Please help: Cruciate Ligament surgery

Right guys I have a 6 year old staffy whom I got from the RSPCA with less muscle mass in his back left leg and a limp when i got him. Have pursued this and seen various vets and complained I have now had his xrays done today confirming his cruciate ligament needs sorting (this after the RSPCA vet told me it was no such thing and to find a proper vet rather than any old one on a street corner despite having had 3 vets check him out).
Since I had him we have always had problems with his leg to some degree and as a pre-existing condition my insurance doesn't cover it, despite this we are looking at surgery and Id like to knows peoples experience and which procedure they think is best or has worked for them.
I'd love as much input as possible please as its a very important decision and not a cheap one.

Thank you.

Not sure why the RSPCA were so adamant that there was nothing wrong, considering cruciate ligament damage is actually fairly common in dogs. Yet another reason I have my reservations about them!

I believe the procedure most commonly used for cruciate ligaments is the extracapsular repair. The ligament is replaced with strong material, allowing the dog to use his leg as normally as he would without injury. Once the healing is done, this knee tissue then stabilises the knee. This is actually one of the less expensive ones, but you'd need to talk to your vet about how successful it might be for your dog's injury, as success rates vary according to the type and amount of damage to the ligament.

Has your vet recommended any surgeries in particular?

Thanks for the reply I appreciate it, the tibia is fairly flat where it meets the femur i believe they have suggested the MMP (Modified Maquet Procedure) which they will geta specialist in for alternatively a slightly cheaper one at £1100 but they name has slipped me.
Yeah the RSPCA vet was a rather horrible condescending lady who barely even inspected him when I took him back some months later in regards to my complaint and we had been managing the issue but has gradually got worse.

Sorry I cannot help you with this but please take a few minutes to have a look through the thread below where another member of the forum has been through a similar experience with their dog:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t22203-update-on-dizzy-cruciate-ligament-surgery?highlight=cruciate+ligament

Eleanor wrote:Not sure why the RSPCA ?

because it is the RSPCA and they didnt want to waste money fixing it.

Thanks for the reply i'll look at the thread now.
Yeah I have sent a complaint direct to RSPCA HQ and have reported the vet at the branch to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

astary90 wrote:Thanks for the reply i'll look at the thread now.
Yeah I have sent a complaint direct to RSPCA HQ and have reported the vet at the branch to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

If they don't get back to you i would just leave it, the RSPCA have a nasty habit of making peoples lives hell esp if they leglaly "own" an animal.

astary90 wrote:Thanks for the reply I appreciate it, the tibia is fairly flat where it meets the femur i believe they have suggested the MMP (Modified Maquet Procedure) which they will geta specialist in for alternatively a slightly cheaper one at £1100 but they name has slipped me.
Yeah the RSPCA vet was a rather horrible condescending lady who barely even inspected him when I took him back some months later in regards to my complaint and we had been managing the issue but has gradually got worse.

From what I've heard and read, MMP has quite a high success rate, although I'll admit I don't know too much about that procedure. I believe it involves placing a sort of scaffold in the knee, allowing the injured area to heal around it properly. It's supposed to have quite a fast recovery rate, comapred to other treatments.

Hayley wrote:

Eleanor wrote:Not sure why the RSPCA ?

because it is the RSPCA and they didnt want to waste money fixing it.

That doesn't surprise me at all. The RSPCA vet sounds like a bit of a cow, to be honest.

astary90 wrote:Thanks for the reply i'll look at the thread now.
Yeah I have sent a complaint direct to RSPCA HQ and have reported the vet at the branch to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

I think that's a good idea.

Thanks for the comments everyone