Blown cruciates are not uncommon in field trial dogs.
The old standard was TPLO surgery. Many many dogs continued to have competitive careers after this procedure, mine included.
My dog was done in Florida and was USD 2300 all in including laser post op and therapy.
5 years ago and he's ready for another trial season.
As others mentioned you want someone who has done lots. The guy we used does about 300+ TPLOs a year. My vet in Canada couldn't see any difference in gait once the recovery period was done.
There are a couple of newer techniques out there but you would want to be very sure about them before signing on.
There are also a number of companies who make custom cruciate stifle braces for dogs. For an eight year old, if I wasn't running a trial dog that's the route I would take.
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