[stomachmonkey]

Even if she needs the surgery she'll be fine after the recoup and you can still hunt her.

Shop around though, $4k sounds on the high side. We paid $2,500 and $2,700 ish per knee. Granted it was a few years ago.

Find a good doggie ortho to do it. They exist.

Be prepared to be traumatized, the incision is pretty large and a bit gnarly.

Follow the recuperation instructions to the letter.

Worst worry is they start feeling better before they are fully healed and can make things worse in a bad way.

Patience.