Esty79

That's all anyone can really do... in these situations it's always best to have a specialist opinion and get as much information on all the different options, success rates and compatibility with each dog to find the best solution. I did look into all of the option but living in Kal made my options a little limited as it was a 6 hour drive to the nearest specialist and I had had a bad experience with vets in the past who wanted to amputate Bettee's leg!

Thank you!!

I'm sorry but you don't know the full story. I did all I could to stop her from getting out as soon as I worked out how she was getting out but nothing I tried seemed to work so that is when I locked her inside the house. As everyone has pointed out, confining a Dog is a hard option to take and as she had been confined before I was very reluctatant to do it again. I put Bettee’s story on the site, and I dicided not to share all the details of her situation as I didn’t see it’s important plus if I told you everything about her Medical history I would be here for ever and I just don’t have the time for that. I was simply highlighting to everyone out there that there is an alternative to Surgery if they don’t like the idea of putting their beloved pet under. The types of treatment and time for recovery is going to vary for each individual and it’s up to the owners to decide what they think is going to be best for their pet. I was not saying that surgery is any better or worse or that doing it my way was going to be the best way for everyone. It’s just another option. I also do not profess to know everything about this alternative treatment as I’m not a Professional in this are. I was just telling one story of what happened to me and mine. It was all a horrible experience for both Bettee and I and I did what I thought was right for my dog’s situation at the time.

Well I take offence to your comment Bettee is far far from Neglected!! Bettee kept getting out of my yard while I was at work and for the life of me I could not work out how so I spent lots of $$$ on a security surveillance system so I could see for myself. After watching the day’s footage back I saw that she was jumping the 2 meter fence. I purchase a boundary electric collar thing to use on her to stop her from going anywhere near the fence but after feeling what it did, I always try things myself before I put them on her, I couldn’t bring myself to putting it on her, so that is at the tip now. I also found out at a later date from watching more footage that my delightful neighbours where throwing things at her and taunting her. They even tried baiting her with Rat baits!! No wonder she wanted out of the yard. After discovering these things I started to lock her inside the house while I was at work or away from the house to protect her from the neighbours. I was living in Kalgoorlie at this time but have since moved back to Perth and to a different address and she is much happier in her new yard and she hasn’t jumped since. Please don’t be so quick to judge. I have done what is best for my dog and she is really well cared for. You my not agree with alternative medical treatment that I have used for her and that is your right but please don’t try and suggest that I have ever done anything to her that has ever made her unhappy or uncomfortable. Bettee has a few other medical issues that were also a reason why she had to be confined but I don’t want to go into those with you but she was in an accident as a very young pup so Bettee's recovery may have had to take longer than other dogs. Surgery my be your option but is defiantly not mine and I am very happy with the way things have turned out. Kind Regards, Esty79

Your poor baby!! Mine has also seen her fare share so that is another reason I chose not to go with the surgery. To much anastetic isn't good for humans so I can just emagian what it can you to our little loved ones. I really hope your little man Starts having a better run of it.

I would pay $$$$ to avoid 6 months of crate rest. Not much of a life for a dog and not something I could accomplish with a full time job. But to each their own. I'd also be questioning what will happen as the dog ages and loses muscle condition. Oh and I was working 12 hour shift work at the time with a roster of 4 day 4 night and 4 off and I had an hour travel time each way but I still managed to get the time for my girl. I admit I didn't have much of a life but it was for my baby so I didn't even think twice!

My girl isn't that small so she would need six months to recover fully from having one leg done.

Thank you very much for your wishes for Bettee and I'm sure she will continue to live a very fulfulling life with our having the scares to prove it.

I would pay $$$$ to avoid 6 months of crate rest. Not much of a life for a dog and not something I could accomplish with a full time job. But to each their own. I'd also be questioning what will happen as the dog ages and loses muscle condition. They still need six months creat rest after the surgery so the only difference is not having to go under the knife. Othwise money would be not object for my baby!! Bettee had her injuries over two years ago and she’s still going strong, Thank you for your wishes.

Hi All, I would like to say that Surgery for torn Cruciate Ligaments isn’t always the only option for your Dog. Your vet probably won’t tell you anything about alternative options because they are only just being explored. I have a Shar-pei cross Ridgeback called Bettee she has a fully torn cruciate ligament on her left side and a partial on her right. When this first happened I was faced with Surgery on both of them. At $2500.00 a pop, I was going to have to look at borrowing the money from somewhere so I wanted to explore all options before I committed. They also couldn’t do both at the same time so it was looking like Bettee was going to be confined for over a year. I’m lucky because my sister is a ‘Human’ Physiotherapist (currently studying her PHD) and one of her friends has just finished studying animal Physiotherapy after being a human Physio for many years. I took both of them to the consultation with Neil at Rivergum (who by the way really knows his stuff, he had two very experienced physio’s interrogating him) and with looking at the x-rays and talking with Neil both my sister and her friend decided that we would try Neuromuscular stimulation and hind-quarter loading exercises to build the muscles up in the knee area to act like/replace the ligament. This method is used in elite sports persons and it has worked for them so why not give it a try on my very special girl. It uses electrical current that is run through the muscle to make it contract. With six months of confining her in a doggie cage and only being let out for wees etc. and attaching the elector pads to either end of her muscles every night for 15 minutes for that six months. Bettee’s muscle tone in her legs is now equivalent on both sides and way stronger than she was before. Bettee is back to jumping fences higher than two meters and running as fast as ever. Arthritis is a concern but with fish oil and glucosamine in her food every day we hope to combat that as well. I know there is only two animal physio’s in WA so finding someone to help may be difficult but the way I see it is that anything is better than being cut open. You could possibly contact the Australian Physiotherapy Association for assistance? I hope this opens your eyes to other options for your best friends. Kind Regards, Esty