There are a couple of different ways that we can manage cruciate ligament rupture in dogs. Because tendons, ligaments, and muscles all contribute to compensatory gait and posture, they are all at a higher risk of injury from the excess load. Every situation will vary, so its always best to discuss your dogs situation with your veterinarian. A warm-up example: slow controlled leash walks with gradual increasing speed, inserting mini intervals of burst movement, ending with moderate walking speed, total duration of 6-12 minutes (multiples of three work well). This risk increases for dogs who are overweight or too active after surgery. This condition often requires surgery to ease a dogs pain, leading owners that are unable to pursue surgery to wonder; should I put my dog with a torn ACL to sleep? Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. "dayOfWeek": [ If you are unable to explore surgery for your pup, its always best to discuss other treatment options with your vet. A damaged cranial cruciate ligament (in people, it is called the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL) is the most common cause of hind leg lameness in the dog, so if your dog is larger, a damaged cruciate ligament is more likely. Your vet will also prescribe a non-steroid anti-inflammatory pain medication that you can give your dog to combat post-surgery soreness and speed their recovery. Your vet will often gather a detailed history on their current symptoms, perform a series of range of motion exams, and even perform diagnostic x-rays to rule out other complications. When we talk about a dog's ACL, we are actually talking about their CCL, or cranial cruciate ligament, which performs a similar function to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in humans. This is why it is essential to treat an ACL injury as soon as it occurs and limit your dogs activity level until he has fully healed after surgery. What Happens If a Dog Gets a Torn ACL? Lastly, make your dog is as comfortable as they can be at home with the infrared orthopedic dog bed from Bully Bed. From running, jumping, sprinting, and walking there are many different forms of exercise beneficial to your dog. In weeks 7 and 8, you must be careful to slowly increase the length of your walks by a maximum of a 1/2 block every 3-4 days. Treatment for dogs will vary based on the severity of their injury, the dogs size, the dogs standard activities, the dogs age, and their overall health. Not only will treatment options vary based on the dog in question, but the owners budget and availability will also need to be considered. Its up to you to supervise and restrict activities to give the injury adequate time to heal. Email My name is Amber. With Jasmine, it took five years to finally get a diagnosis for her initial issue. With every extra pound of fat, youre that much closer to a ligament injury. Keep Your Dog at a Healthy Weight. When your dog is recovering from ACL surgery, it is imperative that he has strictly limited activities for the next 12 weeks. Can a dogs partially torn ligament heal on its own? Care and cleaning instructions will be provided upon return request. "postalCode": "33607" Here's What to Expect If It Happens to Your Pup. "Knowing what is normal and abnormal can exposure to hundreds to thousands of dogs. This is heartbreaking to hear and try to explain to your dog that they cant run around, or theyll get even more hurt. For dogs that are under 15kg (33lb), about 85% will have a good outcome with conservative management. or Limping are easy to spot but can have a laundry List of potential causes, some of them serious or even Life-threatening. You should also keep your dog on a leash during these walks. This dog knee surgery changes your dogs anatomy so that their body naturally supports and stabilizes the joint.