good outcome. We were sold!

And yes the op and all follow up care was at new vet. We are in central England. We now consider the new vet our only vet as they were so good and come highly recommended. You are not tied to a practice. The original vet sent over the x rays to them.

Just seen your update. For what it’s worth, I think surgery and recovery are, in the life of the dog, short-lived. Our vet said to keep the dog a good weight, and fit, as those are risk factors but mine happily walks 10 miles a day, mostly off lead. She did before the op and she does now too. If the other one goes, it will get sorted, I’m not ready to restrict her walks/swims/bonkers time.

Our dog always had long walks and still does just not off lead apart from the garden. She’s always been fit and never overweight. Vet said walks and sniffing is more important than off lead walks/ runs. The recovery was hard as she had to be limited to a small room or crate for 6 weeks and only out to be on our lap or for a wee in the garden in a lead. Then it was very short walks at snail pace for several weeks. Was like having a newborn again!

Thanks for the replies everyone my dog is a spaniel mix so def energetic on walks and squirrel/ball obsessed, but lazy at home. She lives for the offlead run. I believe if it is torn that she did it overdoing it running/jumping so trauma rather than a degenerative condition. She is not overweight as she is active. I have been carrying her up/down the stairs at home as she sleeps in my son’s room, she is not yelping or anything but there is a slight limp I notice on occasion and her reluctance to jump up or go down the stairs but she still will go up them but I have been stopping her. I hope it’s just a sprain and rest job rather than surgery!! @Titasaducksarsewhat happens if you just rest it rather than surgery?

@Theoscargoestoeek £5,500! Whereabouts are you? I’m Greater London/Kent border do expecting high fees. Really don’t have a spare 3.5k to pay what the insurance won’t cover either!

Listen if it’s just a limp don’t panic. Mine was immediate leg up, no weight put on it! Complete rupture. Her leg was just dangling, it was so weird. No yelp or pain when touched. See a vet but if rest is suggested it will probably mean crate rest.
Also we were quoted £5k at first vet then £4K over the phone from another.

@greengreybluegod I hope it’s just a limp she was sick one day after running around a lot at the park but I thought she’d just eaten grass or overdone it or something didn’t think any more of it until a couple of days later when my son said she stopped jumping up and I was like oh yeah and then noticed the slight limp. She is definitely still weight bearing and did run past me into the garden as she is getting frustrated at me enforcing her rest and only going for a short 10 min toilet walk on lead around the block. Good to know it’s likely not a full on tear as it’s definitely not just hanging there!

It is wild how different the prices can be! Am definitely thinking of changing insurers to one with a higher cruciate ligament cover now I know how expensive it could be!

If you’re reviewing your insurance do it now. Once you consult a vet you’ll have to declare it. You might even have a 2 week period where you can’t claim after amending. The other thing is once they get to 8, you have to pay 20% of every claim on top of your excess. Standard practice that we hadn’t realised until we tried to claim.

Our dog had this. We were quoted around 1.5k for the surgery but were advised against it due to his age (he was 11 at the time). We managed it with pain relief instead (pills and injection). He passed away last year at 14 but the other leg never did the same.

it started with a limp and we just assumed he had trodden on something but then the vet confirmed it was the cruciate ligament.

@Frogonlogsthank you - eek so could still be ligament. I feel as she is young they would more likely recommend surgery but it is good to hear your dog continued for a few more years and the other leg was ok!

I don't think any insurers give more than £1500 cruciate cover.

My border terrier did one CL when he was younger then did the other a year later. We didn’t have insurance but it wasn’t too expensive (around £800 in 2021) He is now 11 and no arthritis but has just started not wanting long walks so maybe the start of it however he flies around the garden trying to catch a resident rodent so maybe not. After both ops he was back to normal and ran around off lead although not as keen on full on rough play with his sister.

@ElsaSnow fingers crossed for you that it’s not! and at 4 years old a good candidate for surgery I would have thought if needed. He did bless him, I do wonder if we should have gone ahead with the surgery against the advice of the vets as he wasn’t allowed to have off lead walks after, however he got arthritis shortly after anyway poor boy.

sorry can’t help regarding the coverage, unfortunately I realised his insurance had lapsed and I hadn’t renewed it so if we had gone ahead with surgery we would have had to pay for it ourselves (which we absolutely would have, and the cost of the medication over the 4 years was around a hundred pounds a month anyway so not much difference!)

My dog has just been through this. Did the first in August and then did the second 6 weeks ago. The insurers paid out fully for both. I had to pay the excess each time but that's it.

Mine did. Mine cost £4k each time and covered both (except the excess).

I hope that's not true - eek!

My dog had cruciate surgery on Friday and there's been no suggestion from ManyPets, nor my vet, that it won't be fully covered - up.to our annual limit.

My dog is a 4 year old terrier mix and the injury was caused by trauma rather than a breed predisposition.

She had TPLO done by a specialist here in the South West, which was approx £1k more expensive than the surgery our vet could offer herself - possibly the 40 year "gold standard" mentioned by a PP.

Our vet recommended that we have the specialist perform the surgery as the outcome for the dog should be far better than the traditional surgery, particularly with less chance of arthritis as she is a young dog and we are insured. They did ask which insurer we have, so this may have helped form their advice.

I paid £600 for the initial x-ray, reimbursed, and the vet has directly claimed approx £2,800 from MP, which I think covers the surgery, after care and follow up xray. (I haven't seen the invoice that they sent, so I'm not sure.)

I’ve had two terriers rupture their cruciates, my old boy did both of his, three months apart, being bowled over by my daughter’s puppy. My current Yorkie x JRT partially tore one at Christmas. After vet examination and X-rays I opted for conservative management for both dogs, no surgery, but strict rest and carrying out to the garden and back is a lot easier with a 5kg dog.

If you’re on Facebook there are some very good support groups, for conservative management and for all surgical routes.