fbpx

Cruciate Ligament Tears

Cruiciate Ligament Tears

Cranial cruciate ligament tears are the most common orthopaedic injury we see affecting dogs (and some cats) knees. This can be an acute injury (traumatic – happens all of a sudden) or a chronic injury (has developed over time – usually a partial/minor tear occurrs as a lameness that resolves with pain relief initially but with time gets worse or reoccurs).

Dogs (and cats) will present with a limp in the affected hind leg. The injury is quite painful as it causes the knee joint to be unstable when they put weight on the leg. The degree of lameness (limp) will vary based on the extent of the injury.

The cranial cruciate ligament serves to keep the knee joint stable when the animal weight bears – diagnosis is achieved by feeling for laxity/instability in that joint with manual pressure or sometimes by manipulating the leg in a certain way – sometimes this is detectable during conscious examination however alot of the time sedation or a light anaesthesia is required to properly diagnose a cranial cruciate tear.  Radiographs will also help support the diagnosis and will inform us of any arthritic change already in the joint. Chronic instability increases the rate that arthritis will develop in the joint; acute injuries will not have any arthritic change.

Most dogs require surgical stabilisation of their knee joint inorder to prevent an ongoing limp in the affected leg and also to delay the progression of arthritis in the affected leg. More often than not, dogs will damage the other cranial cruciate ligament (in the other hind leg) within 18 months of the first leg.

If you are concerned your pet may have this injury please come and see us. 

Book an appointment today!

Latest News

Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Heartworm is a disease that can affect dogs of all ages and breeds, and prevention is much easier than a cure! This parasite is transmitted by mosquitoes and is not spread from dog to dog. Heartworm is present in most parts of Australia where mosquitoes are prevalent....

read more

Anxiety in Our Best Friends

Anxiety is increasingly being diagnosed in our animal friends as more pet owners become aware of the signs they display. The difficulties of the past few years have played a part in this, as our pets became accustomed to the constant company of their owners. They...

read more

Obesity in Dogs

Just as with people, our pets can suffer from obesity. As their advocates, we must treat them like children, providing only foods that are good for them and in the correct portions. Many pet owners ask us about the correct weight for their animal. We often respond...

read more