Floyd’s ACL Surgery Update by Melissa

We dropped Floyd off at the Blue Pearl Vet at 7 AM yesterday, and three hours later his surgeon called, saying his ACL procedure was a success. Dr. Kevin Au had every reason to believe that in a couple of months his knee would be 95% back to normal. It will never be 100%.

In previous years, both times our dogs had needed similar surgeries, the doctor had used fishing wire to replace the torn ACL.

But Floyd’s surgery was different. Because of the high rate of failure (basically, the fishing wire kept snapping) they’re using a different method, which involves Dr. Au “reshaping” Floyd’s bones so that an ACL isn’t even necessary. It’s called TPLO. Click here for more information.

As I was researching knee surgery for dogs, I found a veterinarian (not a specialist) in Owensboro, Kentucky that would operate. Without having X-rays in front of them, we received an estimate of $2000, almost fifteen hundred less than Dr. Au. The price was significantly cheaper but we still had reservations because it was the flawed fishing wire procedure.

We debated taking Floyd to Kentucky until we found out that the Blue Pearl Vet would knock 20% off our bill because Floyd was rescued, and we worked for a non-profit animal rescue agency. We had to provide paperwork proving that ICHBA was a 501(c) so unfortunately they don’t offer the deal for anyone that adopts a homeless animal.

We pick up Floyd, our grumpy momma’s boy, this afternoon. And then it’s two months of recovery time. I’ll keep you posted.