Ruptured ACL

[Heather]

Hi There, this is my first time posting on Global Paw. My dog is a sweet healthy five year old Hovawart which who is a rather large guy. We were recently at an off leash park where he runs i the creek and when coming out he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament as I found out today when I took him to the vet who said that he will need surgery.

Has anyone had surgery for this condition o their dog and if so what procedure did you choose to have done? Was there anything you did for pain management too? How long was the recovery time? If youknow of any resources that I could read up on could you let me know as well.

Thanks ,

Heather

[linnie]

I found some info on gp here it is. I am sure you will get many replies sorry I couldnt be of more help
This was posted by crossfire
There is a huge difference between a torn ligament and a ruptured ACL ( anterior cruciate ligament ) or what people do often call the "X" when this ligament is ruptured the joint itself ( knee ) becomes unstable and the femur and tibia move back and forth across one another.

If the ligament is actually torn it does require surgery to fix however, if the ligament is only partially torn, the dog in question is older or the owner is unable to keep the dog quiet, on crate rest or has a medical condition that may effect the healing process veterinarians may opt for medical treatment rather than surgery.

May the ligament in question be some other or were you told an ACL? I have had dogs with the same type of injury including a rescue with a complete torn ACL and can tell you that depending on which ligament is in question in my opinion surgery is not always the best option.

Glucosamine is never a bad thing to give an adult dog in my opinion and is the major sugar found in glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronate, which are important building blocks in the synthesis and maintenance of cartilage in the joint.

If your unable to carry your boy up and down the stairs then yes, a ramp would be a better option for him and the "norm" for healing time usually is 8-12 weeks depending on the ligament damage done. There are vets that do try to wrap the area but at least the majority that I know personally wouldn't even attempt to wrap on a large active breed since the dog either removes it or it becomes displaced and actually irritates the injury.

If in fact this is a ruptured ACL I'd strongly suggest seeking out another vet. jmo

[doberkim]

dogs have a cranial and a caudal cruciate ligament, and even with only partial tears, you can still have surgery performed - in fact, there may be less degenerative joint disease and osteo-arthritis involved.

there are a variety of surguries available- the lateral suture (lateral fabellar suture, or extracapsular repair), the TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy), and the TTT (tibial tuberosity transposition).

in the end, the lateral suture and the TPLO have similar outcomes, but the TPLO has a longer recovery period. however, I have seen many large dogs do much better with TPLO's simply precisely because they are so large.

the lateral suture involves using a synthetic "string" akin to fishing line, and using it to create a fake cruciate ligament. a hole is drilled in the cranial aspect of the tibia and the string is passed through this and around the fabella (a lateral sesamoid of the gastrocnemius muscle).
the TPLO is a patented procedure only performed by certain specially trained orthopedic surgeons. in short, the back aspect of the tibia is cut off and rotated to flatted out the top of the tibia and essentially "realign" the leg. the cruciate ligament is normall removed (and a meniscal release performed), but there is no replacement, as the TPLO surgery negates the NEED for the ligament. a plate is applied to hold the tibia in place. the TTT is an even newer surgery, i dont know how many surgeons know or can perform it. we have done 60-70 or so.

glucosamine, etc can help a joint, but nothing is going to make the cruciate ligament regrow if its torn, and in all liklihood a partial tear at some point will tear completely in a dog that is active and large. the joint will continue to be lame and have an unstable joint, and while in the beginning it may be intermittent and only after heavy exercise, in some animals they become non-weight bearing.

in addition, animals that tear one side often will then tear the other side later.

[doberkim]

just curious why she should seek out another vet if this is a torn CrCL? i dont see anywhere in her post that she has indicated any malpractice, misinformation, or poor client care and communication.

[linnie]

doberkim I pasted the thread from another question just to try help this person and in the other thread there was a doubt as to diagnosis

[doberkim]

what other thread? this is her first (and only) post i can see from her. im lost...

[linnie]

lol sorry here is the thread
http://www.globalpaw.com/showthread....light=ligament (Hurt Leg and Scared) post 16
boy was that a brain teaser for me to work out be kind I am a pc dummy

[doberkim]

these are two different people. i understand you just copied a thread (however, you should actually cite that this came from cross fire, or link to the other thread) because as written now, it looks like you just wrote that yourself and some of it doesnt apply to this poster