Hey all... my 13 year old lab injured himself in January... to make a long story very short, he instantly went from jumping over the back of a 4' tall couch to only sleeping in the low one, barely moving around, and not even getting off the couch to bark when guests arrive.
I took him for what was supposed to be a self-swim session where the trainer gets the dog acquainted with the pool and then you swim with the dog without the trainer. It quickly turned into a therapy session as it was VERY obvious my dog is injured and had been hiding it well. Everyone (three vets, the trainer and me) all agree that there is at least possibly a tear there, but his two primary vets (one is regular, one for urgent care) said they "wouldn't bother treating it at his age".
This is a hunting dog in service training. My pic shows a little of what he USED to do, but can't now. Overnight.
I am nearly certain he's got a few more years in him at least, he's really not even gray. He's got no other health issues besides what used to be considered mild arthritis (he's been on a buttload of pain meds since January). He is now using the ramp to get in and out of the car because I made him start because I don't want him injuring himself further.
Is it worth fixing? I think I if it improves his quality of life and reduces suffering, that's worth any amount of money.