My golden retriever Carly was diagnosed with a CCl injury. My vetnarian gave me a list of orthopedic surgeons. I came home and started researching everything I could about this injury and all of our options.

I contacted several surgeons over the phone and came to a conclusion. The cost of surgery was very expensive and I had read many reviews of dog owners who had decided to opt. for surgery and stated that their dog either re-injured themselves on the same leg or the oppisite leg. I did not want to put my dog through surgery and the amount of pain associated with that.

I decided to try conservative management first. I spoke with the vetnarian and she was very supportive of my decision. I ordered a casting kit from Ace Ortho Solutions and when it arrived at my vetnarians office she casted my dogs leg so that she could be fitted for a custom leg brace. The brace cost about $650. Since the company did not accept care credit my vetnarian allowed me to pay her using the care credit so that I was able to make payments and she paid the company for the brace. It couldnt have worked out better.

It has been approximately 4 months since my dogs injury and she had to wear the brace for about two months. I would leave it on during the day when she was most active and took it off at night. I am very happy that I made the decision to choose conservative management. The surgery is not guaranteed.

I also bought Carly a dog life jacket and let her swim as much as possible with a feeling of security. I purchased a handheld lightweight massage and Carly enjoys every second of it! Also, not to mention that the brace I purchased was waterproof so she could swim with it on.

If you are struggling with the costs I just want to inform everyone that their are other options and resources you just need to do your homework. I hope this will be of some helpful information to anyone who is in the position I was in 4 months ago and had never even heard of this injury before.

Conservative Management and Knee Brace – Carly is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Well I thought I may have been lucky but now, I think not. My beautiful Sophy had her first TPLO at 4. She is a very active, joyful Lab and after doing the research I thought the TPLO surgery was the best option. Three years later, she has just started holding up her other leg. I have been treating her with Acupuncture and chiropractics but the vet said she would not be doing her job if she took my money for alternative treatment and my Sophy needed surgery after all.

So I will try alternative therapies and conservative management, but I have to say I am so torn. Sophy is a joyful lab that absolutely loves to run full-out, all the time. Restricting her activity forever just seems so wrong. I do not want to put her through TPLO but at 7; I just think maybe I should get it over with and let her be Sophy again.

The TPLO is a brutal surgery but in 12 weeks she will be right as rain. Conservative management and/or alternative treatment may avoid it but I would hate to string it out for a year or more and then have to do surgery anyway.

Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks!

Deciding Between Alternative Treatment or Surgery – Sophy is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Our golden retriever Bailey is ten and a half years old and has endeared two surgeries(TTS) for a torn cruciate ligament, the second time being to remove one of the failed/broken implants.

He has now torn the ligament in the other leg, our vet said he is healthy and would benefit from surgery, but we are very hesitant about surgery/recovery at his age.

Considering the first surgery was not completely successful we do not want to put him through that again. We want to do what’s best for Bailey to improve his quality of life and to keep him happy and healthy for years to come.

Any advice from similar situations would be very helpful and appreciated!

Advice on Senior Dogs and Ligament Injury – Bailey is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

While waiting to see if Zep would improve I researched all the surgical procedures and their various success rates. None of the surgeries which I researched showed anything better than a 50/50 chance of a good recovery.

I decided to opt for the A Trac Dynamic Brace because of all the the success stories and this brace seemed to make the most sense when compared to the others. None of the surgeries which I researched showed anything better than a 50/50 chance of good recovery, so the brace seemed to be a good conservative treatment.

From the moment I put the brace on Zep he began to put more weight on his right leg. After 3 weeks he is putting full weight on the leg and even has started to use the right leg when he urinates.

Although I had my doubts because of the severity of Zep’s injury. It has performed beautifully!! WoundWear has created an outstanding product, and has helped me along with excellent technical support when I needed it. It seems to me Conservative Management is the sensible first step for most injuries. The A-Trac Brace is a no brainer. Thank you WoundWear for helping Zep. I now have my best friend back.

I took video of Zep’s process to see if the brace would actually work. Well, it did! I sent it to WoundWear and they put it online!

Conservative Management with Brace for Full Cruciate Tear – Zep is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Hello! In June my 7 year old English Bulldog, Kata, was running on her walk when she seemed to step wrong or something. She continued to run and play, not seeming to be bothered much. I assumed it was just a pulled muscle or something.

Then last week we had her off leash and she took off after a cat. She came home limping and would not put any weight on her left rear leg. I took her to the vet a few days later and the vet thinks it is a cruciate ligament injury. The vet did not do x-rays (as she knew if we decided on surgery the surgeon she referred me to would want to do her own) so I do not know the extent of the injury.

She is currently on Rimadyl (only a week’s supply as of now) and is putting weight on the leg, but not a lot. I can tell it is uncomfortable for her to squat when going to the bathroom. Overall she is pretty mellow, only trying to jump and “trot” when someone comes home. We have not been walking her and she is devastated since right now it is finally starting to cool off (we live in AZ). I am so torn as to what is the best choice for a 7, almost 8, year old bully who still seems full of life and not in much pain.

I want her to be able to run and play though, but don’t want to put her through a painful surgery and recovery if she can recover with just CM.

How to tell? I know that there is no rush to make a decision, however, I feel like the more time that passes the older she gets and more risk comes with age for surgery. HELP!

Conservative Management Advice for CCL Injury – Kata is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Looking for more information on experiences using canine chiropractic, laser therapy and nutrition to help your dog heal form a CCL knee ligament tear or rupture? Keep reading to see how Pepe is progressing using Conservative Management.

I’ve also put him on a raw food diet to ensure that he’s getting the best possible nutrition.

He’s a laid back boy so it’s not too hard to keep his activity at a minimum. I’ve been picking him up to get on the bed, but after reading some of these posts maybe I should not let him go up and down the stairs. I’m also looking at chiropractic and acupuncture as complementary treatments.

I spoke with the Dr. in my office today, and he is going to use a chiropractic instrument (activator) to adjust his spine, and also a cold laser on the knee. This is one of my huge benefits of working where I do! Complementary and alternative medicine is hopefully going to be beneficial for Pepe.

June

Pepe is doing okay… Still not using the leg but does touch his foot down quite a bit.

Two weeks ago Pepe was treated with the activator by going three times down his spine. It’s spring loaded, and as he goes through each vertebrae, he can tell where there are energy blockages by Pepe’s movements after each. Then when he repeats he can tell if those spots “clear”. He had his 2nd treatment last week, and then well wait 2 weeks for the next.

Pepe is also getting the cold laser, but it really works best if you can treat every day for multiple sessions.

I can definitely see a difference in Pepe’s demeanor after the adjustments. He just looks perkier and the way he holds his ears just look like he’s happy and normal!

I still have him on 2 Gotu Kola Complex (MediHerb) tabs per day, as well as 2 Boswellia Complex tabs per day. Additionally, I am feeding him raw “meatballs” from Nature’s Variety and break the herbal tablets in half and stuff them in chunks of the meat. I also sprinkle his food with 1/2 t of Canine Musculoskeletal Support (Standard Process) each day as well.

Our Dr. has seen quite a few dogs completely recover and stabilize the joint on their own, but it’s a slow process. I’m still convinced that with the alternative treatments avoiding surgery may be possible.

4 Months

Alternative Treatment for CCL Injury – Pepe is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Hello Everyone,

But sadly, against my better judgement, I let her rip when we were out, because she has such a high prey drive, it was the only way to rid her of some of her restlessness. She is supposed to be Chow/Border Collie, which explains the high prey drive! So last week, at the park as so many times before, ZOOM, man she’s gone chasing a squirrel up a tree.

She came out of the bush, with her left rear leg, just gimpy, limpy along. Not until later at the house that night did I notice the extent of her injury. I freaked, cause I knew this was not good. The injury occurred on (I believe) Sunday, and by Monday we were off to the vets.

Long story short, she has blown her ACL and I am devastated. Moving along to a few weeks later, after getting her on Deramaxx for the pain, I wind up at the Idaho Humane Society. I had a visit with the executive director of the center, who is an orthopedic surgeon. We did the exam, had x-rays taken for the first time, and much to my despair, not only is her left leg shot, her right is even worse!

Much to my horror, she also has hip dysplasia in both hips with arthritis and arthritis in both legs also. So in trying to decide to do surgery or CM, after reading about all of you guys that have taken that road I figured, what the hell…. I can not do surgery on legs, hips, and God knows what else! I was so bummed, I am so worried about my girl.

It is horrid to see my wild child, become crippled. (tears, and more tears) So as it stands, right now I too am having to just try to keep her comfortable and out of pain. I restrict her movements, am trying to get a little weight off her (she’s 48 lbs or so) and I have her Rimadyl and Tramadol also. Doc. said to give her 2000mg. of MSM and Glucosomine, which is good to know cause I only was going to give her 1000 of each. That for about 2 months, (2000mg) while she is trying to recover.

This is a difficult thing to watch, but thank goodness I will be home with her not having to work (unemployment!). I can assist and watch over her! I am an old lady myself, but have no children, so you know how neurotic us pet owners can be with “our kids!” So, keep writing guys, this is very helpful – I don’t feel so alone and sad, knowing others out there are struggling with the same problems! Thank you all, and I will keep you guys informed, as we travel this very bumpy road of destiny!!

Appreciatively,
Eilen Baldwin
Star, ID.

Healing a CCL Tear Without Surgery – Jasmond Baldwin is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Here’s my story:

• Luscus, 18 month old Cane Corso, 125lbs
• Level 2 tear right rear CCL
• Occurred at beach when he slipped on a wet rock as 2 dogs jumped on his back (playing)
• After drawer test doctor recommended tplo surgery

Reasons Conservative Management was selected:

• To cut the bone of a dog still growing did not seem reasonable
• Level 2 tear only
• Post surgical complications of TPLO

Conservative Management Treatment:

• Entire floor covered with non slip rugs
• Dog kept in confined area large enough to lay down and stretch when alone
• When I was home, dog confined to single room and kept calm
• Leashed walks, dog always kept to slow walk. Week 1 distance = 0 feet; walked just enough to get to grass
• Week 2 walking distance increased 25 ft only if no setbacks/injuries during week 1
• Each week continued increasing distance per walk
• Always kept dog calm, no playing, jumping, etc.

• Approximately 4 weeks dog was walking normal and wanting to do more
• I waited until end of 6th week to begin rebuilding muscle and ligament strength with light running
• Continued to add time spent running each day, similar to how walking distance was increased each week
• End of week 9 dog was at full activity and strength
• Never had a recurrence or re injury

Personal Comment:

• Even if you opt for surgery – the above recovery period applies
• With all the great braces available conservative management becomes easier

Conservative Management, A Non Surgical CCL Repair – Luscus is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Hudson, a Lab mix, came into my life in April 2002 as a rescue from a local shelter. He was discovered abandoned at a car wash and he has never been alone again. Hudson is just a dude who loves his Daddy and Mommy and we adore him. I would sell all my possessions and live in a box if that is what it took to care for him. Judging from other posters to this site, my feelings are no different than others regarding their pets. But I have made some mistakes along the way.

At approximately 4 year of age, he showed significant hesitation in his normal activities. Short version is – We discovered serious hip dysplasia, had full hip replacement on both sides, and he had a full and healthy recovery.

About 2 years ago, he came up limping on right rear leg. Testing indicated hips were fine, but knee was suspect. Admittedly we were upset being hit with a $1300 bill to find out what was done earlier (hip replacement) was ok and now you can spend more finding out what is wrong. As we contemplated making an appointment with recommended doctor for evaluation of knee, Hudson stopped limping, so we postponed evaluation and life went on.

About 3 weeks ago he started limping again. Not fully off the right leg, but favors it when getting up and during initial walk. He did (and still does) stand on it to pee (about 30% of time, uses left leg the remainder). We started him on fish oil (twice daily) as an anti-inflammatory. I poorly thought this was just a flash-back to earlier and keeping him inside more and not chasing/playing with his buddies would suffice.

Starting this week it appeared to be getting worse. So we took him in (I notice folks do not mention vet or clinic names, so I won’t…but will if asked). He had x-rays taken (and they asked if they could do routine blood work for kidney/liver function to gauge general health…I said ok). During our wait a nurse/technician showed us x-rays of horrible knee joints and told TPLO was the only way to go. It will fix our dog…this was before any evaluation!

Surgeon was delayed for some reason, so nurse/technician brought us Hudson’s x-rays. I am not a vet, but they looked nothing like what we had been shown. Realize you cannot tell a ligament tear/rupture from an x-ray, but you can measure bone misalignment, get some feeling for buildup of scar tissue, arthritis, etc. She started back-peddling a bit and said she was not that experienced (earlier she boasted of her 10+ years assisting this surgeon) and doctor was better at seeing the problems.

Regardless, doctor showed up. After a brief introduction (5th time at this hospital, 1st time with this fellow) he brushed by my wife and myself, stooped down to dog and pulled his leg. Hudson yelped and ran for the corner. Doctor said Hudson had torn ligaments in right leg (as indicated by the dog’s pain) and needed TPLO surgery right away. He also said we needed to do the left side also as typically during the recovery the stress generated on the non-repaired knee will cause it to fail. It was best to do both at same time…$4200 a piece (less ~$1200 discount for doing both at same time) and he had opening in his schedule for Thursday (this was a Tuesday). I started to remember the blood work being done…they already thought this was a go without any discussion/consultation? Reason for so quick was ligament was most likely not fully ruptured so meniscus was likely intact, so it needed to be done ASAP to prevent more damage. We gathered Hudson who fortunately could still walk; I took him to our car while my wife paid our bill ($398.10 for 2 x-rays, general blood work and our consultation).

Hard to drive when you are crying like a baby (I’m 58). Lots of stuff on my mind, but on the productive side I knew we needed much more information.

That brings me to this site (and similar ones) where experiences are shared. After reading many of your contributors stories and experiences, we contacted our regular vet (he is mostly a large animal fellow who takes care of our horses but has always been honest with us and we have known him for years…and right now I needed a professional I could trust) and relayed our experience. He stated the surgeon at the hospital had already contacted him (our local vet was the referral for the hip dysplasia diagnosis) and told him the dog had a ruptured CCL in right leg and damage in the left. The dog was tough (how do you know this…because Hudson only yelped and did not bite him when he pulled his leg?) and could take both TPLO procedures at once. Our local vet did not say (and my wife asked directly) this surgeon tried to convince him to convince us, just wanted him to know the facts before we talked to him.

Anyway, our local large animal vet reviewed the x-rays and blood work (results fine), watched Hudson walk, gave a careful exam to both Hudson’s legs and felt (while he was not certain as the dog really tensed up and this stiffens the muscles making checking play in the joint difficult to detect) that he would not initiate the TPLO process (or any other surgical remedy) at this time. He also stated he would not do any surgical process simultaneously-risk was too high, animal may just quit due to the pain/rehabilitation stress). Our local vet was not certain the status of the ligaments. He did place a call to a radiographer and discuss passive options to determine ligament condition (CT scan was not viable; MRI was, but at a cost of $1500 to $2500). He felt the conservative management approach we learned from this site and told him about was a good one to try for at least 60 days. He felt nothing was to be lost and much to gain. It would give us some time to obtain even further information.

So we are on day 1 of our CM venture. Food is changing (we have historically believed you should take a few days to fully change from current food) to a weight management recipe (he is at least 10 lbs. overweight), Hudson remains on 2 tablets daily of Fish Oil capsules, we have started him on twice daily Chondroitin/Glucosamine tablets (SAM’s version) (pulverized), I have ordered the Yucca Oil Extract (another anti-inflammatory), we have spoken several times to Dr. Spatt and ordered the A- TraC Dynamic Brace (hopefully get middle of next week), Hudson is under house arrest (as my Mom call’s it)…minimal walking on leash only!. I will now be sleeping downstairs…no steps…we have put up barricade to stairs.

I am not a person of strong faith but I am praying daily for my dog to recover. This experience has placed his mortality in the forefront of my mind and I truly cannot imagine his not being my best friend forever.

I am open to any ideas to assist in this process. That includes experiences with a surgical remedy, though at 9 years old and having been through 2 hip replacements (although it truly went fine and he was given a better quality of life to date) I currently cannot imagine putting him through a similar or more invasive process again at this time in his life.

Thank you for your time.

Conservative Management Instead of TPLO – Hudson is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

I just wanted to add China’s story…she’s another APBT with bad knees. Three years ago she injured her left ACL and I didn’t have the funds or heart to deal with surgery. I opted for the A-trac brace and had great success. She never chewed it or complained about it…there were a few times that I noticed it was rubbing her hair away and/or chaffing her skin so I just cut the toe out of a sock and used that as a protective layer for her skin. After 12 weeks of wearing it she was using the leg without limping and the only noticeable injury/issue was that her leg was a bit atrophied but I assumed that was normal (it returned to normal a month after full use).

Recently China injured her other knee…and I’ve contacted Wound Wear again and plan on buying a brace for her right leg along with another brace for her left, hoping that will keep her from re-injuring it during the next 12 weeks. And just an FYI I know the left brace was still in good shape when I took it off last I just can’t find it. It’ll be interesting to see how she does with two nearly rigid knees.

Here is a picture of China standing with her left side brace on.

Thank you guys you offer a wonderful service. There’s nothing like watching your dog in pain and not knowing what to do. Keep up the good work!!

A-Trac Brace Experience – China is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information