When your dog tears its cranial cruciate ligament, that is bad news in itself, but what do you do when your dog ruptures both CCLs at the same time? How do you care for the dog? How do you decide what type of surgery to treat it? How do you afford it? Do you have the surgical procedure on both legs at the same time, or do you do one knee, let it recover, then do the other knee? These are all tough questions, and I’ll be the first to …

In responding to questions about types of surgeries to repair torn cranial cruciate ligaments in canines, I’ve come across 3 main types which have been previously discussed on other posts. I just heard from someone who had been looking for information on External Capsular Fixation but was unable to come up with any results, so I thought I’d try to offer a little bit of help.
My first thought was that there was simply a misunderstanding between the patient and the veterinarian. External would imply that there wouldn’t be need for …

In reading this blog, you’ve probably come familiar with the 3 main types of surgeries used to treat a torn or ruptured cranial cruciate ligament in a dogs stifle joint. The problem with these 3 main types of surgeries is that they are fairly invasive, large incisions, bone cutting, etc. This may soon be a thing of the past with some of the advancements in medicine as vets and doctors are now using techniques from human surgeries. This new surgical method, called Tightrope CCL Surgery is far less invasive in …

Whether you have a black lab, yellow lab or a chocolate lab, you will typically be looking at 1 of 2 knee repair procedures for larger dogs – TPLO or TTA surgery to repair the torn or ruptured cranial cruciate ligament in your dogs knee. The traditional technique (extracapsular technique) typically isn’t used in large breed dogs, such as Black Labrador Retrievers, Yellow Labrador Retrievers or Chocolate Labrador Retrievers due to the added stress on the joint from the extra weight of the dog.
Whichever surgical option you choose to go …

The cranial cruciate ligament in dogs provides stability to the knee (stifle) joint. Any strain, tearing or rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament can, and will, result in knee (stifle) instability. A strained cranial cruciate ligament can, in many cases, be repaired or heal itself without surgery. Strains should be treated with conservative management. Tears and ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament require more drastic treatments such as orthopedic surgery. When it comes to surgical repair of the CCL, there are multiple CCL surgery options available and it is always …

The Lateral Fabellar Technique, or Extracapsular Technique, is a common surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle (knee) joint after a tear or rupture in the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL; misspelling cranial crucial ligament). Normally, the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) prevents backward-forward movement (drawer movement) of the stifle joint. Untreated instability in the knee/stifle joint due to a turn/ruptured CCL can result in a tearing of the meniscus as well. When it tears/ruptures, the stifle joint becomes unstable and the dog suffers lack of mobility, lameness or loss of …

If your dog has suffered a torn or ruptured cranial cruciate ligament injury, you may be starting to look for surgical options and you’re probably also starting to wonder about the cost. Most knee surgeries in dogs can cost as low as $800 all the way up to $3,000+.
The cost to repair the CCL in a dog (equivalent of an ACL in humans), will fluctuate based on the state that you live in, the experience of the surgeon, the weight of the dog, the invasiveness & complication level of the …

Both the TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) and TTA (Tibial Tuberosity Advancement) surgery options involve altering the angle in stifle (knee) joint by cutting and changing the biomechanics of the tibial bone. Through all of my research, I came to the conclusion that TTA will not be an option that is available to all dogs, but that will of course have to be a decision that is made by your veterinarian prior to surgery.
TTA is said to be a newer, less invasive procedure with a quicker recovery time, so if …

When it comes to caring for our pets, we all want the best possible option, however, most veterinarians will have a single method that they prefer to perform, thus leaving you to find another vet if you do not agree with having a specific CCL surgery. Prior to committing your dog to a surgery, you’re going to want to find out what option your veterinarian will perform, the recovery time, what percent of normal activity level will the dog return to when fully recovered, etc. Of all the surgery options, …

TPLO, or tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, is a common surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle (knee) joint after a tear or rupture in the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) (can be compared to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans). Normally, the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) prevents backward-forward movement of the stifle joint. When it tears/ruptures, the stifle joint becomes unstable and the dog suffers lack of mobility, lameness or loss of use and is subject to chronic and progressive arthritis in the stifle if untreated.
In a TPLO procedure, …