CHARLOTTE – Last week, we discussed the importance of a dog’s cranial cruciate ligament, which helps to stabilize the knee. Unfortunately, like a human ACL, this ligament can sometimes tear or get injured, causing abnormal and painful movement in the joint. When this occurs, veterinary care is important and surgical repair is often the recommended treatment. We’ll explore the the most common surgery options below.

Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) surgery is considered the gold standard for surgical CCL repair. In short, it changes the rotation of the top of the tibia to stabilize the knee. Rehabilitation plans are very detailed, including medications and motion exercises. Sometimes physical therapy is also recommended. In general, recovery from TPLO surgery is pretty quick, and some fur baby parents may find that they have to encourage their pup to slow down in the first few weeks, as he or she may start to feel much better post-surgery.

Extracapsular Lateral Suture Stabilization is an option available only for dogs who are less than 20 pounds. The procedure “anchors” the tibia to the femur. To accomplish this, a monofilament suture material is passed around the fabella (a pea-sized bone attached to the femur), passed through a bone tunnel created at the front of the tibia, then looped back and attached to itself.

If you suspect your fur baby has experienced a CCL injury, please contact your vet immediately. Feel free to reach out to us at (704) 256 -7576 for more information or if your pup needs to be seen!

Passionate Paws Animal Hospital is a proud member of the Union County Chamber of Commerce and the Waxhaw Business Association.