Dog torn ACL advice please

[BikingLady]

Retriever 8 years old: already suffers occasionally from Hip issues, happy wags tail, eating ok. Ran two weeks ago out back door and torn her ligament in the opposite side knee of the hip issue. Prescribed Previcox (she already had some due to hip) which to be honest I see no difference so I stopped. I was advised a month and the area would scar over. No surgery as I am not like that, it would not be best for her anyhow as the other side would go probably or the hip.

Questions: Have you had a dog with this issue? What happened? Healing time?

I hate seeing animal suffer I am a geed pet owner who believes in quality not quantity of life. I had given her three days before going to Vet hoping she would feel better. Went in to put her down and was given the diagnosis above, so I am waiting it out, but the hopping and no stairs and unable to play, I don't know.

[Tybee]

I have a golden retriever who was diagnosed with a torn ACL in April. Our vet put her Carprofen for pain and inflammation. After a month she saw vet again, who gave her another month of the medication.
She is not hopping anymore, just a limp that comes and goes.
We were told "cage rest" but basically the vet said just keep her on a leash when out walking and avoid stairs until she started to get better.
At the beginning she could not do stairs at all but after about a week on the Carprofen she went back to stairs--she sleeps in bed with us, so she did NOT want to stay downstairs.

We just took her on a trip with us for two weeks in the car which was actually good because it cut down on her ability to run around. Now that we are home, the challenge is keeping her quiet--she loves to walk with my husband and I have to tell him to keep the walks really short. If he goes a long way, she seems to start to limp again.

Six weeks after diagnosis, she is doing very well, although her gait is still a little stiff in that leg. Her quality of life is excellent, since she has access to a fenced yard and hangs out with us in the garden, looking extremely happy, and now that she can get back up on the bed, her quality of life is pretty much back to normal.

I would not stop the Previcox after 2 weeks as it takes a while for that inflammation to go away. That reminds me I should be putting fish oil in her food. The vet put her on a diet and so we've been making her food fresh and limiting the kibble. She has lost 4 lbs.

The vet said our girl did not have hip dysplasia--that is actually what I thought it was because of the weird hopping gate and the coming and going. But she xrayed her hips and said they looked great. So if your dog has hip dysplasia, then that would certainly complicate the situation. I know of owners who have put a dog to sleep because of hip dysplasia.

But I have found keeping her on the medication another month and trying to keep her quiet is definitely working well with the ACL injury.

So we are about six weeks out from diagnosis and her quality of life is excellent.

I had a friend with a poodle with the same problem (it's the number one injury in dogs, apparently) and it took her 3 months to recover.

I don't know the difference tween Previcox and Carprofen. The Carprofen is definitely helping.

[BikingLady]

Thank you, I did read this is one of the top injuries of dogs. Good to hear I need to give it time. Yes fenced yard and she is containing herself from playing with the wild bunch. This is a dog that we joke never gets a speck of dirt on her anyhow.

I must have mis informed, she has been on Previcox for the hip, on and off. This last round one bottle through and I see no change if I do give it. My Beagle was on this for one month and her Liver count was affected, so after 6 months she is back on again at most two days a week IF really needed. That is the reason I lean to not giving.