Hello New to this site/forum!

[SLLaugh33]

Hi my name is Shonda and I am a proud owner of a male and a female Doberman! I am from Mesa, AZ, USA. My 6 year old Male Doberman Dozer has recently injured his hind legs, I am heart broken and looking for thoughts, tips, tricks, and ideas to help get him the care he needs in the most affordable manner!

Looking forward to many helpful insights and I am so grateful and thankful I've found this board!

Shonda

[Dobs4ever]

Welcome from Missouri and sorry about your boy. I would take him to a chiropractic vet immediatley. Medication will relieve pain for a while but the damage continues so only an adjustment to relieve the pressure on nerves will give lastng relief and prevent long term damage.

Good luck and keep us posted on how he does.

[VZ-Doberman]

Get him to a vet asap so that a proper diagnosis can be done. If you don't know what the problem is, you can't fix the problem.

[SLLaugh33]

Hello! Thank you! We have taken him to the Vet twice, the last appt his right hind leg was the issue and they were 99% sure from the exam that he ruptured his CCL. They recommended surgery and gave us info to contact the special surgeon as we were told that the general surgeons do not perform surgeries such as this. The following day he was not able to put weight on either leg fully. He now collapses and/or falls down after barely a minute of standing!

We have little to no money that we can come up with immediately and are using every extra cent we can gather to get him just in for an appt with the specialist.

The Vet said that the CCL repair for the right leg(original injury) would be approx $3k and that was before he was troubled with both legs so we are unsure if he will be able to have the surgery but are going to take him anyways!

I will keep everyone posted as soon as we can get an appt! If there are any other boards that could be recommended to share and find out if anyone else has had this happen it sure would be helpful

Thanks again!!

[Anton-Caesar]

Too me the most affordable is whatever it costs..

do you not have insurance? (dont know how it works in US but in UK we have insurance, i paid £200 for the year and im covered up to £8000)

[SLLaugh33]

We should have gotten insurance for him as a pup, we currently do not have any insurance for him and now with his injuries I am not sure that we could get insurance now

I wouldn't care about the cost if there was any way that we could possibly come up with the money, we would do it In a heartbeat!!


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[tnh317]

I'd suggest you look into Care Credit, or something similar. If it is indeed a full tear, surgery will be the best chance for him to regain normal use of his leg(s). In the meantime, while you arrange for a visit with a specialist and sort out your financials, you can research and discuss "conservative management" with your regular veterinarian to try to prevent further injury / damage.

There are a few different surgical options for CCL injuries. Given the size and activity level of a Doberman, depending upon the specialist you choose, TPLO or TTA will most likely be the recommended procedure. Be sure that the specialist you see is a board certified surgeon with lots of experience performing the procedure. You will also need to follow their post-op instructions (which should include physical therapy) to the letter.

There are several folks on this forum that have dealt with CCL injuries (myself included). The best advice I can give you is 1) find the best surgeon in your area that you can find, one with lots of experience, not just someone that does the procedures every now and again. 2) follow their post-op / rehab instructions to a T.

[dax0402]

Hi and welcome to the forum. So very sorry you are having these problems. I also recommend looking into Care Credit. Also possibly look into Special Needs Dobermans: http://www.doberman911.org/

[GingerGunlock]

Originally Posted by dax0402

Hi and welcome to the forum. So very sorry you are having these problems. I also recommend looking into Care Credit. Also possibly look into Special Needs Dobermans: Special Needs Dobermans - Helping Owned AND Rescue Dobes!

These were going to be my suggestions!

Welcome, and wishing the best for you and your boy.

[SLLaugh33]

Thank you! We were approved for some money on Care Credit but not enough to cover one leg let alone two .

I have gotten the information needed from Special Needs Dobermans, the lady that responded was very helpful and gave me lots of advice!!

I still have a lot of research to do though hoping to find a good Vet they could maybe offer us discounted services or a payment plan of some sort...

Does anyone know if Dozer will be a candidate even though he can barely put weight in either of his back legs? Would he still be able to get surgery if his other leg is not strong? Would they do both legs or is that way too much stress?

Sorry for so many questions!

We have set up an appt with the recommended specialist but I still need to do my research on her/him


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[Amelia_]

Welcome to the forum. Apologies, I have no advice but want to wish you and Dozer all the best for a speedy recovery

[SLLaugh33]

I found only one review on the referred Dr. It was a good review but information was limited. She is a Board Certified Surgeon. Anyone else know if any other DT members that live in AZ that have had similar injuries that could recommend me to other Surgeons?


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[tnh317]

I cannot provide input or references for any specialists in your region, but you can use the search function on the ACVS site to find board certified surgeons in your state / geographical area.

ACVS Search


As far as the treatment options, and what he is and is nor a candidate for no one here can answer that question. That will depend on what the actual diagnosis is, and what the surgeon feels is the best course of treatment given that diagnosis.

[KissNme]

Welcome to DT from Kansas. Good luck. Hope everything goes well for your boys leg.