Acl Tear In Dogs Front Leg

A front leg injury in a dog can be a complex diagnostic case.

Acl tear in dogs front leg.

If you hear your dog yelp they may need your help. If your dog ruptures his cranial cruciate ligament in his hind leg the equivalent to the anterior crucial ligament in the human knee his subsequent care depends on several factors. Every now and then dogs overdo it asking just too much of their front legs shoulders elbows wrists and toes or back legs hips knees ankles and toes. They rarely endanger the posterior cruciate ligament.

The ccl is responsible for keeping the tibia in place beneath the femur and stabilizing the knee joint. It is most commonly torn on the back leg but can be torn on any leg. This injury occurs when the acl in the dog s knee joint stretches or tears causing either acute or chronic pain. Dog acl surgical options.

Factors such as trauma due to an accident or an injury caused by repetitive strain can cause acute pain for your pet. Over time one torn acl that is not treated often results in two excruciatingly painful acl injuries. If your dog tore his acl suddenly it most likely happened during play or excited activity. Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy tplo and 3.

Dogs front legs are built like our arms. As in humans a dog s bones and joints are subject to strains sprains dislocations and breaks that can cause pain and limited mobility. The words sound alike but they mean different things. If your dog goes lame in one of their hind legs they may have torn or ruptured their cranial cruciate ligament or ccl similar to the acl in humans.

Although a torn acl is painful for your dog it can recover with rest and medication. The acl anterior cruciate ligament is the ligament that holds the femur and the tibia together from the front of the knee. A lateral suture technique aka extracapsular repair 2. When the acl is torn the entire leg is unstable and the bones are rubbing causing inflammation and degenerative joint changes.

Therefore it is the owner s responsibility to try to keep a dog with a minor acl injury from eventually tearing his acl completely. By the way our four legged friends are like us with only two knees. Once a licensed veterinarian diagnoses your dog with a ccl tear and it is decided that surgery is the best option for your dog there are three main orthopedic procedures to repair an acl tear. This ligament connects the back of the femur the bone above the knee with the front of the tibia the bone below the knee.

A torn anterior cruciate ligament acl is a common injury in dogs which may cause hind leg lameness. Furthermore dogs with an acl injury in one leg will try to avoid the pain by using their other legs more often. Front leg injuries can range in severity and it must be noted that some injuries can lead to paralysis of the leg if left untreated.