My husky has a knee injury, limping, and it pops. Is it CCL?

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.

No ibuprofen is not safe to give to your dog. While aspirin had been used for pain relief many years ago now there are safer pain medications specifically for dogs. Aspirin can cause gastric ulcers and intestinal bleeding so I never recommend it. Your veterinarian should examine Hershey as she may have injured the ACL on the other leg. Over 70% of dogs who damage one ACL damage the other one within a few years. Hershey will need rest, no jumping, controlled leash walks and pain medication to get better without surgery. If there is a dog rehabilitation center near you they can give exercises for home care and can provide therapy usually including hydrotherapy. If the ligament is torn completely and the lameness not improving in a few weeks with rest, therapy and medication then Hershey may need surgery on the other knee too. Please talk with your veterinarian about prescribing a safe pain medication for Hershey. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Hershey.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Knees 'popping out' in a Pug is usually due to a luxating patella. This is a condition that can be surgically corrected, and given Rascal's age of 2, this is recommended so that he doesn't develop painful arthritis for the rest of his life. The other possible condition is a 'torn cruciate', and this also can be corrected with surgery. Carprofen is a medication of the class 'NSAIDs'. This are hard on the liver, kidney and gut. It is good for breakthrough pain, however long-term this isn't something you want to continue on. Please discuss with your vet about surgical correction options for Rascal, as well as other options for pain medications longer term (Gabapentin for example). NSAIDs do work best, they just come with high risks of side effects. Best of luck with Rascal, I hope he feels better soon!

Acupuncture can help with the pain, but it won't heal the torn CCL. A torn CCL won't be visible on x-rays, but there will be radiographic changes such as excessive fluid in the joint and displacement of the infra patellar fat pad. Torn CCLs cannot be diagnosed from x-rays alone, and a lameness exam should be done including a tibial thrust and cranial drawer test (manipulation tests). If those haven't been done already, I recommend having them done by the vet. If Stella's CCL is torn, then surgery is the recommended treatment. As a large dog, conservative treatment is not recommended because it doesn't work. Surgery is likely the best option for Stella, and I would speak to your vet about a recommendation to a veterinary orthopedic surgeon.

Thanks for using PetCoach! I'm sorry to hear about Xena. So if the position you describe (with the hurt leg extended) is when she is SITTING, I am most suspicious of a torn ACL. This is especially suspicious if she will walk on 3 legs but not the injured leg. Staffies between the ages of 1 and 5 are textbook for that particular injury. If it is when she is standing, that would be an odd way to carry herself and not typical of the usual injuries. (And I would see your vet). Finally, with this information, I cannot rule out a back injury or disk problem - more likely if she truly cannot stand, even if you help her up and put her back legs under her. You don't list Xena's age but as I mentioned before, if she is young, some sort of soft tissue injury is more likely. If she is older, an arthritis flare up or other problem may be more likely. Long story short, I recommend getting her in as soon as possible for evaluation and some safe pain medication. We as veterinarians have so many wonderful pain medications that are safe for long term or occasional use. As such, I would strongly recommend heading to your vet and NOT giving over the counter pain medication (it is not as effective and can interfere with what we would ideally prescribe). If you are unable/unwilling to go to the vet, probably the “least bad” choice would be aspirin. Be sure to use a product labeled for dogs and use the dosing on the bottle. See the link below for more information about the safe use of aspirin. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/aspirin/ Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Xena!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Storm. Just by the description an ACL injury (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) would be suspected but there are other causes also including hip or other joint problems (arthritis, degenerative joint disease), trauma, puncture wounds, fractures, soft tissue injuries to tendons/ligaments, muscle injuries, tick transmitted diseases, etc. ACL injuries usually occur when dogs are chasing squirrels, cats, birds, etc across the yard. They are fine and then they return lame, holding up the leg or bearing partial weight. That ligament when examined microscopically is undergoing a degenerative process in almost all of the cases. The strain on the ligament eventually tears or rips it completely. That same process can occur in the other knee and that's why this is so important to diagnose properly. Some dogs tear one ACL, get it fixed and then tear the other one. There are multiple ways to fix an ACL rupture or tear and I would discuss these with your veterinarian. Some of the newer techniques are specialized procedures only certain vets perform and they require that hardware (plates, screws) be put into the area to stabilize the knee joint. One older technique is called the lateral imbrication technique and I still think it works well if an experienced surgeon does it. It is much cheaper also compared to the newer procedures. There are some braces out now also for dogs that are unable to have a surgical repair done but I don't have any experience with those. So I would advise taking Storm to your vet if this condition persists, worsens, or other signs develop. They can evaluate her, gather a history, and then make a diagnostic plan, and eventual treatment plan. A physical exam may include sedation/anesthesia and x-rays to fully assess the knee. Good luck with Storm.

The diagnosis could be accurate but he could also have a problem with a meniscus or possibly a problem with the LSS. If he does not get better with rest and Rimadyl than you could take him to an orthopedic specialist to determine the cause and treat the problem.