Cruciate ligament on border terrier

[NennyNooNoo]

11 year old border terrier has damaged his cruciate ligament. Was playing Kong in the garden on Wednesday when he came back running on 3 legs. There were some holes in the ground near where he was playing which he may have caught his foot in. Took him to vet yesterday who X-rayed it after sedative and said it was cruciate ligament damage. He has been prescribed strict crate rest for 6 weeks, and if it doesn't fix, advised that he may need surgery. So we really want the crate rest to work.

Day 1 and I feel so sorry for him stuck in his crate, allowed out only for supervised food and toilet visits. Has anyone's dog had this and the complete rest has worked for them? I need some hope.

[Floralnomad]

My mum has a border x jrt that did his at 11 , we treated with the crate rest and it worked for him , he's 14 now . He already had arthritis and was a bit overweight . I'm not sure exactly how long the crate rest was for but my mum was supervising so I doubt it was that strictly adhered to , I know in the evenings he was lifted onto the settee and lifted off again to stop him jumping . A few weeks in we took him to a hydro pool but he had a panic attack so that was a one off . He is a bit of a wuss in general . Hope your dog feels better soon .

[NennyNooNoo]

Thank you, floralnomad, that has made me feel much better. Incidentally, mine is also a border terrier cross ( with a white Parson's terrier) although he looks 99% border.

[NennyNooNoo]

I think he's also a bit overweight.

[Wolfiefan]

The only dog I knew who did this was a much older dog with a complete rupture of the ligament. He obviously needed surgery but recovered really well.
Hope the crate rest works.

[BiteyShark]

Oh OP I can't imagine trying to give my dog enforced rest for 6 weeks. Hope DDog makes a quick recovery.

[Wiltshirewanderer1]

Hi this happened to our dog. Lots of rest and doggie ibuprofen to reduce swelling and walking on the lead once out and about. Starting at 5 minutes and building up slowly so the other legs didn't tire. Our dog is 14 so surgery was out of the question.
Good luck - I hope your dog has a speedy recovery.

[Bubble2bubble]

I tried rest when ddog ruptured his first cruciate but it clearly didn't work and he had to have surgery. He is a much bigger dog ( retriever x ) and extremely active.

A friend of mine with a much smaller, lighter dog did successfully heal a ruptured cruciate with strict crate rest, so it definitely can be done. The surgery is pretty grim and in any case requires weeks of crate rest afterwards so it's certainly worth avoiding if you can.

[Wolfiefan]

Dog I knew certainly wasn't on crate rest for weeks and weeks! I know as I was his Cinnamon Trust walker and helped with his physio. He did really well after the surgery.
Does anyone know (or have I imagined it?!) is there an increased risk of the other side being affected?

[NennyNooNoo]

Yes, there is an increased risk of the other side going too since the 'good' leg has to compensate and take more of the strain.

[NennyNooNoo]

At the moment, when he's allowed out for his toilet stop, he carries his bad leg off the ground. Should he gradually start to use it more as the days / weeks go by? And what happened with the dogs that the crate rest didn't work for - did it get better but then relapse, or just never get better?
Thank you all for your input.

[Wolfiefan]

Should he be carried out to toilet? Can you use a supportive sling if he isn't to use it?
Perhaps the vet can advise.

[Floralnomad]

Ours walked to the toilet , he started to put more weight on the leg over a few days and his other leg is still fine over 3 yrs on .

[NennyNooNoo]

Thanks. I do carry him to take him outside but then put him down for his 3 legged pre-pee sniffabout. Worried he might get DVT if he just sits or lies in the crate all day - can dogs get this?

[LaFlottes]

Hi - our border terrier cross JRT has damaged her ligament too. She had a period of rest, although not as long as six weeks, and then our vet strongly recommended hydro therapy. She absolutely loves the hydro!

It's my understanding that by strengthening the muscles by swimming, it's non load bearing so not putting any strain on the leg. The stronger muscles can then support the ligament better.

She also held her sore leg up but eventually started putting it down. She never puts as much weight on this leg though.

Smaller dogs have more luck with conservative management of this injury than larger dogs, so that is on your side.

I hope your dog is better soon.

[givemestrengthorgin]

Our dog had this in both knees and needed surgery. I think it was called tplo surgery or something like that. But she is a big dog, much bigger than a terrier and rest was never going to be enough for her. The surgery was very expensive - over 4k in total for both knees but thankfully we had insurance. And it was well worth it...she bounds around the place now pain free and that's 6 years post op and still going strong.
I hope rest is enough for your dog, it's horrible seeing them in so much pain.