[fuzzypenguins]

Hi! I hope this is the right place to ask for a vet recommendation. My hubby and I adopted a darling year-old cocker spaniel from a shelter a month ago. We noticed at first that she walked a little funnily, but a week later, it seemed clear that she had an actual limp in her left hind leg and it had gotten worse. Her vet took an X-ray and says our dog has an old torn CCL, that bandaging (conservative management) won't remedy the problem, and that she'll need surgery. We were referred to a couple of animal hospitals, but I do not like the reviews of them online, and I would like firsthand experience and glowing reviews from people on specific orthopedic surgeons/vets in the Los Angeles/Pasadena/Alhambra/etc. area. If anyone can help, I would really, really appreciate it. I just want our poor pup not to limp! Thanks so much!

[lulusmom]

In my opinion one of the best orthopedic surgeons around is Dr. Peter Sebestyen at Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Tustin. That man has performed some miraculous surgeries on dogs who were doomed to be euthanized had the rescue I work with listened to other surgeons. A CCL repair for him is a cake walk.

Veterinary Surgical Specialists :: Your pet's surgical specialists in veterinary medicine covering orange county, emergency care, los angeles, California, dogs, dog, health practitioner, vet, pet health, dog health, veterinary, pet medicine, veterina

You can also find another excellent orthopedic department at VCA All Care Animal Referral Center in Fountain Valley. Two of my own dogs have had surgeries there...luxated patella and FHO with excellent results. I live 50 miles from VCA but I don't complain about the time to get there because they are worth the drive. I'm there a lot because two of my dogs have endocrine disorders and are seen by their internal medicine specialist there. I've discovered that my 50 miles is nothing compared to some of the people I've met in the waiting room. They come in from 100's of miles away, all over So Cal. They are a 24/7 hospital and are very accomodating with visiting hours.

VCA All Care Animal Referral Center

Sorry that I'm not aware of any surgeons closer to you but I hope this helps.

[fuzzypenguins]

Thank you so much for your reply, lulusmom! The Fountain Valley VCA was actually one of the places recommended to me by my vet. It had a lot of bad reviews online, but they seemed mostly due to people's bad experiences with emergency care than anything else. It's good to know that they have a fab orthopedic department. VCA and Veterinary Surgical Specialists are almost equidistant from my home, so do you think it would be better to go to Dr. Sebestyen? (I'm just surmising that things'd be less busy in Tustin than at an always-open emergency hospital.)

[Todd]

This may help you. Found it on Yahoo Answers;

"I'd start by checking out the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. The link below has a 'Find a Surgeon' option and you can look for one that specializes in 'Small Animal Orthopedic'. Ask other area vets about the ones you find listed, you may have a well qualified doctor in FL. It would be easier for your kitty if you don't have to travel long distances after the surgery for follow ups."

American College of Veterinary Surgeons

[fuzzypenguins]

Thank you, Todd!

[lulusmom]

Hi Again.

I think if you want an ortho surgeon closer to home, then I highly recommend that you use the excellent link that Todd has provided. If you want a known quantity, then I can vouch for either of the facilities I mentioned previously. Dr. Sebestyn takes on surgeries that others won't do, which is why I mentioned that a CCL repair is child's play for him. I gave you one example of his work in my last post but another one involved a cat that was born with hind legs that looked like they were put on backwards. Dr. Sebestyn performed a miracle and and I can't tell you how the tears flowed when we watched that kitty walk on his back feet like a normal cat for the first time in his life. If I were in your shoes and couldn't get past the negative reviews for VCA, I'd go to Dr. Sebestyn. He's awesome and I think your dog would be in the best possible hands.

In all fairness, I've seen the reviews for VCA and most of the complaints involve fee for services. With both of these facilities being specialty hospitals, with state of the art facilities and highly skilled board certified surgeons, the prices are going to be much higher than the average Joe or Jane is prepared for, especially in this economy.

Care Credit came in really handy for me when my Pom had her FHO surgery at VCA. I financed 100% of her surgery and had 12 months to pay it off, interest free. Whew. I don't know if Advanced Veterinary Specialty Group takes Care Credit but you can ask.

Learn How CareCredit Healthcare Finance Works

Good luck to you and your pup. Please let us know how the surgery goes.

[fuzzypenguins]

Hello! Thanks for coming by again. I would prefer a "known quantity" and may end up driving to Dr. Sebestyen as a result, but maybe I'll try looking up all the ortho vets closer by from that ACVS link online and see if people have already reviewed them. Thanks for all the info about specialist prices and Care Credit! Wow, and that story about the miracle kitty surgery and Dr. Sebestyen? AMAZING! I'm sure a CCL surgery will be no trouble for him.