Four legged tractor buddy down and out

[Timber]

I had to do an ACL & meniscus on my 4 year old Fawn Doberman for the tune of 5 grand. She was originally miss diagnose with bone cancer and we were told we should put her down. My heart was broken so when we had another evaluation done and got the correct diagnosis i was more than happy to dig into my pocket. She was quite a fast runner then but she has slowed down since. They are family and you do what needs doing

 

[bigbull338]

sorry to hear about your dog.hope it gets better soon.so it can get back in the woods with you.ive got a dog that goes with me if she can when i run the tractor.

 

[woodlandfarms]

On the topic of dogs. I got this the other day. Actually on Monday the black dog came with a mouthful, on Tuesday the brown. I got VERY lucky (this is my first time in this situation) that I could pull almost all with my fingers. I have seen much worse. Now I have to live through a skunk attack and I think I am done (We had our previous dog get munched on my Coyotes and live to tell the tale).

Anyway. Life in the country I guess.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Yeeeouchie woodlandfarms!

At least that doesn't look too bad.

I've had to de-quill dogs on three different occasions. And one of those was because the dog was a slow learner. :laughing:

Just takes lots of time, lots of reassuring and praising the dog. I use a pair of needle nosed diagonal cutters with a cross hatched pattern for a good grip. Cut the end of the quill off so it collapses, get a good grip on it, and a quick tug straight out. Rinse and repeat as necessary. When I was done, didn't do anything special beyond shampooing the whole area with anti-bacterial soap. Well, that and giving the dogs a big old milk bone biscuit while I had a glass of brandy.

 

[klausb]

My dog blew her ACL and I opted for the surgery. I searched out the best canine orthopedic specialist around here via referrals from vets, friends, etc. She was perfect for the TTA procedure. I think it cost me about $3000. It was some of the best money I have spent. She has now fully recovered and I think she is back to 100% or very close. The hard part is keeping them on leash for about four months after the surgery to allow it to heal. It's a pretty severe procedure whereby they move the Tibial Tuberosity forward by cutting the tibia and inserting a wedge, then fixing it in place with bone plates. She could not even stand for about two days, then quickly got to where she could hobble around. Within a couple weeks she seemed pretty good, but you still have to keep them from chasing squirrels and stuff by keeping them on a leash and not allowing them to run. All in all, I'd do it again in a heartbeat, which you may have to do, as dogs that have one repaired are candidates for blowing out the other side as they compensate.

Here's a pic that I took when I just got her home a few hours after the surgery.

 

[cytafex]

Sorry to hear about your Buddy. To me the answer is what's best for your buddy. The Love of a dog is unmatched...you can always get more cash
good luck Larry

 

[LandN]

good luck with your pooch, i have a couple part time dogs and wouldn't trade them for nothing (boxers).:thumbsup:

 

[wdchyd]

Good luck to your furbuddy, You're doing the right thing..!!....

Mine are young (2.5 & 4) though I don't want to think about it, there'll be a time when I'll have to make life-saving decisions for them too..

 

[Kioti guy]

I have had two dogs that have had to have ther ACL tendons replaced .missy my pitbull x and a pure bred husky ( chinook) In both cases they had one leg done and then shortly afterward they blew out the other leg,while the surgeries were expensive, both dogs recovered and were quite healthy and happy afterward.
My husky passed away last winter at 16 years old and had many years of good life after the surgery.
Good luck with your friend.....craig

 

[Skyco]

I detailed here* on TBN how we fixed our lab/golden boy with a $500 brace and he is 100% now in the leg department, no more brace and he tools around like a pup.. Wore the brace about 8-9 months. Be advised it won't work in every case but did in his and saved us $2500 and him a lot of misery.

Unfortunately now at 11 he has extraskeletal osteosarcoma on his left face. Had a large growing mass removed and the lab report came back with the cancer report. He goes to a specialist next week to probably have the large tumor removed again as it now pushes his left eye shut. He is on some pretty intense pain meds for the cancer, but prior to it he was a new dog when his leg healed, without surgery, thanks to the brace.

We won't have him much longer as this cancer is aggressive and fatal. Fortunately he is happy due to great pain meds and clueless as to what is coming. He will be dearly missed as all dogs should be.

Good luck with which ever way you go.

*http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/190849-dog-has-torn-acl-needs.html#post2180148

Here is a link to a site about dog ligament injury-Dog Ligament Injury-- Is Surgery Really Needed?