Ruptured crutiate Ligament

Question
After our victorian bulldogge presented lameness in one of her hind legs, she was diagnosed with a ruptured cruciate ligament by both her normal vet and a surgeon that was recommended to us by her vet. At first the surgeon advised having Tibial tuberosity advancement (a newer form of Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) but then after viewing her hip x-rays siad he would advise against the investment as it was surely going to happen to her other knee and her hips look like they will have their own complications. Lucy is 1.5 years old and otherwise healthy. The only complication in her joints/legs occurred from too hard at play, trama in short. Do you have any advice in this area? We love our dog but the thought of spending near $10k on surguries when all is said and done certainly makes you take pause. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance. PS The vet disagreed with the surgeon when it came to her hips as he has seen her function normal (as well as he was the one who took the x-rays) from the time she was 8 weeks old.

Answer
It's quite true that if you have one knee repaired the other is sure to go too. However, if the dog is just exhibiting lameness and it's not extreme, you can try crate rest and leash walking for as long as it takes for the lameness to subside. Often this is all that's needed. Get the dog on glucosomine supplements asap and continue forever.

Surgeons get paid to take things apart and put them back together. I doubt there's a bulldog on the planet who wouldn't benefit from hip replacement. My theory is, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. As long as the dog has a good quality of life, enjoy your dog.