My small dog limps from an old cruciate tear. Is surgery best?

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.

Hello, and thanks for your question. There is no single right answer to this question, and you may get different answers from different veterinarians. My own thoughts, without knowing all the details about Lola, is no - I probably would not recommend that you pursue the operation in this case. The surgery will help stabilize her knee, but it won't reverse the damage from arthritis. The recovery period can be really hard on dogs with other orthopedic issues, and older dogs heal slower. Also, her small size works in her favor, as small dogs definitely fare better than large dogs without surgical correction of a cruciate tear. All of these factors to me would add up to the benefits of surgery not outweighing the down sides. I do encourage you to have a frank conversation with Lola's primary vet who knows her best - or even request a consult with the surgeon. Most surgeons will be pretty frank about how much improvement you can expect. I have had patients pursue cruciate surgery in their older years - but typically it's my older patients who are still quite active, who I expect to do well through recovery. From your description, I'm not sure Lola would be in that category. I hope this helps! I know it's not an easy straightforward decision and I can tell you're trying to make the best choice for her!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Brooklyn. I usually discuss surgical repair when I diagnose a dog with a cruciate injury, but it is not my only approach. Conservative care has been more effective in small breed dogs though in my opinion. However, I have had some large breed dogs do well without surgery. I usually start with strict rest for a period of 4-6 weeks depending on the case. This can allow scar tissue to develop in the knee and stabilize the joint. I will also prescribe pain medication as needed as well as prescription joint supplements. If the dog is overweight at all, I will use a veterinary weight loss diet. Any additional weight will be extra stress and strain on that joint. So I want the dog to be as lean as possible. If the dog is comfortable, I will gradually return them to their normal activity level. I also warn owners, if a dog suffers a cruciate injury on one leg then they are likely to suffer the same thing on the other rear leg as it is a degenerative injury. I hope this information helps!

A torn cruciate ligament in the knee is not something you need to rush to surgery for. I'm a rehab veterinarian and I usually recommend rest, anti inflammatory medication, and short leash walks for potty only. If she is improving over the next few weeks then she may recover well without surgery. If there is no improvement or she starts using it, then gets worse again then I do recommend surgery. It is very important to prevent any jumping and no explosive movements. Basically Gumbo needs to be leash walked only for up to three months for her to recover without surgery. Also if you have a veterinary rehab clinic near you taking her for treatment there would assist her recovery without surgery. If you have additional questions please request a consultation with me and I can answer them. This is the most common injury I see in my practice. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Gumbo.

The best treatment is surgery. There are some dogs that may respond ok to rest and pain medications or a brace (mypetsbrace.com) but in the end most do best from surgery. I would consider having the surgery performed or going to get the opinion for a surgeon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is recommended to have the cruciate surgery done, as it is the only fix for it. I can certainly understand being worried about a surgery, but while every surgery (even neutering) has it's risks, it is typically safe to have done. My own dog tore both her cruciate ligaments, and had to have two different surgeries done to fix it. She torn her left cruciate ligament first, then while healing from that surgery tore the right. When she was fully recovered, it was like having a new dog again. No pain at all, and completely back to normal. It's been 7 years since she had the surgeries, and I've never had another issue with her cruciate ligaments. Without it getting fixed, Shadow will be in a lot of pain, and will not be able to run or play as normal. He will also continue to be depressed because of this. Dogs are very closely monitored during surgery, and most surgeries go well without any problems. For the best quality of life, it should be done for Shadow. Certainly speak with the specialist about your concerns when you meet with them in 10 days. I hope everything goes ok with him!

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this with Sookie. If Sookie's cruciate ligament is completely torn, surgery is the best option for stabilizing the joint and developing less arthritis as she ages. Without surgery, the knee will scar and Sookie will walk on it again, but Sookie will develop more arthritis in the joint than if she has surgery. Small dogs often do "OK" without surgery, but do develop more arthritis in that joint than if they have surgery. Arthritis actually starts developing almost immediately after a cruciate injury, so it is a concern. Since Sookie is 8, I suspect the surgery will provide her the best quality of life for a long time with the least amount of arthritis. Here is more information on cruciate disease. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1975 Finally, if you decide to avoid surgery or would like to get another opinion, I would recommend trying to find a rehabilitation veterinarian to help you with your decision and possibly recovery after surgery. http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/Find_A_Therapist.html Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.