cranial crucial ligament
-
drea97
- Puppy
- Posts: 20
- Joined: 15 Apr 2020, 03:59
- First Name: drea
cranial crucial ligament
My dog torn her cranial crucial ligament. I want to know can my dog knee heal on her own without knee brace and surgery. I took my dog to vet today I am against the surgery.
-
zeta1454
- Moderator
- Posts: 5140
- Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
- First Name: Leigh
- Dog #1: Magic
- is a: P/S Mini Bitch
- Born: 20 Apr 2010
- Dog #2: Trilby
- is a: P/S Mini Bitch
- Born: 15 Mar 2012
- Dog #3: Pip
- Born: 21 Feb 2014
- is a: P/S Mini Bitch
- Location: North Yorkshire
- Contact:
Re: cranial crucial ligament
Hi Andrea, it really would need a vet to advise you on the non-surgical options for your dog. It is certainly the case that some vets alongside other complementary health professionals can help dogs with this condition to heal successfully but you do need to know that it would be suitable for your little one; how much work you would need to put in to support her; how well she would cope with the restrictions on exercise etc.
There are some links here which give information on non-surgical treatment of a torn cruciate ligament but you do need to seek professional veterinary advice as to whether it would be possible in your dog’s case and to direct you to other canine health experts for support as it is not something you would want to do without some experienced and professional support:
https://orthodog.com/article/dog-acl-tear-no-surgery/
https://caninearthritis.org/article/ccl-non-surgical/
https://therehabvet.com/cruciate-ligament-disease/
https://www.fit4dogsuk.com/post/dog-cra ... e-ligament
There are some links here which give information on non-surgical treatment of a torn cruciate ligament but you do need to seek professional veterinary advice as to whether it would be possible in your dog’s case and to direct you to other canine health experts for support as it is not something you would want to do without some experienced and professional support:
https://orthodog.com/article/dog-acl-tear-no-surgery/
https://caninearthritis.org/article/ccl-non-surgical/
https://therehabvet.com/cruciate-ligament-disease/
https://www.fit4dogsuk.com/post/dog-cra ... e-ligament
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras
Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud
https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud
https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
-
mikegoodson1
- Member
- Posts: 714
- Joined: 31 Mar 2016, 11:52
- First Name: Mike
- Dog #1: Oscar
- is a: Black Mini Dog
- Born: 17 Oct 2015
- Dog #2: Sasha
- is a: B/S Mini Bitch
- Born: 23 Sep 2017
Re: cranial crucial ligament
Hi Andrea,
My boy (Oscar) has gone through 2 x TPLO surgeries this year, January 2021 for the rear left leg and July 2021 for the rear right leg. We hoped that we could avoid surgery but by the time of the 2nd leg, we decided to opt for surgery straight away.
Others may have different opinions but here are mine, based on our experience.
We tried to avoid surgery the first time by reduced exercise and weight-loss but trying to stop a Mini Schnauzer running up/down stairs or jumping on/off a sofa etc is nigh on impossible. You just cannot watch them 24x7 unless you put them in a crate to restrict their movement and what sort of life is that? It's easy to restrict exercise when you take them out, by keeping them on a lead or harness, we all understand that. And restricting treats and using low fat food to try and reduce weight is also possible. Ultimately our experience was we were just delaying the inevitable and so we went with TPLO surgery as recommended by our vets.
The TPLO surgery inserts a metal plate into the joint and is generally considered a better long term option than the other, slightly cheaper procedure of suturing. We know people that have had the suturing treatment and it has worked perfectly for their dog but our vet recommended TPLO, I think it depends on your dogs weight too in terms of what is recommended.
The surgery went well and so did recovery. I think I kept Oscar in a crate for around 6-8 weeks, taking him into the garden on a lead, sleeping downstairs with him all during that time etc. What the vets don't tell you is that recovery isn't just 6-8 weeks post surgery and then all is fine. You have to slowly start exercising your pooch, maybe a 5-10 minute walk a day on lead and slowly increase that week by week. Attending physio and hydrotherapy is a good idea, we were lucky enough to find a brilliant place to take Oscar to for both. I would say approximately 4-5 months post surgery (and still attending physio and hydro monthly), he was able to return to off lead walking/back to "normal".
However, during that recovery period they will tend to compensate by adjusting their weight onto the other leg/side and even though Oscar attended physio and hydro to keep him straight and balanced, he eventually developed a tear in the other cruciate ligament. Seemingly this is common (but will not always happen, so don't panic) when one ligament goes. This time, we opted for TPLO surgery straight away.
We're now (December) at a point where I nearly have my boy back. He runs around as normal, plays, walks off lead, is able to go up/down stairs although I am careful to lift him up to bed of a night OR over a fallen tree trunk in the woods; generally I try and be ultra careful.
In terms of cost, I think each TPLO cost us around £3.2k, that included pre/post surgery x-rays/medication etc and luckily we had insurance, although both surgeries wiped our annual insurance out by July!
So, that's our story and every one is different but I would not be scared of surgery (I was the first time, I was so worried but I brought my boy home the next day on both occasions) - we all want the best for our pooches and we have to make, what we feel, is the right decision.
Whatever you decide will be right but if you opt for surgery, be prepared for a long road but it's worth it.
My boy:
Good luck!
My boy (Oscar) has gone through 2 x TPLO surgeries this year, January 2021 for the rear left leg and July 2021 for the rear right leg. We hoped that we could avoid surgery but by the time of the 2nd leg, we decided to opt for surgery straight away.
Others may have different opinions but here are mine, based on our experience.
We tried to avoid surgery the first time by reduced exercise and weight-loss but trying to stop a Mini Schnauzer running up/down stairs or jumping on/off a sofa etc is nigh on impossible. You just cannot watch them 24x7 unless you put them in a crate to restrict their movement and what sort of life is that? It's easy to restrict exercise when you take them out, by keeping them on a lead or harness, we all understand that. And restricting treats and using low fat food to try and reduce weight is also possible. Ultimately our experience was we were just delaying the inevitable and so we went with TPLO surgery as recommended by our vets.
The TPLO surgery inserts a metal plate into the joint and is generally considered a better long term option than the other, slightly cheaper procedure of suturing. We know people that have had the suturing treatment and it has worked perfectly for their dog but our vet recommended TPLO, I think it depends on your dogs weight too in terms of what is recommended.
The surgery went well and so did recovery. I think I kept Oscar in a crate for around 6-8 weeks, taking him into the garden on a lead, sleeping downstairs with him all during that time etc. What the vets don't tell you is that recovery isn't just 6-8 weeks post surgery and then all is fine. You have to slowly start exercising your pooch, maybe a 5-10 minute walk a day on lead and slowly increase that week by week. Attending physio and hydrotherapy is a good idea, we were lucky enough to find a brilliant place to take Oscar to for both. I would say approximately 4-5 months post surgery (and still attending physio and hydro monthly), he was able to return to off lead walking/back to "normal".
However, during that recovery period they will tend to compensate by adjusting their weight onto the other leg/side and even though Oscar attended physio and hydro to keep him straight and balanced, he eventually developed a tear in the other cruciate ligament. Seemingly this is common (but will not always happen, so don't panic) when one ligament goes. This time, we opted for TPLO surgery straight away.
We're now (December) at a point where I nearly have my boy back. He runs around as normal, plays, walks off lead, is able to go up/down stairs although I am careful to lift him up to bed of a night OR over a fallen tree trunk in the woods; generally I try and be ultra careful.
In terms of cost, I think each TPLO cost us around £3.2k, that included pre/post surgery x-rays/medication etc and luckily we had insurance, although both surgeries wiped our annual insurance out by July!
So, that's our story and every one is different but I would not be scared of surgery (I was the first time, I was so worried but I brought my boy home the next day on both occasions) - we all want the best for our pooches and we have to make, what we feel, is the right decision.
Whatever you decide will be right but if you opt for surgery, be prepared for a long road but it's worth it.
My boy:
Good luck!