By Dr. Johnathan Pierce
Say your dog was at the park and was enjoying his/her freedom. Nothing too rough or too crazy but all of a sudden there is a yip and your dog is holding up its hind leg. Or maybe your dog was outside, and nothing seemed to have happened and now he/she is limping or holding up the hind leg. Hind limb lameness is the most common lameness veterinarians see. It’s commonly associated with cranial cruciate ligament rupture, known as the ACL in people.
The knee is held together by tendons and ligaments by design. It is literally a bone sitting on top of a bone, lashed together to form the knee joint. The cruciate ligaments are two small rope-like structures that prevent the bones from sliding either forwards or backwards. The “cranial” cruciate ligament bears the brunt of the load, preventing forward motion of the bottom bone (the tibia). When it is ruptured, the tibia wants to slide forward creating significant instability in the joint when your dog puts weight on its hind leg. This isn’t necessarily painful aside from the initial rupture unless structures like the meniscus are torn and get “pinched” in the joint.
It is important to have your dog evaluated for the lameness and tested for instability in the joint. This instability will lead to arthritis very quickly. If surgery is the best option, two most common ways to re-stabilize the joint and prevent development of arthritis are extra-capsular fixation and TPLO. Extra-capsular fixation is where a suture or fiber rope/wire are placed outside of the joint capsule to replace the stability that the ligament normally would provide. A TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) is a geometry altering procedure where the flat portion of bone is rotated to change the angle of the slope of the femur (the top bone) to prevent the tibia from sliding.
Extra-capsular fixation is reserved for small to medium sized dogs. TPLOs tend to have a lower rate of complications, faster recovery and can be used in most sizes and breeds. This is especially important for athletic or working dogs, as they are more likely to be able to return to enjoying close to if not full athleticism.
It is important to have your pet seen by your veterinarian soon after the injury. The longer the issue goes unchecked, the higher the likelihood of further injury and arthritis.
Island Life Animal Hospital
Dr. Danielle Gallo & Dr. Johnathan Pierce
5901 Sun Blvd., Suite 107
Saint Petersburg, FL 33715
727-289-3776
islandlifeanimalhospital.vet