TPLO surgery cost ONTARIO

Hi, I have a 32kg. Sheppard Cross 9 years old 10 in February 2010 who has been diagnosed by my Vet in Sudbury with a Ruptured Crutiate Ligament. She is referring us to a Vet Surgeon in Southern Ontario because there isn't anyone here who does TPLO and I am just wondering if anyone has had this surgery done and what the cost was. Our bill to receive this diagnosis was close to $1000.00 on Tuesday.

The TPLO seems very invasive to me and I've read that they WILL recover without the surgery and that the scar tissue will replace the torn ligament.

I have been quoted minimum $4000.00 and my Vet says that she definitely needs this surgery. She wants to wait a couple of weeks to schedule the appointment so the inflammation will go but wants an answer from us on Tuesday when we go for a re-check.

I'm asking this because I belong to some groups and the members there are telling me that the price is outrageous. I've had someone in Montreal tell me she had it done for $800.00 and in the States from 750 to 2700 I'm just wondering why the huge price difference.

Thanks in advance
Dawn

I am farther up north than sudbury and my cousin had this operation done to her german shep and she paid almost 6000 dollars.:shrug:

Wow~
Did they have to go to Toronto? How's the dog now?
I have a feeling our bill will likely be higher than 4 as well.

I am farther up north than sudbury and my cousin had this operation done to her german shep and she paid almost 6000 dollars.:shrug:

sorry to t.j dch, but how much further up north are you? I am originally from SSM and have friends who use US vets to keep their costs down, not that I believe there are any ortho specs close to the border town either.

I have had a friends who when these expensive surgeries are required go to University of Guelph not only are you getting top notch care for your dog but the prices are much better than what the vets are charging. It is quite a distance to travel for you but it might be worth the trip.

A friend of mine just had her black labs second leg done.
She paid around the 5000 mark. Her lab also went through a long recovery time with no activity. There are rehabilitation pools in our area to take your dog swimming to help recover. Do you have anything like that where you are? She seemed to find this the most meaningful exercise for him after his surgery.

I've read that it's a long recovery no matter which route you take. I don't believe there are any rehab places here but we'll likely find all that out on Tuesday.

We had to bring our Shar-pei to Guelph in 2007 and it was the worst experience of our and our dogs life. Our bill was over 11,000 and we came home without our dog. It could be that his illness was unusual but we were treated very badly which makes me wonder how he was treated when we weren't there. We made several trips down for him and nothing they did helped him. We were sent with x-rays etc from our Vet and they immediately re did all of the testing that was done the day before, that bill alone was about $3000.00 that I recall. This could be why our Vet didn't suggest Guelph ;) she said the best Ortho Doctors are in Toronto, Mississauga and Oakville. I still feel really sick everytime I think of that awful experience and it's been over two years.

The TPLO seems very invasive to me and I've read that they WILL recover without the surgery and that the scar tissue will replace the torn ligament.



Yes, the TPLO is invasive. The ligament will NOT heal on it's own and the longer the rupture goes without treatment, the more damage is being done to the meniscus and the more debilitating the arthritis will be. Not to mention the pain the rupture is causing.

The reason for the high price is that vets must be certified by Slocum Industries to perform the TPLO - it requires a high degree of skill and attention to detail. I personally would not trust a vet that was only going to charge me $500 to change the angle of my dogs tibial plateau. IMO you get what you pay for when it comes to orthopedic surgeries.

My newfie girl had this procedure in 2007. It cost me just under $5000 US, not counting all the vet visits trying to get her problem diagnosed or the follow up care visits. I would suggest that you find a vet that specializes in orthopedics if you are not comfortable with your local veterinary teaching hospital.

I would recommend anyone considering any type of cruciate ligament repair to read this article by Dr. Hines.

http://www.2ndchance.info/cruciate.htm

Hey Dawn, I too am from Sudbury and I am fairly new to the city. What was the end result of your ordeal? Is there anything you can recommend or anywhere you can refer me to??