What Iowa Gold said...

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Janice and The Celebration Gang -
"Samantha, George, Tiki, Emily, Mick and Basil" Gone but not forgotten, Sally(Windjammer's Ima Country Girl CDX CGC), Laney(Mandell Marlenes Celebration UD RA CGC), and Cookie(Starseeker's Kissmas Cookie CDX RE CGC).

Again off topic, but we had a Rottweiler Shihtzu come into the clinic. Father was the shih tzu... O.o

Had surgery done (not TPLO, the classic extra-capsular kind) on my at the time 7 year old Lab. Wonderful results after a long rehab; she is now 10 1/2, runs and jumps like a kangoroo; the other knee never blew and I do not expect it to. If your dog is very active or heavier, TPLO might be the way to go but there are several kind of surgeries. It might be worth looking into which one is the most appropriate for your buddy. As you research and decide, keep him under control (leashed) at all times, even in the yard to avoid any cornering, hard running, or jumping.

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Our Buddy tore his ACL when he was 8-1/2 yrs old. Not a good candidate for the surgery, we opted for the A-Trac knee brace from WoundWear. (need measurements of leg from Vet, and runs around $400). He wore it for approx. 6 months and helped, but would have preferred the surgery. Unfortunately, his other leg went downhill, and had to order a stifle for that knee too. We had about 50-60% improvement; some have had better, some less with this brace. Might be an alternative if you opt out of the surgery.