I'm sorry your dog's lame again. If it is a damaged cruciate, then the chances of it fully healing depend on the amount of damage. I had my pointer operated on, and they found that the ligament had completely ruptured, and the meniscus was torn. So conservative management would have never worked. Unfortunately the vet can't be certain of the extent of the damage until they operate.

I was really worried about surgery too, and didn't sleep a wink until Saba was home, but i'm glad I chose surgery now....six weeks on and she is doing brilliantly, dragging me around the garden!

One thing to consider is that operating can help to slow down the inevitable arthritis in the joint.

As I understand it, with a smaller dog you have a choice of surgical procedures, so you may want to ask your vet about reconstructing the ligament rather than going for the more dramatic bone-reshaping.