My large dog tore her ACL. Can a brace work instead of surgery?

Question

I have a large dog 105lbs and she tore her acl. Our vet says surgery but I have noticed some progress over the last week with her keeping weight off, pain meds and anti inflammatory. Is it worth trying at home therapy with a brace before spending $3000 on surgery? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 105 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Bella! I'm sorry to hear that she's having this problem. It's not unusual to see some mild improvement in the first week or so with rest and anti-inflammatories - but unfortunately, if she does have a complete ACL tear, it's extremely unlikely that she will get back anything approaching normal function in her leg without surgery. This is especially true due to her size, as large breed dogs tend to do much more poorly without surgery than smaller dogs. So if you want to try conservative management with a brace, you certainly can - just be aware that it's very likely she will still end up needing surgery.

My large dog tore her ACL. Can a brace work instead of surgery?

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