Springer done he cruciate today

[smashie]

If it's not one thing, then it's another. It's bad enough with the collie on 15 pills a day for his epilepsy and constantly worrying about when his next fit will be (every week or 2) and now today the springer has gone and done her cruciate ligament on the walk. It has not fully gone, but the vet cannot tell how bad it is as she won't let him examine it properly.
For the next 2 weeks she is allowed no exercise and when she goes in the garden she has to be on lead. No stairs, no jumping up on furniture/bed etc. I think that will be the most difficult for her. The other half was supposed to be doing a half marathon with her in March, but it looks like she will be running with just the collie. It is highly likely that she will have had an op for it just before this and as we aew combining the half with a holiday, it looks like she won't be out enjoying many of the walks. Might have to get a buggy for her or a rucksack to carry her in. Vet also reckons her other one will go within 6 months as that seems to be what happens with most dogs. Good job we have her insured.
She's feeling a little sorry for herself at the moment and is lying on the sofa next to the other half.
Here's a pic of her from last year looking happy on her walks.



We knew this would happen at some point as she had an xray a couple of years ago when she injured herself and the vet said that she was at a high risk, but to let her get on with enjoying herself and he would fix her when it went. Well she certainly has enjoyed herself which I guess is the most important.

[Catz]

Our Flatcoat tore her cruciate ligament in 2013 and had TPLO surgery at a specialist vets. After surgery she needed total rest for 2 weeks although she was so zonked out on painkillers I'm not sure she noticed those 2 weeks! Then it was a slow rehabilitation of 3 months. The surgeon told us she wouldn't be fully back to normal until all her shaved off fur had grown back.

We didn't think she'd ever be back to normal but she is!
She herself seemed a bit cautious for around a year after surgery but now she runs about, leaps over ditches, jumps into the car, chases her tail (at 7 years old!) and you would never know she's had major surgery on that leg.
We were also told to expect the other leg to go but so far it appears fine, fingers crossed!

Good luck with your dog and hopefully she'll make a speedy recovery.

[smashie]

Thankfully her cruciate has not yet fully gone, but she is on 2 weeks rest and the vet will then decide if she is healing or needs an op. It turns out it is quite normal for this to happen with our vet doing about 2 or 3 of these operations a week. She is not best impressed at the moment, especially as I have had to shut the living room door so she can't jump on and off the sofas. She didn't want to sit with me in the my office, so I have put her bed in the hallway where she is now resting and feeling sorry for herself.

[Mexican cuties]

Have you got a good insurance in place ?

[smashie]

We have insurance in place, but not as good I would like. It is £7500 per condition, but the bit that gets me is at one of the renewals they decided it would also be 10% co-insure. When I spoke to the vets about changing insurance (before she done her cruciate) he said that if we changed it is highly unlikely that we would be covered for that condition elsewhere due to earlier x rays that were taken and any one else would call it a pre-existing condition. £300 is better than a 3k bill though.
I Have also just noticed that my insurance company no longer offer pet insurance. Will have to see how long they carry on existing policies for.

[smashie]

Just called them and it won;t affect us for another 13 months. Also it will be migrated over to someone else so looks like no issue with insurance. Also might be able to wrangle it so I can get her cruciate done under a pre-existing condition so we won't be liable for the 10%. The way I see it is if a new insurer wouldn't cover it as it would be pre-existing due to the X Rays, then hopefully our insurer would see if as pre-existing (with themselves) as well.

[anonymous-user]

My Westie had TPLO surgery after her ligament damage. Although the post surgery work was a slow 3 months process she never had another issue and lasted until I lost her 6 years later.

All done by Noel Fitzpatrick

[Catz]

On the insurance front ... You're probably aware that you'll need to stick with that insurer for the rest of your dog's life?

Other insurers will not cover anything if the other cruciate goes. Although hopefully that won't happen!

[smashie]

Catz said:

On the insurance front ... You're probably aware that you'll need to stick with that insurer for the rest of your dog's life?

Other insurers will not cover anything if the other cruciate goes. Although hopefully that won't happen!

Well aware of that. Unfortunately that means I am with the wrong insurer for my collie as they have already paid out 7.5k for his epilepsy so I am now funding all his treatment for the next x number of years. I thought it was per condition per year, but it wasn't. Unfortunately the springer is with the same insurance company but we found out too late to change. We know for when we get the next dog (after one of them passes on)