ACL Info Needed ASAP

I have a friend who's dog ruptured his ACL. He is a 100lb Pyr mix. They don't have a lot of money. Is there a cheaper surgery that can work? Vitamins? Something?

Depending on the severity, strict crate rest (with pain killers at first) can help it heal...but it will never be 100% and will likely always cause problems.

There are varying "levels" of surgical fixes (with varying prices) and there are also non-surgical treatment options. All of these options involve pain management (anti-inflammatory drugs), strict crate rest, and joint support (ex: Dasuquin), from what I've gathered.

My dog had a partial tear (around his 14th birthday) that was "repaired" non-surgically and he's done very, very well. He was on crate rest for months with leash walks to potty and only being able to be out when under direct supervision and lying down. All of this under the care of our rehab specialist.

Basically what Springer said.

The problem is, once there's a tear or partial tear, the joint very quickly begins to become affected by arthritis. A torn ligament is fixable, arthritis is not and can be incredibly debilitating, especially in a large breed dog.

The orthopedic surgeons I work with told me not to waste my money on a brace when my old dog tore her second ligament. The evidence that they do anything just isn't there. In the end, the arthritis is what killed her. She just couldn't get around.

We kept her going for a year by using NSAIDS, tramadol and gabapentin. She ate prescription food j/d and was receiving laser therapy, acupuncture and cartrophen injections.

Akiva is 7 yrs old. A very active coyote hunter and all around farm dog. I will pass on your suggestions. I also told her to contact teaching clinics in our area to see about a cheaper surgery.

I'm not sure I would do a traditional surgery either, not with a 100lb dog. A TPLO or a TTA would give better odds of avoiding a relapse and has a faster recovery.

I'm not sure what type of surgery they are considering just the quote.