Jul 24th, 2008
Pet Insurance for CCL Repairs
Owners beware, obtaining health insurance for a dog with a known cranial cruciate injury is next to impossible, and most pet insurance companies will not pay for a CCL repair surgery if your dog has not been an incident-free, premium paying, member of their policy for at least one year. Even dog owners with pet [...]
Jul 23rd, 2008
My Dog Swallowed a Staple
Accidents happen, and this is certainly the case in post operative dogs. Sometimes, despite our best efforts and watchful eye, dogs can remove their surgical staples. Unless your dog has done this within a few days of returning home from surgery, or you notice pus, excessive bleeding, or a large, open wound where the staple [...]
Jul 20th, 2008
Physical Therapy in Post CCL Repair Dogs
More and more veterinarians are starting to recommend post operative physical therapy for cranial cruciate ligament repair patients. While opinions differ from one veterinary surgeon to another, proponents of canine PT believe that physical therapy in the post-op CCL repair dog can help bring a dog back to full function in a shorter amount of [...]
Jul 17th, 2008
Alternatives to an E-Collar
Many dogs can not tolerate the large, conical, Elizabethan Collars that most veterinary offices provide following canine surgery. If you are dealing with a dog that is able to get their e-collar off, refuses to lay down with the e collar on, is marking up the furniture with the collar, unable to eat, sleep, [...]
Jul 7th, 2008
Financial Assistance for Dogs Needing Surgery
Cranial cruciate repair surgery is an expensive proposition for all dog owners. Regardless of the procedure chosen – TPLO, TTA, or traditional extracapsular repair – dog owners can expect to spend anywhere from $1000 to above $5000 to have their pet’s knee repair performed by a licensed veterinarian. While there are not an [...]
Jul 5th, 2008
Holistic Alternatives to Pain Management in Dogs
Following a CCL repair surgery or during the Conservative Management process, your dog is likely to experience a significant amount of pain related to the injury to their knee ligament. For surgical pain or injuries that your pet my be dealing with, there are some holistic alternatives which are extremely effective in dogs. Share and [...]
Jun 24th, 2008
Does CCL Repair Surgery Lessen Arthritis Risk?
Many veterinarians will try to pressure owners into immediately proceeding with surgical intervention to repair a dog’s damaged cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) by saying early intervention will decrease the likelihood of arthritic changes to the knee. There is some truth to this – restriction of the knee joint after injury does help to minimize [...]
Jun 22nd, 2008
Best Toys and Treats for a Post Operative Dog
The first few months following a CCL repair surgery can be trying for both you and your dog. It is important during this time to provide your dog with adequate stimulation to prevent them from falling into some of the naughty behaviors exhibited by bored dogs. So instead of feeling guilty that you [...]
Jun 17th, 2008
What Causes the CCL to Rupture?
In dogs, the cruciate ligament tends to undergo degenerative changes that weaken it prior to rupturing. This very different from ACL injuries in people, where rupture is often associated with a traumatic injury as a result of an accident or incident while taking part in activities like skiing or playing football. While the human ACL [...]
Jun 15th, 2008
CCL Injury in Both Back Legs
It is not unusual for dogs who have a cranial cruciate ligament rupture in one leg to develop one in the other leg. It is a little unusual to have two severe ruptures at the same time, but it does occur, especially in large breed dogs or overweight canines. Generally the signs of this [...]
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