My dog is limping with a suspected CCL injury. Can acupuncture help?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Akira injured her leg. Many orthopedic injuries need xrays and sedated examinations to determine fully what may be going on (such as a CCL tear). They can be managed medically instead of surgically (though a surgery is the recommendation if she does have a CCL tear), but knowing exactly what is going on is important to then figure out the best game plan for her. I would stop the aspirin, as there are canine anti-inflammatories that are safer and more effective, and have her evaluated by her regular veterinarian to determine what exactly is causing her pain in that leg, and then what can be done to help treat it. Good luck!

The answer to your question really comes down to her examination and your goals. It is possible for a cruciate ligament to be partially torn or fully torn. If it is fully torn, the knee is unstable and surgery is the best option to stabilize the knee and slow down the development of arthritis in the joint. If the cruciate ligament is only partially torn, you can see signs like you have in Hambro where she seems pretty normal unless she injures the cruciate ligament again with high activity. For a large dog who is young, partial cruciate ligament injures are often problematic because they inhibit dogs from being able to play normally without being painful, but it sounds like Hambro has done well for 6 months. Another consideration is that if she has a partial tear, she may completely tear the cruciate ligament in the future which will necessitate surgery. There is also a potential complication of cruciate injuries that involve a tear in the meniscus. If that happens, she will be consistently lame and will need surgery. Unfortunately, only you can decide on the right answer for Hambro. Surgery provides the best possibility for return to normal activity without lameness, but certainly isn't without potential risks and complications. I have attached a handout on cruciate ligament injuries below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1975 Finally, if this is a partial cruciate injury and you would like to avoid surgery, I would recommend trying to find a rehabilitation veterinarian to help you with physical therapy exercises to strengthen Hambro. They will also be able to give you a second opinion. Hopefully you can find a vet in the UK at this site. http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/Find_A_Therapist.html http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/action.lasso Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

In these cases ACL or CCL tear is the most likely reason for it. Tear can be partial and conservative management (especially in dogs under 15kg) could be successful. Complete rest and anti-inflammatory meds can be attempted.

At our clinic we use a combination of anti-inflammatory medication such as prednisone, muscle relaxer such as Methocarbamol, cold laser therapy and acupuncture to help dogs recover. I find that the addition of acupuncture can certainly help a dog recover from this type of problem. If you are wondering whether or not to use this treatment, it won't hurt Sam so it is worth adding this in to the treatment of this condition to see if it helps. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Jaeger's injury! Unfortunately, a torn ACL will not heal, as ligament tissue cannot re-grow. So, he does need surgery in order to maximize his ability to use that leg. With that said, there are certainly plenty of dogs (and humans!) out there who do not have their torn ACL surgically repaired, and instead manage the injury with pain meds, anti-inflammatories, and rest as needed for life. But, without surgery that stifle ("knee") will remain unstable. Additionally, dogs who tear one ACL are at increased risk of tearing the other, which in my opinion adds another reason to pursue surgery, so if that happens Jaeger wouldn't have *2* unstable stifles. I hope this helps - you're welcome to request a consultation if you'd like to discuss Jaeger's injury in more detail!

I would start by having Josie examined by a vet. Depending on the procedure, she may need a different procedure. Most dogs with one torn ACL will tear the other one within months or a couple years, so odds are that she did the other one. She needs to start with pain medications and rest. Laser therapy and acupuncture are also helpful in healing. A wheelchair won't be helpful unless she can't use the legs at all.

It is difficult to assess without a full history of the type and severity of the injury. The most common type of injury is to the cruciate ligament inside the knee - although this can stabilise quite well with rest, weight management and joint supplements (especially in smaller dogs under 10-15kg), surgery is the recommended route in order to minimise the severity of arthritis which will develop due to the joints being unstable. Some arthritis is inevitable but it should be less severe and develop later in life if the joint is quickly stabilised with surgery