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

• Cost of Dog Knee Surgery – Are There Options to Reduce the Cost?
• Cost of Repairing a Torn ACL/CCL Injury in a Dogs Knee
• Dog Knee Surgery Costs – Cost of Repairing a Torn Dog Knee Ligament
• Hidden Costs and Unexpected Costs of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Repair in Dogs

Cranial Cruciate Ligament Repair Options

• External Capsular Fixation (Extracapsular Imbrication) Knee Surgery
• Cost of TTA Surgery for Cranial Cruciate Ligament – Cost of Knee Surgery for Dogs
• Cost of TPLO Surgery – Cost to Repair Torn Cruciate Ligament in Dogs
• Tightrope Surgery in the Treatment of a Dogs Torn Cranial Cruciate Ligament

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.

Related Posts

• Cost of TPLO Surgery – Cost to Repair Torn Cruciate Ligament in Dogs
• Cost of TTA Surgery for Cranial Cruciate Ligament – Cost of Knee Surgery for Dogs
• Cost of Repairing a Torn ACL/CCL Injury in a Dogs Knee

Finding out that your dog has torn or ruptured its CCL (comparable to the ACL in humans) is some of the worst news that a dog owner can hear, and while the first thought that crosses our minds as dog owners is what do we need to do to make it better? The questions that comes right after that is usually, What is it going to cost to repair the torn ACL/CCL? The truth of the matter is that we’d all do anything to make sure that our dogs are safe and healthy, however, the fact of the matter is that most surgical procedures to treat a torn or ruptured CCL will typically range from $1,500 on the very low end, all the way up to as much as $5,000 on the high end of the spectrum.

The cost for the surgical procedure to repair the CCL will depend on a number of factors, including, but probably not limited to:

• The type of surgery – there are 4 different types of CCL surgery.
• The size of the dog – Depending on the size of the dog, some procedures may not be an option.
• The location that you live in – For example, surgery in Idaho will probably be less than it would be in Southern California.
• The severity of the injury – Depending on how much damage was actually done to the stifle joint.
• The hidden cost – The follow-up visits. We usually don’t take these into consideration when evaluating the initial cost of surgery, but the follow-up visits definitely add up, and is something you should be clear on before committing to the surgery, especially if you have a limited budget.

All in all, when all is said and done, the average surgery cost will probably end up being somewhere around $2,500. I’ve gathered this figure through my personal experience, through talking with people (in person and via email) and through reading stories from other people online.

Related Posts

• Dog Knee Surgery Costs – Cost of Repairing a Torn Dog Knee Ligament
• Cruciate Ligament Injury In Dogs – Cost & Repair Options
• Cost of TPLO Surgery – Cost to Repair Torn Cruciate Ligament in Dogs

As a pet owner, one of the worst things that you could ever imagine happening is having your dog become injured to the point where it is painful for him/her to walk. When our dog tore her CCL (comparable to an ACL in humans) she couldn’t put any pressure at all on her leg. It was terrible to see, especially considering the fact that she was always such an active dog prior to her injury. The good news is that with dog knee injuries, there are many surgical repair options, just as knee injuries in humans, there are many repair and rehabilitation options.

When it comes to the cost of surgery, that is really going to depend on 5 major factors:

1. First and foremost, the type of surgery that you choose will be the biggest factor in determining cost. Here are some common types: TPLO, TTA, and Lateral Fabellar Technique
2. The veterinarian performing the surgery can substantially increase/decrease the cost. Believe it or not, just like human doctors, veterinarians also “specialize”, so if you go to a vet who only does dog knee surgery and knee repairs for dogs, chances are the price will be higher than if you go to your typical veterinarian.
3. Unfortunate, but true, I’ve come to learn that your location will greatly affect cost. I live in southern California, and we paid almost twice as someone in Texas who contacted us about having the same surgery performed on their dog.
4. The type of dog that you have. This effects the cost primarily due to the type of surgeries that are available, as larger breeds typically have less options available, through some veterinarians will perform any of the 3 techniques mentioned above regardless of the breed of the dog.
5. The final cost, that can be partially controlled by the owner is the follow-up visits, medication expenses, food expenses, care, rehab, etc.

So I’ve given you the factors, What is the Cost??? The thing is, there really isn’t a set cost for the dog knee surgery, or knee repair. To give you a range, I’d say that you could expect anywhere from $1,000 all the way up to $5,000. $1,000 would probably be the very low end of the spectrum and $5,000 would be the very high end. I’d like to say that the average dog knee (CCL) surgery would cost you around $1,500, but depending on the factors above, it really can fall anywhere in that range. Ours was about $2,500, then after all the follow-up office visits and medications were factored in, our final cost was probably closer to $3,500.

If you and your dog are unlucky and this happens to you, I’d recommend shopping around before heading in for surgery. Obviously, the first choice would be your primary care veterinarian, but don’t be afraid to ask them if they have any recommendations (even if they are capable of performing the surgery).

As always, I hope this information is helpful, and I always love to hear comments, so don’t be afraid to drop a line below.

Image by jstar.

Related Posts

• Cost of Repairing a Torn ACL/CCL Injury in a Dogs Knee
• Cost of TPLO Surgery – Cost to Repair Torn Cruciate Ligament in Dogs
• Cost of TTA Surgery for Cranial Cruciate Ligament – Cost of Knee Surgery for Dogs