One of the most frequent injuries that dogs usually suffer is the rupture of one of their cruciate ligaments of the knee. As with humans, cruciate ligament rupture in dogs can be partial or total. And if not treated conveniently, the partial can be converted into total in a short time.
When a dog suffers a rupture of one of its cruciate ligaments, its symptoms become evident very quickly. Therefore, when they are detected, it is necessary to go to a veterinarian as soon as possible to treat it properly. But for this you have to know before what are its symptoms and the consequences of not treating these ailments in time.
Cruciate ligament rupture in dogs: symptoms
When a cruciate ligament tear occurs in dogs, the animal suffers almost immediately from walking problems. It is one of the most visible symptoms of what happens. When a dog breaks a cruciate ligament on one of its legs, it begins to limp. In addition, it tries in many cases to keep the affected leg up while moving.
In addition, you may have some stiffness in the limb after a regular activity, such as a walk. And try to move the para to the side when you sit down. It’s likely that you’re down and don’t want to play or run, and prefer to lie down.
Apart from these symptoms, the affected leg may present others that affect its appearance and functions, such as a spill of joint fluid. For example, it can become inflamed. Or, when the dog is walking, clicks are heard in the area of the damaged ligament. Also, when examining it, if the affected knee is touched, it will hurt.
If some of these symptoms are observed, you have to go to the veterinarian, as we have mentioned, to study the dog’s limb. If it is left, in addition to the dog feeling pain, the injury will get worse. Thus, a partial break can degenerate into a total break. Or in osteoarthritis. In fact, it is one of the main causes of knee osteoarthritis in dogs. It can even affect other ligaments of the same leg.
Treatment of cruciate ligament rupture in dogs
One of the treatments that are often used to correct a cruciate ligament tear in dogs is surgery. But it is a fairly complex operation, and in some cases it is convenient to perform some operations before. For example, in case the cruciate ligament tear in dogs leads to a spill of liquid, it should be removed by a puncture.
In addition, the condition of the joint must be examined. To do this, in addition to performing a manipulation of the affected limb, a knee arthroscopy can also be performed on the dog. Often, this technique can be used to treat the injury and rule out others. In any case, if the break is total, it only remains to operate to repair the knee.
Subsequently, the affected joint can be protected by a knee protector or an articulated knee orthosis. This last type of restraint element can also come in handy for dogs that, for any reason, cannot be operated. With them, the animal will feel less pain, and the affected paw will not suffer abnormal displacements due to the injury. In addition to, of course, a treatment with anti-inflammatories and prevent the animal from suffering from being overweight.