We Found Out

Today (November 18th, 2016) is the day we found out our big lovable Great Dane Titan would need a TPLO surgery.

It all started a week ago when after a normal and playful day at the dog park we noticed Titan limping and keeping weight off his left hind leg.  Being a 4 year old Dane at 160 lbs we thought maybe he had just pulled or strained a muscle.  So we made a vet appointment for the following Friday and hoped that it would get better on it's own with some TLC.

The days went on with no improvements.  Although Titan was eating, drinking, acting playful, and wanting to go for his walks, he was still not putting any weight on his back leg and would limp around to get places.  My gut told me this was more then just a simple fix.

The 18th came and we were off to the vet in Peterborough, Caven Hill.  They are wonderful there.  No emergency fees and open 24/7 with a great knowledge on this giant breed as they work closely with a Great Dane rescue we adopted Titan's brother Ares from as well.    We prepared ourselves for worst case scenarios and assured Titan we loved him and it was all going to be okay.  When we got there Titan walked in with his tail wagging, eager to greet everyone and all the other dogs.  He's a very social boy and enjoys making friends.  After a short wait we were ushered into the exam room.  There we spoke with a vet who listened to all our concerns and went over everything with us.  But in the end we knew the best option was to get an xray.  Again, this vet is very good and the xray only cost $200.00.  I told the guy "If he's nervous he will just lay down and not move." and the vet smiled and said "that's okay."  So off Titan went with the vet to get his xray done.  I think I was more nervous then anything as I knew this would be stressful on my Titan.

We went into the waiting room and sat down to wait for our names to be called to come and get Titan.  After a bit only the vet came out and he seemed stressed himself.  Titan wasn't co-operating.  The vet asked us if we would approve them using a sedative to help Titan relax.  We were okay with this as we didn't want anyone more stressed then needed and had also just been told that Titan's lungs and heart all sounded great with no murmurs, so we knew he would be okay under the sedative.  So we sat in our chairs in the waiting room listening for our names to be called again.  A few dogs came and went.  Owners happy to pick up their dogs and at the same time giving us that look to say "I hope your dog is okay too."

Finally we heard our names and went back into the exam room to speak with the vet.  That's when we heard the dreadful confirmation and words.  Titan would need surgery.  My heart sank.  My mind raced.  The questions started.  The fear grew.  I reached for my husband's hand as we listened to the vet explain things to us.

The xrays showed that Titan would need TPLO surgery.

"TPLO, or tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy, is a surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint after ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament (analogous to the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in humans, and sometimes colloquially called the same)." - Wikipedia

The xrays would have to be sent to a specialist as this was a very specific type of surgery and the vet who could perform it would have to be called in.  There would be a 4-6 week recovery time, with months of therapy after that.  We were looking at at least $3500.00 just for the surgery.  Talk about stress!  The one silver lining was that we had pet insurance.  A long time ago when Titan was just a tiny (if you can believe it) puppy a nice man with an older Dane told us the best thing we could ever do was get pet insurance.  Boy was he right! Big dogs cost way more and it was one of the best things we could have done.  And the vet's always seem relieved as well when we tell him we have it.  This time was no exception.

Once the vet went over the basic things with us about the surgery and how we would have to wait a few days for the specialist to look over the xrays and call us to set up a date for the surgery, we were sent back to the waiting room to wait for Titan to wake up from his sedative.  We were able to pay at this time for our visit.  Everything for this vet visit came to $580.00.  That is for the xrays, pain medication, sedative, reversal from the sedative, doctor's exam, and taxes.  Compared to the vet close to our house where the xrays are $500.00 alone, this wasn't too bad.

And so now we wait.  The pain medication is doing it's thing and Titan wants to play and run and rough house with his Dane brother Ares.  The hardest part right now is not letting him be a happy dog and play because he doesn't understand why and I'm not good at tough love.  I know in the long run it will be for the best so with the support of my husband we are currently on Titan watch until next Monday (November 28th, 2016) when he goes in for Surgery.