Acl Tear In Dogs Back Leg

Once a licensed veterinarian diagnoses your dog with a ccl tear and it is decided that surgery is the best option for your dog there are three main orthopedic procedures to repair an acl tear.

Acl tear in dogs back leg. The acl is meant to stabilize the leg and provide support during weight bearing activities. If your dog is not putting any weight on the hind leg and is holding it up then there is a very good chance they may have a full tear of their acl. A torn anterior cruciate ligament acl is a common injury in dogs which may cause hind leg lameness. On the other hand if your dog is just slightly limping or using the leg but not putting full weight on it then there is a good chance they may have a partial tear of their acl.

If your dog tore his acl suddenly it most likely happened during play or excited activity. The ccl is responsible for keeping the tibia in place beneath the femur and stabilizing the knee joint. Wally the 11 year old cocker spaniel calmly walks up the two little steps to the deck turns quickly to check on me and turns his leg on the icy step. Although a torn acl is painful for your dog it can recover with rest and medication.

It is most commonly torn on the back leg but can be torn on any leg. This injury occurs when the acl in the dog s knee joint stretches or tears causing either acute or chronic pain. High body weight is a risk factor and a leading cause of acl injury because of the extra stress placed on the ligament by an overweight body. If your dog ruptures his cranial cruciate ligament in his hind leg the equivalent to the anterior crucial ligament in the human knee his subsequent care depends on several factors.

Forced twisting is usually what causes an over stretched or torn acl but falling awkwardly or a sudden blow. It is also the most commonly injured knee ligament especially in athletic dogs. Dog acl surgical options. The acl anterior cruciate ligament is the ligament that holds the femur and the tibia together from the front of the knee.

As wally can attest dog acl injuries are all too common. It s a cold winter evening. My dogs go out for their last little romp before nestling snug in their beds. Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy tplo and 3.

One common injury dog s face is to their anterior cruciate ligament better known as the acl. A lateral suture technique aka extracapsular repair 2. This ligament connects the back of the femur the bone above the knee with the front of the tibia the bone below the knee. Heal your dog s torn acl ligament by reducing its body weight.

If your dog goes lame in one of their hind legs they may have torn or ruptured their cranial cruciate ligament or ccl similar to the acl in humans.