Question for dog-owners - cruciate ligament sugery?

[bikerz]

Hi all - I know many of you out there have dogs, and I'm hoping at least a few of you have some experience that can help me and my pup Simon.

I found out last week that Simon (some of the NorCal people have met him) has a totally ruptured cruciate ligament which requires surgery. There are apparently two types of procedures: one that sort of re-creates the ligament out of other structures, and another, called TPLO, that actually changes the angle of the tibia and femur, and attaches a metal implant. The latter procedure is generally twice the cost of the first (about $4,000 compared to under $2000) and is recommended for larger, more active dogs. Simon is medium-sized, medium activity pit-mix. Since it is probable that the ligament in the other leg will fail at some point too, I'm really hoping that the less expensive (and extensive) treatment will suffice.

I've called around to the local vet surgery places here in the SF Bay Area, and I can get some general info, but for a more detailed consultation, I need to have a regular visit for $100+, and if I go to each one, that's really going to add up.

Have any of you out there had to have either of these procedures done for your dog? If so, do you have any helpful advice?

Thanks!

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