Dog Knee Surgery & CCL Ligament Repair

Isabella Our Siberian Husky with a Torn/Ruptured CCL

Guest — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:02:19 +0000

My 8 yr old husky has been diagnosed w/ an ACL rupture and I am about to consult SouthPaws in Northern VA regarding surgery. I know they are not inexpensive but have not found any other facilities in the area that do the surgery. Does anyone know of other veterinary hospitals that do these repairs for a second opinion in the Northern Virginia area?

Our Golden Retriever Bailey and Repairing Both Knees at the Same Time

Guest — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:01:15 +0000

We have a 2 year old Golden that seems to have torn both CCL’s and on top of that, she has a grade 2 heart murmur. I’m collecting cost for surgery and was curious if anyone has had both knees done at the same time? She’ll have to be cleared before surgery with the heart problem, which we hope won’t be a issue. Anyway, just curious if anyone have had to get both knees done at the same time.

Thanks!

Our Dog Memphis – Partial Tear 1 Year Ago

Guest — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:00:27 +0000

Memphis hurt his knee a little over one year ago. He was never fully lame and I didn’t take him to check it out at the vet for 3 months, thinking that it would for sure improve. I have had 3 vets tell me that he probably should have surgery but am not really sure. I am worried I waited too long, or that we have too many stairs for a good recovery, or that he might still get better. There have been weeks of definite improvement but ultimately I would say he had a bad knee. It seems like his hips are kind of weak these days too. He is a very happy playful guy and 4 years old and getting a little bit lazier. I genuinely don’t know what to do. Please help!

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Dog Knee Infected After CCL Knee Surgery – Infection Caused by Surgical Hardware

Kenneth — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:09:49 +0000

The following story and questions came from reader Nina through our Contact Page. I haven’t had any experience with these problems, so I’m hoping that some of our readers can help answer some of Nina’s questions.

My Boxer mix had tight rope surgery on his knee April 2010. I did all the slow rehabilitation like the vet requested. His knee still gave him problems and after several more vet visits has been placed on anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medications which do not seem to help. Recently a digital x-ray showed that two things may be the problem:

The hardware is causing an infection that will not go away unless the hardware is taken out

The cushioning in between the joints is damaged

Either way I was told the hardware must come out. Then the possibility of repairing the knee with the top of the line hardware with all the metal may be needed. How can the hardware cause an infection that no antibiotic will help and if its the hardware causing the infection how can another piece of hardware be different? Also is there anything else I can do to help this poor dogs knee besides another costly surgery and more hardware?

My guesses were as follows: the only way that the hardware could cause an infection is if the hardware that was placed inside the knee during surgery was not sterile. If that were the case, then the veterinarian would be responsible for cost/replacement/etc. Other than surgery, the typical options are conservative management, weight management, drugs and medications, and/or dietary supplements.

Some Exciting Enhancements to Our Site

Kenneth — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:09:23 +0000

We’re excited to introduce some new and improved features that have recently been added to our site that we hope will benefit our users in sharing information and finding answers to their problems. First, we’ve added a better way to Share Your Story – and we hope that users will use this feature. We’ve had great feedback from members who have read others stories.

The next exciting feature is the addition of “threaded comments”. You can now Reply to individual comments and members by clicking the reply button inside each comment. Or you can post your own comment as always. On thing we’d like some feedback on however is the actual display of the comments.

Should we:

Continue to display all comments on the page > Oldest to Newest
Break the comments out into pages > Oldest to Newest
Reverse the order of the comments > Newest to Oldest

I personally prefer Oldest to Newest style so that you can “read with the flow” of the conversation, but I’m very open to suggestions. Please send us your feedback, or leave a comment below!

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Canine Cruciate Brace – Will a Knee Brace Help My Dog?

Kenneth — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 02:40:17 +0000

I’ve had many questions come through this site through both comments emails asking whether or not dog knee braces work for securing the stifle (knee) joint after a cruciate ligament tear. From a vetrinary standpoint, there are pros and cons to wearing the knee brace.

Pros of using a dog knee brace:

Huge savings in cost
You obviously aren’t going to put the dog under for surgery, this is always a risk

Cons of using a dog knee brace:

The knee brace will not actually help to repair the torn cruciate ligament. Once torn, a ligament will need some sort of surgical procedure in order to be fixed
Could further damage the knee/stifle joint by not repairing it

At the end of the day, all the knee brace will do is provide the stifle joint stability that would otherwise not be there. That and make your dog look silly. Just kidding, trying to keep a little humor, I know how hard it is when your dog suffers an injury and loss of mobility. When weighing the options of using a knee brace for your dogs torn cruciate, its best to consult your veterinarian and discuss your dogs lifestyle. Is your dog active? will you be able to restrain your dog? Is your dog overweight? Is your dog old or young? Does your dog have any other health problems? There are a ton of issues that should be considered prior to making the decision to use a knee brace over surgery.

My recommendation: If your dog has a lot of years ahead of it, go the surgery route. If you’re unable to afford surgery for your dog, maybe use a brace in the interim as you save for surgery.

Cruciate Ligament Injury In Dogs – Cost & Repair Options

Kenneth — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:50:19 +0000

Cruciate ligament injuries in dogs are very common among active breeds. As a dog owner who has gone through a cranial cruciate ligament injury with my pet, I know for certain that it is not an easy process to go through because we hate to see our pets in pain and it’s also difficult financially because the cost of cranial cruciate ligament repair is not inexpensive. The cranial cruciate ligament in dogs is similar to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans and though it is possible to live and move with a torn ACL/CCL it does severly limit activity because that is the ligament that provides stability in the knee joint.

For those of you who are new to the site, here are some previous posts that may help you find some information that you’re looking for.

Cranial Cruciate Ligament Repair Costs

Cranial Cruciate Ligament Repair Options

Whatever your situation, the above posts should help give you some direction in finding answers for cruciate ligament repair costs and cruciate ligament repair options. If you don’t find the answer that you’re looking for, just leave a comment or fill out our contact form and we’ll see what we can do to help.

Treatment and Recovery of Torn Knee Ligament in Doberman Pinschers

Kenneth — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:32:11 +0000

The following story comes from Jan in the United Kingdom. Though most of our readers are from the United States, I thought that it’d be great to offer information for those readers who are overseas and Jan agreed to share her story about her Doberman named Fiel. I hope that all of you all find Jan’s story helpful (this will be released in 3 parts). You can read Part I and Part II here if you haven’t read it already.

Doberman Pinscher Torn Knee Ligament – The Recovery Process (Part III)

The surgeon was pleased with his progress and the bump on his head which had gone down quite a bit, thankfully. He’d had both hips and knees X-rayed which did show there was some arthritis on the injured knee suggesting that there was a previous injury. His hips were good as was his other knee. The plaster was changed and there had only been a bit of leakage. He said that all toilet breaks for the next three months were to be on a lead and I had to walk him 3 times a day for 5 minutes for a week, then back to him for a check then if all was well to increase it to 3 times a day for 10 minutes. The only hiccup was on the third day when the swelling was at its worse.(as the surgeon had warned would happen), especially the ankle. I don’t feel his pain management was enough. Fiel was 55.5kgs (122Lbs) and he was on 40mls of Myloxidyl, once a day and 3 Tramadol twice a day but he was really fidgety with the pain so in the end I rang my vet who always manages his pain well when he’s strained things running etc and he suggested 55mls Myloxidyl, once a day and 5 Tramadol twice a day. He also had a 14 day broad spectrum antibiotic. This was only increased for another 3 days then we went back to the original dose. There was a clicking noise when he was on his walks for about 2 weeks but that stopped as the swelling went down.

All was going well eight weeks after surgery and we’d got up to 20 minutes walking 3 times a day when I noticed he was lifting his leg after the second day of this. He was in agony by the third day so back to the surgeons we went to discover the problem was the hip joint of the same leg as the op. He seemed to be in as much pain as the night of his op. He could get in the car but screamed at the motion of getting down . Back on 5 Tramadol twice a day 55mls of Myloxidyl and a strict diet. 100grams of dried food and as much broccoli,and carrots as he wants. He also has an apple or pear a day a hide chew for three times a week. He was 122lbs and 6 weeks later he’s a 103lbs. He is completely pain free has been off all painkillers for the past 4 weeks and has been discharged from the surgeon. Although he said he’s really half the way though his recovery and the task now is to really make the muscle that’s come back really strong. It’s been 13 weeks.

I have been warned by the Surgeon the other knee is venerable to the same injury as its been working hard to compensate and ideally no more playing Frisbee and ball for the same reason. He’s not allowed up the stairs for another month (about 4 months after the op) so I’ve been sleeping next to him on our bed of 5 puffy quilts since January. He’s so funny. He has an inner clock. Pills at 7am with breakfast, 10am walk. 2pm.walk. 5pm dinner. 7pm walk then pills. Put bedding down by 9.30pm, head on pillow quilt over and asleep. He barked right in my face if I forgot one of these steps early on, although he’s off the pills now except his Thyroxin. I really think routine is important and I’m lucky that I’m at home caring for my 88 year old Mum so I was able to devote the time to his needs. He’s naturally a calm dog although he’s had his moments over this period where he’s chased the cat through to the kitchen but mainly the drugs kept him quiet but to be fair he was himself. We didn’t use a cage as he’s quite happy to sit and observe, then we’d have a walk on leash to the garden. I did buy a couple of interactive games for dogs which he loves as they mean finding food. The Surgeon here feels that unless the dog is completely bouncing of the walls with energy its best not cage them and encourage normal natural short exercise so that muscle wastage is at a minimum.

Surgical Procedure for a Ruptured CCL in Doberman Pinschers

Kenneth — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:32:36 +0000

Jan’s Doberman Pinscher CCL Story (Part II)

Day of the op I wasn’t happy, like most people leaving their beloved friend to a perfect stranger. Its the only time I felt I was letting him down. Weird as this may sound but we have spent 24 a day together since he was 7 weeks old. (Apart from the odd couple of hours for outings etc) and he is never left by himself as there has always been one of my family around. I did explain to the Surgeon that my own Vet had allowed me to be with him when putting him to sleep for a minor op and on waking had also allowed me to sit with him. Stress free for both of us! This chap didn’t want me to do that so I did as I was told and Fiel was perfectly behaved as he was led away. I was assured that there would always somebody in the room with him so off I went and waited anxiously until 5pm when I phoned as I could not wait one more minute, to be told it had all gone smoothly. He’d already been up on his feet for a pee and I could get him at 7pm. He was there for 7 hours.

This is where I really nearly lost it. He must have heard my voice as I came into the reception and at that point the surgeon called the nurse to let her know I was there. (this apparently was the only time he was alone !) So out came my darling, brave boy with the biggest lump on the top of his head that nobody seem to know what happened. He looked deformed. He had a 10 inch plaster on a not very well shaved leg and was very pleased if not groggy to see my daughter and I. As I ‘d prepared myself for the leg I was fine with that but the bump on the head, WOW. They thought that as he heard my voice he had tried to ram the cage to get to me. I did say he doesn’t like doors shut between him and me. He’s well mannered but calls if he can’t see me. I really felt that it could have been avoided. I paid my £4500 for the day having already paid £500 for blood test and got out of there. I was only insured for £4000 so that was a lesson for me.

I’d bought a sling type thing for the back seats of my car so that he couldn’t fall into the wells and a really puffy quilt. Getting in was okay, he was quite comfortable but getting out 15 minutes later was horrendous. I had been told that if he was in to much pain I could give him an extra 2 Tramadol and wait 30 minutes and try again. We did. He let out a horrendous noise, mouthed my hand and got out. At this point I just cried. My darling daughter held his rear legs up with a towel so that we could get him down our 100 yard path to his puffy quilt bed on the floor of the living room. It took ages but we got there. The lump on his head was massive but he greeted my Mum ate some chicken and stock then went to sleep on his bed with his front paw anchoring my arm as I rested my hand on his head. We stayed like that for about 3 hours when he needed the bathroom but bless him didn’t quite make it. He looked so embarrassed. He obviously was in pain but did manage to get to the garden for a pee, on a leash and back again. He got steadily better on his three feet over the next day and although it was a slow process manged to get up the pathway, into the car (thankfully a grass verge next to it meant he didn’t have so far to jump) and into the surgeons practice two days later.

Be sure to come back to read the remainder of Jan & Fiel’s story – Read Part III.

Diagnosing a Ruptured Cruciate Ligament in a Doberman Pinscher

Kenneth — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:13:04 +0000

Jan’s Doberman Pinscher CCL Story (Part 1)

My 6 and half year old Doberman called Fiel (means Loyal/faithful in Spanish) was just recovering from a hematoma of his ear and lying on his sofa when Millie my cat decided to walk past and wave her tail his way for the daily ritual of chase. Except this time Fiel jumped off the side of the sofa and landed awkwardly and yelped straight away. I had heard a sort of dull crack noise so I knew this wasn’t good. He cried and couldn’t put his back leg down. I rang my vet immediately and his first thoughts were the cruciate ligament. As Fiel was already on Myloxidyl for pain relief and inflammation for his ear, he suggested to carry on with that until I could get him to his office for an evaluation. This took two days as Fiel was in some pain and the joint was not stable so he had to learn a different way of walking and getting in and out of my car.

My vet confirmed that he had the drawer movement of his knee joint which confirmed to him that he had ruptured his cruciate. He booked us in with a Orthopedic Surgeon not far from us who has a fantastic success rate with this particular operation and went to meet him two days later. Sure enough, he had completely ruptured the cranial cruciate ligament (dog ACL) and he explained the tightrope procedure to me and how it is less invasive than other types of surgery but it is likely that arthritis will be a problem in the future because of the nature of the injury. He also mentioned that his knee might have been weakened before and this time its completely snapped. Looking back I suspect he was correct as I do remember Fiel sliding badly on my laminate flooring when he was younger and limping a bit but he healed and I thought nothing more about it.

So he’d had the accident on the Monday, saw his Vet on the Wednesday, the Surgeon on the Friday and the operation was scheduled for the following Tuesday. Eight days from injury to operation. It perhaps would have been quicker but between my Vet and the Surgeon, they were running tests for Von Willibrands disorder and other clotting tests as well as checking Thyroxine levels as he has an under active thyroid. That incidentally was picked up because of a research study on Dobermans as they have a high rate of death due to heart failure, so he has quite extensively tested. Thankfully all of those tests came back negative!

Be sure to come back to read the remainder of Jan & Fiel’s story – Read Part II.