Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs My German shorthair tore her CCL

My 6 year old shorthair Z tore her back left CCL and is now unable to bear any weight on her leg. She is more than just a hunting buddy to me, she is family. I want to get her treatment, but also want to hear if anyone has gone through this, and what the results of the surgery were?





Things are a bit tight right now to be forking over $2,600 for this surgery so be on the lookout for some nice things for sale in the classifieds

Thanks for any advice

Steve

Try this question over at the Gun Dog form.

GunDogForm.com

Oh, suck!

I have known two hunting dogs that have had it done. Both had many good seasons. One was a Chessie the other a Lab.

Did she do it jumping out of your truck?

Best of luck for your girl!

Lots of anecdotal evidence that this comes from spaying at an early age.

My friend's GSP Shelby ( yeah I know strange name for a GSP ) did the same two years ago. She had the surgery and last season was back to about 95 percent. She was a bit heavy, and getting the extra weight off seemed to help also.

When it come's to question's about the health of a dog I'll tell you what I tell everybody, ask your vet! I think there's a Dr Dog on GDF, either that or Pointing Dog Journal. If someone had success with it, they'll be pro. If they didn't have success it will be negative. Years ago I had to have an older dog put down for lack of the money needed for an operation. If I had the money and the chance existed to fix a dog, I would take the chance.

Years ago I had a Springer that tore hers. The vet performed Extra Capsular Suture surgery and she responded very well to it. She lived another 8 or 9 years and you could never tell she had a problem.

Here's a good article on it:
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ccl-injuries.html

I guess I'm the wet blanket here....had a female chessie that had two torn CCL; first was when she was two years old, second when she was 4 (other leg). Paid over $3,000 for the first surgery (TPLO?) by a team of "experts"; followed all the protocols for rehab/recovery. She did fairly well and then she tore the other one....had that one repaired using a surgical method that cost around $750. I couldn't tell the difference in the two legs between the two surgeries. She had the desire/drive to hunt, but just didn't have the knees for it anymore She could hunt for about an hour/hour and a half and then that was it.
If I had to do it all over again, I would just go with the second surgery.....and only one knee. I think if I knew that such a great dog was destined to be a house pet, I would either put her down or try and rehome her.
....but that's just me. I spent several years without a hunting dog because we had basically a house pet.....just didn't seem fair to anyone.
Good luck........I hope all goes well with your GSP.

Hope you never have a debilitating accident and the family follows your line of reasoning.

And I hope you can learn the difference between dogs and humans. Excuse me if my situational analysis seems rather harsh....I just didn't want to sugar coat things and give the O.P. a false sense of hope.....not all CCL surgeries go well.....except for maybe in YOUR world. Just trying to give a realistic view of the situation.

My 6 year old lab goes in friday for ccl surgery. My vet has a good page on his site about it if you want some more info. High desert veterinary in Bend Oregon. I am hoping that she just has to go threw this once but i read that there is a 30 to 40 % chance that the other will go in the next 2 years. Seems to me that rehab is the key. Good luck hope all goes well

I know the difference. You said it was a great Dog, and if 1.5hours is the best a great Dog could do because of an accident I would have made the best of it. Seems like it would be the fair thing to do. Unless it's only about you.

Had a hard charging Springer who tore his. Vet said the operation-at that time-wasn't all that successful and wasn't worth it in his opinion. He was still a hard charger up until the end. Had a little hitch and I'm sure it pained him, but he still was the best I've ever had.

Friend had a Dog bloat up bad for days and he told his Daughter when he came home from work he was going to shoot him in that he probably had cancer. While he was at work she took the Dog to the Vet. Turns out for some reason he took a liking to stuffing down corn cobs. A little flush and he was as good as new.

His Daughter, said: "Dad if I ever get sick take me to the Docs first."

Whatever dude......I guess the $4k I spent trying to fix both her knees doesn't count for anything and I'm still a rat bastard, even though I could have just put her down and spent a fraction of that on a new pup. I won't even mention the $$$ I put into her to treat her kidney disease the last 4 years of her life (she died at 10).
Glad to see we have such self proclaimed experts here on the dog forum......I shouldn't have bothered to waste my time.

No doubt there comes a time when we have to draw a line and it seems like you never did, so congrats. I have acquaintances who went further than I ever would, but there were quality of life issues that came into play.

It was your great Dog/destined to be a house pet/not fair to anyone/it could only hunt 1.5hours comment that I was referring to. You both got the short end but only you felt like you got the shaft. Funny how that works with Dogs.

Addition: it also one thing to consider finding a new home for a Dog that doesn't fulfill our requirements. Nothing wrong with that. But saying I perhaps should have put it down because it has a couple bad knees and can only give me 1.5hours of what I acquired it for is another. After all the Dog was giving all it had and you can't ask for more.

Excellent fable to consider before making the final decision to kill our Dogs:

The Story of Gelert
Text only version

Many years ago, in a castle deep in the rugged mountains of Eryri, in the county of Gwynedd, lived a brave and well respected prince called Llewelyn. This prince loved to hunt and his favourite hunting dog was a faithful and fearless hound called Gelert. Gelert accompanied Llewelyn everywhere and was always to be found at the head of the pack. No game was too big, too strong or too fierce for Gelert, whose bravery knew no bounds.

This prince had a beloved son, a swaddling babe whose mother had died in childbirth. Llewelyn had loved his wife dearly and been broken hearted by her death. His only consolation had been his son. On her death-bed, Llewelyn had promised his wife that he would cherish the boy and this he did.

He looked forward to the day when the two of them could ride out together, tracking the wolves and the other wild animals found in the ancient hills and the dark forests of Gwynedd in those far off days.

One day, Llewelyn and his men were preparing to go out hunting. The baby lay fast asleep in his cradle, his nurse in attendance nearby. The day was cold and damp but a huge log fire blazed in the bedchamber and the cradle was covered with warm furs. The baby was safe and snug. Nevertheless, Llewelyn decided to leave his loyal hound, Gelert to protect the homestead. As he left he gently stroked the dog�s huge, shaggy head.

"Guard them well, Gelert," he said. "Until I return."


Gelert�s tail thumped the ground slowly and his eyes remained on his master�s face until Llewelyn softly closed the door behind him.

It was late when the prince returned home. He was tired but victorious. A sumptuous feast was being prepared and he strode through the great hall towards the bedchamber, eager to see his son and relax in front of the great fire.

But as he entered the room he beheld a terrible sight. Furniture lay upturned, tapestries had been ripped from their hangings and the baby�s cradle lay empty on the floor. The luxurious furs that had previously covered the cradle lay scattered nearby, torn to shreds and smeared with blood.

As Llewelyn stood rooted to the spot, he felt a soft, warm, velvety nose nuzzle the palm of his hand. He looked down to see Gelert�s trusting eyes gazing up at him. The dog looked exhausted but wagged his tail weakly. His head and paws were stained with blood.

"You wicked creature!" roared the prince. "This dog has killed my son!" and without further ado he drew his dagger and plunged it deep into Gelert�s side. As the dog slumped to the ground, the prince heard a soft whimpering from behind the upturned cradle.

As the dog lay dying, Llewelyn gently picked up his son. Too late, he turned to see the half covered body of a huge wolf lying dead on the floor. Thanks to Gelert, the baby remained unharmed. Filled with remorse, Llelwelyn knelt and gently stroked his faithful friend and Gelert�s tail thumped the ground slowly for the last time.

Gelert�s body was buried outside the castle walls, close to the river. The huge stone slab, inscribed with Gelert�s name, still marks the grave and the village nearby still carries the name �Beddgelert� � Gelert�s grave.

Ccl injuries aren't exactly the new EIC CNM or hip dysplasia in retriever breeds- but they are a real issue in a few lab lines. Field lab lines. Field trial dogs- as in supreme canine athletes. This years national ameteur field champion was sired buy a dog that ran for his fc /afc on two Ccl repairs. It shouldn't be a deal breaker in anyway- but like any orthopedic surgery shop the right dr. Tplo or tightrope are both good options. In retriever breeds you see both ccls go in most cases, not sure the incidence among other breeds. If I had the money and time to address the issue- I would do so and never think twice abou using the dog for work. I would also decline to breed a dog with known Ccl issues.