11 is young. Yes you need the surgery. No there aren't extended PT visits. This won't be the only one either.

Second VRA in Gaithersburg.

I’m sorry that you have to make this decision. We did this surgery on our dog when she was only 2 - so the advantage/disadvantage calculations were quite different. I found the recovery to be quite grueling. My husband did the PT exercises with her daily and we were supposed to be very careful to keep her off stairs and from jumping on furniture. We also did the paid rehab services with some aqua therapy at Friendship Animal Hospital (though we did the surgery further away). I was grateful that my dog was very small, so I could carry her when she wasn’t supposed to be walking much.

It is very likely that an older dog with one knee tear will tear the other knee within about a year. This has definitely not been true for my younger dog, though I think about it when I see her playing a little rough with her dog friends. The tear happened while playing with a dog in our yard.

I hate to be the negative nelly, but what breed is your dog, and how is his general health? I would be hesitant to spend that much money if 11 is already old for your dog's breed. Obviously, everyone's finances are different, but that's a lot (even with the discounts) to put your dog through the pain if it will only prolong their life for a few months.

Now I will go hide my face in shame.

Helping hands is great if you’re on an extreme budget, but be aware they provide none of the before/after care and use an outdated method for surgery. If you can find the extra money, your own vet is probably a better choice.

Anonymous wrote:Check out "Helping Hands" in Richmond, VA. We did this with our then 9 year old dog. You'll need to take an entire day off work to get down there and drop them off...it was worth it! Keep in mind, it is a long recovery and there is a high chance they will tear their other leg within a year or two. It happened to us! She lived for 4 years after those surgeries, so it was worth it for us. The practice also handles dental cleanings, which we did with our other dog...but those schedule out several months in advance. Highly recommend.

I meant to also add -- the pricing is upfront, all listed on their website. It is a fraction of the cost in the DMV area. They were great to work with -- our DC vet actually recommended them to us...very easy to send all the x-rays, etc back and forth.

Check out "Helping Hands" in Richmond, VA. We did this with our then 9 year old dog. You'll need to take an entire day off work to get down there and drop them off...it was worth it! Keep in mind, it is a long recovery and there is a high chance they will tear their other leg within a year or two. It happened to us! She lived for 4 years after those surgeries, so it was worth it for us. The practice also handles dental cleanings, which we did with our other dog...but those schedule out several months in advance. Highly recommend.

Another thing to know when price-shopping this surgery--ask what the price includes beyond the surgery itself. Some quotes we got were balled up with the rehab, which is important. Others seemed low because they were just the surgery but then you pay on the back end for the rehab.

(I am PP and a veterinarian)

Arthritis in the affected knee, muscle atrophy and potential disuse of the leg due to pain and weakness.

That being said, some smaller dogs end up forming a lot of scar tissue around the joint in an effort to stabilize it. They may return to using the leg but the arthritis will be there.