Cruciate Ligament Disease

What causes cruciate ligament disease?

Several factors can lead to cruciate damage.

Some breeds are more likely to suffer cruciate ligament damage due to the shape of their tibia and the structure of their ligaments. These factors can cause damage to the ligament over time until it breaks.

Other individuals damage their cruciate ligament by accident, putting too much strain on the ligament during exercise or activity such as intense running or jumping.

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What does cruciate ligament rupture look like?

Cruciate ligament damage and rupture can look like limping on one back leg. Limping can be all the time or some of the time. Limping can be slow and worsening over time, or happen very suddenly. 

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Why do we treat cruciate ligament disease?

The cruciate ligaments play an important role in keeping the knee joint stable. If the ligament is damged then the joint become unstable, creating pain and inflammation. Arthritis will develop much earlier and faster if the joint is unstable, and the animal will feel pain almost all the time.

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How do you treat cruciate ligament disease?

The best treatment for cruciate ligament rupture is surgery. Common surgery types are TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy), TTO (Triple Tibial Osteotomy) and Extracapsular Repair.
Surgery will improve the stability of the knee joint which will minimise long-term pain and inflammation.

Pain medications can help, but the problem will get worse over time without surgery.

At North Maclean Family Vet, we perform the Extracapsular Repair technique for small dogs, and the TTO technique for medium and large dogs.

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How much does cruciate ligament surgery cost?

The cost depends on the dog's size, and what surgical technique is recommended. X-rays of the knees will show what surgical techniques are needed.

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You can book with us for a Complimentary Surgical Consult!

We can give you an accurate estimate for cruciate ligament surgery and answer all your questions.

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