My Dog BC, Is A Border Collie. I Took Him

My dog BC, is a border collie. I took him to the vet because he was limping on left rear leg. No foxtails, or cuts or anything, vet told me it was a ligament. He needed surgery and the surgery was only done in a place called Lakeport--and the cost was $3000. What can I do so that I can walk him a little and is there anything to do besides surgery???? Barbara