SurgiPetOrthopedic Surgery

A significant number of dogs suffer injuries to their cruciate ligaments. There are two ligaments in the knee joint which are crossed ‘cruciate’ to prevent the chin bone (tibia) sliding forward or backwards. These ligaments are under constant strain in dogs and frequently accumulate wear and tear over time in pets. Traumatic events in young dogs can result in catastrophic cruciate ligament rupture that requires immediate attention to prevent additional meniscal damage.

Acute ACL injury in younger dogs can benefit from surgical stabilization of their knees. An eye-opening statistic that pet owners must bear in mind is that once a knee fails, there is a greater than 50% chance that the other knee will fail within a year. It therefore makes good sense to try to fix the injured knee as soon as possible.
The most important presurgical diagnostic tool vets have available is X-ray under sedation to absolutely diagnose cruciate disease and rule out other possible causes. Some dogs are so well muscled, active, or painful that it is difficult to confirm a cruciate injury when awake. X-rays also allow us to determine which surgical options are the best fit.

There are multiple surgical techniques available to stabilize a dog’s knees – all methods ultimately rely on the dog’s own healing system, which is organized scar tissue. This process typically takes 3 months or so, depending on the age, breed, and general health of the dog.