Well for a few weeks Ebba has been lame on her back leg. We have rested her, kept her calm etc etc but to no evail :(
Then on Monday she got worse. So trip to vets today.
She was examined and taken in for Xray straight away and they have diagnosed a cruciate tear.
They are going to refer her to Cambridge for an arthroscopy once I get back in a couple of weeks.
She is insured but am terrifed how uch this is going to cost as I know I will have to pay for it up front :( :( :(
She is sleeping off the sedation at the moment, and I have to ring in a while to see if she has come round and then go and pick her up.
Anyone had any dealings with Cambridge????
(oh and its a long trip from here to cambridge with a dog that gets severe travel sickness!!!!!!)
Lea :)

Hi Lea,

Not had any dealings with Cambridge, but my Rottie has recently had surgery to repair both Cruciates. She managed to rupture them both within a 5 week period. Her surgery has been about £2k per leg. Luckily my vets will claim directly from the insurers.

Hope it works out OK for Ebba.

T

I'm sorry its not better news, Lea, but I would have every confidence in Cambridge (we've always taken our dogs there to have their hips scored).   They really are lovely, and in addition to the wonderful veterinary surgeons they have there, they also have loads of students - so dogs get lots of fuss as well as very good research and treatment.   They also treat owners well too!

I've not had dealings with Cambridge either but my Rottie went to a specialist in Bristol for his cruciate repair, he had the conventional method done and altogether it cost about £1300 but they claimed direct from my insurance company so I didn't part with any cash.

Good luck, its a long slow road to recovery.

> Her surgery has been about £2k per leg

we were around that to i think but we're in scotland.

Well i have had a cruciate done (not me, my rott!) and i cant believe it has cost people 2K, (well i can as i used to be a vet nurse...but it is way over charged) my old vet who is superb and very experienced in this procedure fixed my boys for me for £450, he is running around the paddock as i type this. It was not the TPLO but that was my choice as that procedure worries me to be honest! Though i am sure many people have had great success. My old female rott done hers about 4 years ago when i lived in london and that was not a TPLO either (again mine and the vets opinion) but that cost me £1100, so it just goes to show that the vets really make the prices up as they go along. I must say i have never found a vet better or cheaper than my vet i found when i moved to cambridgeshire.

Are you sure your have to pay the vets up front, usually they claim direct from the insurance company?
Isn't part the reason for having insurance that alot of people don't have money like that to shell out in one go.
If you havn't spoken to your insurance company i'd give them a ring and explain whats happened or are you meaning the vets want claim for you direct and want you to pay them upfront?.

> Are you sure your have to pay the vets up front, usually they claim direct from the insurance company?
>

especially since it's a planned surgery rather than an emergency.

Depends on your insurers reputation.  I recently had to pay out £6000 for treatment because the specialist hospital knew how poor E&L were at paying up!

I have another dog with Lloyds and the vets are happy to deal direct with them.

I picked her up and the vets let me pay the excess and then claim direct from Tesco's.
Now got to sort out the specialist and hope against hope they will let claim direct :o
Lea :)

hey Lea, sorry to hear this, its always horrible when these things happen :(

Mandy -the prices generally depend on what procedure is done, there are several surgeries, generally the cheapest is the basic CCL repair that most general practitioners do, it involves the least specialised surgery and the cheapest implants. at referral specialists they will generally do TPLOs or TTAs, both of which involve orthapedic specialists and extremely expensive equipment. some of the screws cost a minimum of £50, and thats what the vet to buy in, you also then have plates and cages, both of which are very expensive, the implants alone can cost hundreds. then take into account the anaesthetist specialist who is monitoring the anaesthetic and the specialist aftercare. Often there will be pre and post operative radiographs as well,  the £2000 goes very quickly!

each case is different and what works for one dog may not work for another, discuss all options with your vet and ask for the pros and cons of each procedure. good luck!

Oh yes i know there are a few different techniques for a cruciate repair as i say a was a vet nurse myself, but for the old traditional method which involves a few instuments, some suture material and some surgery time, 2K is not justified at all, as i say i had exactly the same procedure done by two different vets, one came to £1100 and the other £450 so some clearly make alot more than others.

I agree that different dogs will do better with different surgeries, however i personally dont like the TPLO as it is far more complex and therefore if it goes wrong it goes really wrong. As you have said Lea needs to discuss fully with the vet and decide what route to take for Ebba.

Lea I hope everything goes well and Ebba is soon on the road to recovery. :)

All 3 op's that mine have had have all healed very well so i am sure she will be fine

Hi

My bitch has torn hers thankfully she has not had a operation and is now hopefull on the road to recovery and is having hydrotheapy

Considering how bad she was ( not able to walk) to now is amazing

I hope everything goes well with your dog

x

> I agree that different dogs will do better with different surgeries, however i personally dont like the TPLO as it is far more complex and therefore if it goes wrong it goes really wrong.

yes, but if i had a specialist performing the surgery i would be happy to put it into their hands, after all they are orthapedic specialists and its why i have insurance. i would have to fully trust the surgeon and be happy for him/her to treat my dog, and would want to know their qualifications and the extent of their experience with the surgical procedure.

> Well for a few weeks Ebba has been lame on her back leg.

Can sympathize with you, Bo my Rottie has been lame on her back leg off and on since mid March, she had x-rays done last Friday with the same outcome as your Ebba, our vets concern is as she is transfering all her weight on the other leg and may injure this one too. We are waiting for a referal at Royal vets college, but as Bo is not the greatest at the vets, so they want to prepare them so it should be within a month.

Can someone tell me what the different options available are, is there a "better" option?

Lea, sorry to hear about Ebba .. I do hope her recovery is easy and swift.

Good news on the insurance side though..

Sorry to hear about your Rott too, i have had experience of cruciates in 3 rotts, 2 had surgery, the traditional method not the advanced TPLO (i dont like that method) Both dogs healed well but it took a long time to get back to 'almost normal'.

my most recent girl, my vet suggested NOT doing any surgery at all, just very strict rest and lead walks only, building up very slowly if she is doing ok. I was a little unsure about how well this would work but completely agreed with my vet that with or without surgery my girl will develop some degree of arthritis so it seemed logical that if we could get the same result with rest and patience that putting my girl through the op could be unneccessary. Well i tried this and that was in october last year, she is now back to full fitness and free running daily.

> our vets concern is as she is transfering all her weight on the other leg and may injure this one too.

Bear in mind that if she has the op she will still do exactly that while her injured leg is healing, the key is to not allow excessive force which is why the lead walk only works well.

Having seen the way my girl has healed with no surgery at all i know i would never rush into surgery if i am ever to get another cruciate (god i hope not i have had my fair share!!!)
Obviously my girl would have been sore and painful through the healing process but again no different if they have the op, it is a painful procedure.

That is just my own experience and obviously that may not work for every case as each is different but discussing all options before you decide is very important.

The recovery for the suture method is around 3-6 months, my girl healed within this time without any invasive procedure at all, but you need to be strict and patient.

I hope whatever you decide your girl makes a full and speedy recovery :)

> I picked her up and the vets let me pay the excess and then claim direct from Tesco's.
> Now got to sort out the specialist and hope against hope they will let claim direct :o
>

oh thats good. its such a worry when it gets expensive

Hi Lea

fingers crossed Ebba makes a speedy recovery :) 

IME specialist care often requires we pay the cost of the initial consultation and any treatment given at that time and thereafter when costs are likely to be very high they will agree to claiming from the insurance company direct.  

best wishes, Teri

Well after worrying myself to death about going to Cambridge with her due to her severe travel sickness. Cambridge is about 1 1/2 hours away.
I spoke to my old vet that doesnt work at my vets anymore(the one that put Gemmna to sleep) about Ebba and she said about a specialist ortho guy 20 mins away from me. Also confirmed that another of my old vets always refers ortho's there.
So we went last night. Got there complete with very wet dog from drool!!!!
Saw Steve and he isnt so sure it is the cruciate liganment!!!!
Didnt help that the vets have left leg, and I said left leg, and he thought right leg (well it was right leg after watching her all evening. Why I said left leg I dont know, probably saying left as you look at her not her left!!!"
He is having her in next Tuesday and xraying her lower back down, as wonders if it is her lower back causing her problems not her CL.
So we will see.
I have every confidence in him
Lea :) :) :) 

Hi Lea
I,ve just read about  your Ebba,
I,m sorry to hear about her problems and I just wanted to let you know that I,m thinking of you and her of course and to wish you both luck and a speedy recovery for little Ebba.
Love from Sharon