My three year old GR has arthritis in both hind legs worse in the left leg.  After going badly lame on the right leg I have been told by two vets that he needs surgery on the right leg.  This would involve a fairly big op and a recovery time of 6-8weeks when he will only be allowed out to toilet (on a lead).  At the moment I can get him to go for a short walk but he really struggles, turning the left leg inwards and dropping it. He has trouble getting up and hauls himself up on his front legs. My fear is that after surgery on the right this will put even more strain on the left, and I could be in a situation where doing one thing has made another worse and I will have put him through it for nothing.
He doesnt seem to be enjoying life much at the moment, just sleeps all day. He cant do all the things a dog should be able to do to enjoy life.  The fact is whatever I decide the arthritis isnt going to go away and may get worse as he gets older.  I have him on supplements which are helping a bit.
One minute I think it may be best to let him go as I cant bear to see him hobbling about all the time, and the next minute I think yes lets have the surgery and see how it goes.  I just feel like whatever I do I am being cruel.
I have an appointment on Friday with the vet(who I trust implicitly) to talk to her about it.
I know no one can tell me what to do but would value some of your thoughts as I am out of my mind with worry . Thank you

What sort of surgery are they planning to do?

Cruciate repair.  Hos leg is now making a popping sound every time he takes a step.  This doesnt happen in the house but when he is out .

What a tricky situation, I am sorry.
I would suspect that he is already straining  the other leg to a point to avoid the extra pain of the cruciate  damage and after surgery he will feel much better when he has recovered. Hopefully the sooner it's done the sooner he can use his legs as well as possible and equalise the strain
As u say it wont change the arthritis but my thoughts would be to go for it if your vet is suggesting it to be the best course of action  .

As furryfriends said - he will already be putting extra strain on the other leg to compensate for the problem with the cruciate.

I wouldn't walk him at all for now in order to not stress either leg.

Your dog is young so that is something to consider when making your decision. Write down a list of questions that you would like the answer to and ask them when you next see your vet as those answers may well help towards deciding what is in his best interest.

I agree with not walking him atm .it sounds like he finds it hard anyway so allowing him to move around as he wants to as Harley suggests. Having ruptured both my mc ligaments in my legs last year I can a test to how painful it is to move at all.

He's only 3yo, of course he should have the surgery - it seems a no-brainer to me!!  If it's surgery or put him to sleep at 3 years old, what do you have to lose by giving the surgery a try??

Thank you both.  The only reason I have been walking him is that the vet said he must keep moving or his arthritis would get worse.  However I think you are right and I will stop until I have seen the vet on Friday.  Writing things down is a good idea as my head is going round and round at the moment and I will probably forget to ask something otherwise. Thanks again.

At only three years old, the surgery is a no-brainer. It's a surprisingly common operation with an extremely high success rate and so there's no need to opt to put to sleep instead. Yes, the post-op recovery period is difficult but that's mainly because the dog feels so much better, being out of all that pain, that it thinks it's perfectly well and can go charging around like a puppy! Also if one cruciate needs repair the other one is 90% sure to need the same done within 12 months (partly because of the strain that's been put on it). Just out of interest, is he castrated, and if so, at what age? If dogs are castrated before puberty (at about 6 months old) the risk of damaging the cruciates is much higher than in one that was castrated at maturity (18+ months).

Can I just say that I dont have a problem with the surgery as such, he has had one cruciate repair(on the leg that is now badly arthritic) so I know whats involved. My concern is as said in my original post that doing one thing may make the other thing worse.  I am just thinking about his future quality of life.  If the op would make the arthritis go away as well I would have it done in a heartbeat!  But it wont.

Provided you have the finances needed, if this is cruiciate repair then I'd go for it.   He's young.   I might have to think if this was a hip replacement but I gather it's not?   Obviously arthritis can't be cured (would a cruciate problem mean arthritis or does he have arthritic hips too?) but if he is only 3, I'd certainly not have what can be done to make him a happy pain-free dog again, done.

I can't see having the one problem corrected is going to affect the other side any more than is probably going on right now.

All to be discussed with your vet ..... are you considering having a referral to Noel Fitz?

Thanks Mamabas, his hips are fine, they were x rayed at the same time as his legs.  The insurance will (i hope) cover the op, but I am on a limited income , state pension only so dont think I could afford Noel!

https://www.embracepetinsurance.com/waterbowl/article/what-happens-when-my-dogs-cruciate-ligament-tears
So this can lead to arthritis

Sorry for some reason my previous answer appeared twice ..... corrected.

I was on Noel's website yesterday, asking about the fuzzy surgical procedures now on his TV programme (it is to prevent young viewers, and sensitive adults from being upset) and there is a section on finances and payment.   You might take a look?

They will give quotes without u needing to see them although for accuracy seeing the animal is best.u wont have to go ahead of u dont want too. When I've needed referrals I have discussed approx price with more than one referral vet to help my choices .
However there are lots of vets who  can and do do this op with great success including other referral people who equally as good as him but not into the more experimental treatment .also you dont necessarily see him it depends what's required.

I don't see why your insurance would not pay to see Noel. Most do if that is the specialist you have decided to see. However some insurance companies have a list of what specialists they will pay out on so worth checking with them. Everyone i know who has seen Noel for cruciate ops have always been more than happy and always gone back to him. He knows which surgery is best for each breed as well being there are different types of cruciate ops

Hello,
I'm sorry to jump on board this post, there is a lot of advice and good suggestions.
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Please may I suggest that you should also keep a close eye on your chaps weight during his time of little or no exercise.
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I suggest you should keep his weight down and help keep excess weight off his legs I'm sure it will help him.
A lean/slim dog will find movement a lot easier.

I hope everything works out well for the two of you.
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Thank you.

You can definitely get a referral to Fitzpatricks - I have done, on our insurance.  Ask your normal vet to refer you for a consultation initially.  Fitzpatricks will advise from there.  They have many great surgeons there besides Noel.

I think your best bet is going to be a multi-pronged approach:  Get the surgeries done.  Put him on all the supplements known to help arthritis (Riaflex supplements are IMO the best - Joint Plus, Devil's Claw, Green Lipped Mussel - and then also Grizzly Wild Salmon oil and Golden Paste.  And once he's recovered look into hydrotherapy - you will get a certain number of sessions covered by your insurance with hydro as well.

Thank you.  He has been on the following supplements for 8weeks. Glucosamine, chondroitin,  msm, hyaluronic acid, green lipped muscle, devils claw and turmeric. They have helped quite a bit,

That's great, but do look into the quality of the supplements.  Because there are loads of different versions of them out there and some just have very little active ingredients.  They are cheaper but will be less effective. 

Have a look at the Riaflex website:  riaflex.co.uk and click on the Comparison tab to compare the amount of active ingredients in their supplements, compared to others.