Basics of Ligament Injury and Arthritis – Video

It is estimated that there are over 15.5 million dogs suffering from arthritis right now – many of whom are silently suffering. Arthritis is defined as inflammation in the joint, and it may be accompanied by pain, discomfort and/or stiffness. There are 5 general areas which are most succeptible to arthritic change: hips, knees, elbows,…

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How to Measure Your Dog’s Muscle – Video

Dr. James St. Clair of TopDog Health and Rehabilitation shows a simple, informative technique of measuring hind leg muscle to help track your dog’s progress during recovery from CCL surgery or throughout Conservative Management….

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Cruciate Ligament Injury in Dogs

Help!  My dog is limping – Could it be a torn ligament? This guide is a good starting place for anyone looking for more information on dog knee problems, specifically cruciate ligament injury in dogs.  This article will give an overview of dog knee injuries covering everything from symptoms to recovery. What is a Cruciate…

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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…

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Are CCL Injuries More Common in Certain Dog Breeds?

Cranial cruciate ligament tears and ruptures can happen to any dog (or cat, although it is not nearly as common), but there are certain risk factors that make particular breeds of dogs more susceptible to this type of damage. CCL injuries are one of the most common orthopedic injuries in dogs, and is the most…

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Does My Dog Need a Meniscus?

When there is a joint injury like a cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture, it is important for the vet to try to preserve the menisci to the greatest extent possible. Loss of all or part of a stifle’s meniscus has the potential to accelerate the breakdown of articular cartilage with resultant DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease)….

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TTA Surgical Procedure

TTA is the abbreviation for tibial tuberosity advancement.  The TTA is among the newer techniques for cranial cruciate ligament repair of the canine stifle, making its appearance roughly 10 years ago. The TTA technique was developed in 2002 at the University of Zurich, and, biomechanically speaking, the procedure is very similar to the TPLO, without…

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Extracapsular Imbrication Surgery, Traditional Repair Procedure

**UPDATE 2/2011 – The information below regarding UPenn Veterinary’s stance on TPLO surgeries is no longer correct. UPenn is, in fact, performing TPLOs on dogs. I will keep up the link to the article below discussing their previous stance toward TPLO so that people may have access to all of the information. Everything else in…

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TPLO Surgery Procedure

TPLO, also known as Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, is a surgical procedure in which the head of the tibia is surgically altered and plated to create a new joint angle. A new angle is created in the stifle to prevent the femur from sliding off of the tibia. This is a very invasive procedure, as…

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