Having an Active Dog and the Risks of an ACL Injury

Having an active dog can be quite a handful, especially if they injure their leg. The most common injury in an active dog is an ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear. The tear can be either partial or complete. This type of an injury commonly occurs when the dog takes off to run or lands on one of the hind legs wrong. The Cranial Cruciate Ligament can also tear depending on how the dog lands on the leg or twists the leg. The body will attempt to heal the injury, but it does a horrible job at trying. The only way to correct it is to surgically repair it.

So, how do you prevent an injury like this from happening? From day one of having your dog, if you notice how active they are, you will want to train or have someone train him/her. If you can successfully train your dog to halt, sit, walk, control them on a leash, etc., the chance of a torn ligament is decreased. If you notice your dog is limping or favoring one of the hind legs, get him/her in immediately to your veterinarian. The longer you wait for an ACL injury, the harder it is for the surgeon to do the procedure and the harder it becomes for the body to heal properly.

There are two types of procedures for correcting the injury. One is more invasive than the other. The TPLWO (Tibial Plateau Leveling With Osteotomy) and TTA (Tibial Tubercle Advancement). Your veterinarian will discuss either procedure with you in detail so that you have a full understanding. Depending on the plateau angle of your dog's tibial plateau, your veterinarian will determine which procedure will work better.

Along with surgery comes supplementing the joint to speed up healing time. Giving Glucosamine will greatly increase healing time and anti-inflammatory drugs. Recovery time will take a while but in the end will be worth it. The leg will never return 100% normal, but your dog will be able to run on it after recovery. Do not let your dog run off like crazy once the procedure is done, there have been countless corrections as a result of a dog sporadically running off and damaging the surgical correction. If you are worried about your dog damaging a leg because of activity level, your veterinarian will discuss options and how to train your dog to prevent an injury from ever occurring.