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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Torn crutiate ligaments

31 replies

Milo13 · 13/03/2023 15:46

Hi there, wondered if anyone had experience of their dog healing from partial tear crutiate ligaments without surgery? My boy is 13 years old and weighs 11kg. We have been to vet and decided together we would opt for the 6-8 weeks rest recover. Trouble is, it's nearly 2 weeks since he was injured and there doesn't seem much change! He is on loxicom and sedative to stop him jumping around so much. We are being very careful with him, crating him in the car and only out for 10 mins on a short lead 3/4 times a day. I'm worried we will have to go down surgery route 😩

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IngGenius · 13/03/2023 16:42

Smaller dogs tend to do better without surgery but it does depend on how bad the tear is. If the cruciate is completely torn it will not heal without surgery.

My understanding was that the older the dog the more likely the injury is caused by degeneration so less likely to heal without surgery. However surgery and recovery for an elderly dog may be too much for the dog.

If a small dog they may be able to cope without surgery but never have a healed cruciate.

There are other non surgical options to help a dog with a torn cruciate so worth discussing with your vet.

Usually they need pretty intensive rest so not being able to free roam in the house etc and only out for wee breaks. It will take several weeks to see any difference so I would not be upset if I had seen no improvement in two weeks. It can take months.

A hard decision but on paper I dont think I would put a 13 year old dog through the surgery for cruciate but of course I can not see your situation in real life.

I hope he feels better soon

Original poster
Milo13 · 13/03/2023 16:53

Thanks so much for your reply! He is such an active boy and still behaves like a pup! I don't know how this is going to go 😬

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Floralnomad · 13/03/2023 19:12

My sister had an overweight border x JRT that was treated conservatively , he was about 10kg at that point and he recovered fully but she didn’t walk him at all for a couple of months , he just used the garden .

LauraSaidIShouldBeNicer · 13/03/2023 19:14

Look into some supplements riaflex along with green lipped mussel is a good combination

neilyoungismyhero · 13/03/2023 19:20

Two of my boys had this issue. My really old fella was okay with rest but my younger dog had both done surgically about 2 years apart. He had a rest period for a couple of weeks or so then short walks. He recovered beautifully and never looked back. The one time I was relieved we had insurance.

Original poster
Milo13 · 13/03/2023 19:41

Thanks folk for your replies. We don't have a garden but we drive him in the car lifting him in and out to a field nearby but he's on a short lead.

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Original poster
Milo13 · 23/03/2023 09:55

Hi folks,
We had a bit of a setback as my boy seemed to slip on our wooden floors ! I have added some rugs here and there now but he was trying to play at the time, was trying to calm him down best I could but he was too excited! He seemed a bit worse this morning upon wakening, holding leg up a bit more and a bit more tentative at putting leg down when slow walking! Do you think we need to take him back to vet again or is this maybe just a setback? 😩

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Azandme · 23/03/2023 09:57

I'd take him back to the vet.

My cocker x lab had both of hers done at different times.

CrotchetyQuaver · 23/03/2023 10:06

We had this with our 10yo chunky terrier x also about 11kg. He just had the Rimadyl (painkiller?) he actually did both legs. It was last summer. Took him ages to get better but he was surprisingly good and kept himself on bed rest most of the time. He's skipping about now like he used to but still can't jump up onto sofas or beds like he used to. We rarely take him on long walks anymore as his back legs will give way as he does too much, but we are fortunate to have a pretty large garden and he is fine running around out there.

I remember doing my research on the surgery and deciding the success rate wasn't high enough to justify the cost (we would be paying) so very much the last resort option for us. He's sound enough and very happy in himself so we are pleased with the decision we made.

Floralnomad · 23/03/2023 14:12

The thing with conservative treatment is that the dog really needs to be still all the time aside from toilet breaks .

Original poster
Milo13 · 23/03/2023 15:04

I dont even know how this is possible? Do you crate them for 24 hrs a day other than toilet breaks? My husband and I work full time, its really difficult to manage :-(

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Azandme · 23/03/2023 17:34

We had to do this when the above cocker x lab had her shoulder pinned and plated (she was an abused rescue).

It is very hard, and takes a lot of time. If you aren't able to provide consistent rest care for an extended period (and obviously many people can't) then I'd seriously suggest you look at surgery as the recovery is quicker.

Floralnomad · 23/03/2023 18:54

More or less yes or be sitting with them so they aren’t wandering about

CrotchetyQuaver · 23/03/2023 20:26

Milo13 · 23/03/2023 15:04

I dont even know how this is possible? Do you crate them for 24 hrs a day other than toilet breaks? My husband and I work full time, its really difficult to manage :-(

Basically yes unless they're compliant without the cage. Or you could confine them to a smallish room which I did with a previous dog who was prescribed cage rest. We had a big cage on standby for if he hadn't cooperated.

JellyBeanFactory · 23/03/2023 20:30

Floralnomad · 23/03/2023 14:12

The thing with conservative treatment is that the dog really needs to be still all the time aside from toilet breaks .

Absolutely this. No activity at all I'm afraid. Just supported to get out for a wee but that's it.

Even if you go for surgery, there will have to be a period of limited movement

Sorry you are having to face this.

Offredismysister · 23/03/2023 20:35

I rested my dog for 12 weeks with no improvement before I decided on surgery. The first 2 weeks after recovery were hard, but after that he was fine & fully recovered within 4 months. I got off cuts of carpet & kept them down for months so he wasn’t sliding around on the hard floors.

Suzi888 · 23/03/2023 21:15

Yes experience of two tears. Possible partial to full, Labrador and was 5 at the time, coped with pain well so we didn’t immediately know anything was wrong.

There is conservative management which is complete rest for six weeks, basically they move to toilet and that is it.
No stairs, no jumping, no walks, all slippery walking surfaces covered and remain covered ir the leg is likely to blow. Pain meds. Rarely works. Usually used for older dogs/dogs that can’t have surgery. The leg HAS to stabilise, may work in smaller and/or lighter dogs. My vet compared it to almost being a broken bone with regards to pain and healing time. It ‘fixes’ into place.

The other option is surgery. We had a TPLO. Long recovery for us, six weeks minimum, no jumping, stairs, we got runners and rugs, orthopaedic dog bed. Overall good recovery and returned to normal exercise, but we were careful.

There is also the option of conservative management and a brace, in our case the brace was £1500 and we knew our dog wouldn’t tolerate the brace (like a prosthetic leg almost). Vet said it was likely to be £2k in the bin! You need GA to X-ray the limb & measure it up etc.

For all options arthritis is very likely and supplements are good. We used Galliprant at the time.

He’s 12 now, takes Galliprant, Gabapentin, Paracetamol and Librela. He’s comfortable and vet is happy. But walks are short!

There was a study on modern flooring and the affect on dogs mobility/arthritis/ I can’t recall but it’s common sense that they are not accustomed to walking on those surfaces and haven’t been for thousands of years. Even what, 20 years ago carpet was a thing! Not tiles and wood.

Suzi888 · 23/03/2023 21:17

Vet said use a towel under belly to transport dog up steps/stairs/or when going out to toilet.

Original poster
Milo13 · 31/03/2023 10:29

Hi folks,
Has anyone used a knee brace on their dog healing from crutiate ligaments damage. I am hearing some good reports about them

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JellyBeanFactory · 31/03/2023 20:57

Milo13 · 31/03/2023 10:29

Hi folks,
Has anyone used a knee brace on their dog healing from crutiate ligaments damage. I am hearing some good reports about them

Braces can work quite well but it very much depends on how your dog tolerates it.

But whatever option you take, there still needs to be minimal movement. No walks. No playing. Assistance to outside for a pee/poop only.

Original poster
Milo13 · 07/05/2023 20:16

Hi folks 9 weeks in and just starting to walk short lead on all fours without too much of a lump but when he starts to go a bit quicker or in the house he still hops on the 3 legs! Would you say the enforced rest hasn't worked or is it still possible?

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Offredismysister · 07/05/2023 20:48

The problem is if he jumps or twists. He can’t stay on enforced rest forever. Have you had an X-ray?

Original poster
Milo13 · 08/05/2023 08:27

Yes he has been x rayed and it's partial tear

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IngGenius · 08/05/2023 08:45

Unfortunately if he is still limping at 9 weeks it has not healed. He needs to be in a position where he is not limping in the house hence the restricted exercise.

How much pain does he seem to be in?

Original poster
Milo13 · 08/05/2023 12:22

He doesn't seem to be in any pain, still wants to play is eating and drinking as usual , we have limited all walks, just basically out for business and back in. Had him at vets this morning on another issue, they said at least 12 weeks ! 😭

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