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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 26, 2009 at 8:15pm

My parents Chessie had a torn ligament in a back knee (not sure which one) and she was three-legged lame for awhile. They actually thought it was just a pulled muscle because the brave dog soldiered on, and it did improve slightly but then got worse.

Anyway, she had the rubber-band surgery, whatever it's called, and while she rarely limps a bit on that leg, she is sound enough to hunt. They just avoid having her run on slick or very hard ground.

I definitely recommend finding an orthopedic specialist; they do dozens of the surgeries, while a regular vet might only see it rarely. Good luck! Dogs are very adaptable, and I htink they handle these things better than we do.

Your poor baby! Big hugs.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on July 26, 2009 at 8:50pm

Sparty partially tore his a couple years ago. Right around the same time my neighbor's dog tore hers completely. She opted for the surgery and is doing fine. We opted not to since he already had arthritis, did not tear it all the way, and has a problem with anxiety and is also doing fine.
You should contact June Hill on this site. She just went through this and recently posted photos of Sophie's surgery. Anyway, she might have some advice that will help. I did a little research and discovered that this is the most common injury requiring surgery in dogs. The good news is that there is a lot of experience in this area. That bad news is that your dog has it. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on July 26, 2009 at 10:49pm

There is a great site orthodogs.com. These folks, mostly big dogs but at least one corgi, have loads of info and knowledge on orthopedic issues for dogs esp CCL injuries. They also have a list of ortho surgeons that might help you. They can advise you on what to expect, how to prepare your house for your dog's recovery phase, rehab ideas, all kinds of stuff. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on July 27, 2009 at 12:53pm

Are you sure that's not "Anterior Cruciate Ligament" (ACL)? This is what football players are always tearing.
We had a cat who fell 2.5 storeys and ruptured his ACL. $275 in 1980 dollars. I'd say recovery was 98%: you could tell a slight difference between the two legs, but basically he lived a long life afterwards with full mobility.
Best wishes.

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Permalink Reply by JH on July 27, 2009 at 4:03pm

Our first corgi tore her cruciate ligament in the hind leg when shje was less than a year old. I wish we knew about specialists in this area. Our vet (who is no longer in the county) performed the surgery. He carved a bit of the knee bone and put in a replacement ligament filament. When the swelling went down her leg was loose and he redid the surgery, this time he put a hole though the bone and threaded the ligament through this time and made it too tight. We opted to leave it alone after that. If you looked closely the leg was a bit turned in on that side. She was still able to chase the frisbee and run, but it was more of a bunny hop. She didn't like to swim after that, she capsized a bit in the back. She didn't like to walk long distances after that.
Even though she had some probs, I'd do it again. It was better to have the tightness in the leg, than the floppy leg.

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Permalink Reply by Dave & Danielle on September 22, 2015 at 5:34pm

Hi Candy,

Our 3 yr old either tore or partially tore hers recently and we are declining what to do. What did you end up doing and how did it work for Bonni?

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on September 23, 2015 at 1:56pm

1-4 techniques, depending on how you count.

google:

tightrope repair dogs   or extracapsular  [there's a traditional way and a new, improved version]

TPLO  [I have seen this called "TTO -- Triple Tibial Osteotomy" but I'd always heard it called Tibial PLateua Leveling Osteotomy, TPLO]

TTA Tibial Tuberosity Advancement

MMP Modified Maquet technique  [updated high-tech version of TTA]

Do a lot of googling, do your homework, find the best local vets.  I've heard it said: shop for a surgeon, not a technique.

After Al awoke lame on Day 6 of a backpacking trip at age 6 3 years ago, I'd feared he was lamed for life.  He was never diagnosed with a CCL rupture -- never actually examined by an orthopedic specialist -- but I came within 1 phone call with a  surgeon who does the MMP, even though I didn't have the money.  Al recovered slowly and perhaps incompletely -- I don't dare take him on the adventures that used to be routine -- but he did fine on a 3-day backpack this year, 3 years later, at age 9, running down the trail in the dark late Monday night after 3 days and 40 miles. in the mountains, and he still plays soccer.

He's never caught the squirrel yet, though.

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on September 23, 2015 at 7:49pm

At the risk of sounding like I have only one string on my guitar: Always get a second opinion.

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