Diagnosis
Is the dog's angle of the tibia close to 30 degrees?
- Is there arthritis present?
- How much of a tear is there and where?
- Are there other complications or disease/injuries that impact
considerations for ACL treatment?
- Is the meniscus involved?
- Are there non surgical options?
- What are my dog's risk factors?
- Weight
- Level of activity
- Age
- Previous surgeries
Surgeon/Surgical choices
- What are the options and success rates for each considering the
individual dog and their environment?
- What are the requirements for post surgical care of each surgery and
likelihood of limiting activity level for the individual dog and their
environment?
- Is the surgeon board certified, how many of the particular surgeries
have they performed and what is their success rate?
- How does the surgeon treat my best friend?
- How does the surgeon treat me and how do they answer my questions?
- What is the cost of each surgery including followup visits/xrays?
- What are the common complications of each surgery/recovery or impacts
on other parts of the dogs anatomy? How do I minimize these
complications?
Surgery
- What pain medications will the dog have and come home on?
- Will the dog come home on antibiotics?
- Will they use staples or stitches? Do I have to come back to have the stitches out or are they the self-dissolving type?
- Will the dog have a bandage?
Other outcome enhancers
- Will glucosamine or other supplements help the recovery process?
- Are there certain supplements or medications to avoid prior to
surgery?
- What are the rehab/physical/hydro therapy recommendations and what is
available in the community?
Equipment
- What equipment should I consider purchasing for the recovery time?
- What should I purchase slings, pens, etc to familarize my dog with
these items prior to surgery to help minimize problems in the recovery
process?
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