ACL Injuries in Dogs

There are dog ACL injuries occurring more often these days. Many people including the vets, are questioning how come this is happening. Is it from over-breeding, genetics, or the food we've been feeding them? Is it from toxins in their environment or from additives in their diet? Whatever the reason is, it is a growing concern.

There are conservative approaches or surgery. Before deciding which road to travel on, we need to understand all the variables that come into play. The age of the dog, the activity level of the dog, and the severity of the damage which occurred. Myself, I like to try a conservative approach when possible, before resorting to extracapsular surgery or TPLO surgery if need be.

In the conservative route, we attempt to heal the dog's stifle through restricted activity level, proper nutrition and supplements to support the knee. Sometimes knee braces are used to help stabilize the dog's knees.

So by taking that road, it is important to know what happens with the ligaments in a dog's knee and how do they heal. At the present, there is many unanswered questions regarding the time it takes to heal especially with respect to postoperative mobilization techniques.

Ligaments heal differently depending upon their location. The medial collateral ligament in the knee heals very well. The ACL (CCL) demonstrates no healing response following an injury. All ligaments do heal though, according to the same process of inflammation, repair and then remodel.

A few hours after injuring the knee, it becomes filled with a hematoma and the surrounding tissue is swollen with perivascular fluid. There is an influx of inflammatory cells and macrophages and monocytes are cleaning up for the next 48 to 72 hours.

The next phase is reparative and lasts for up to 6 weeks. During this time the scar cross section reaches a maximum. The ligament's repair tissue and tensile strength increases as time progresses.

In the last phase of remodeling, normal wound healing can take more than 12months to complete. At that point, the ligament's tensile strength is only 50% to 70% of the original tensile strength. The dog's nutritional status, endocrine imbalances, blood supply, severity of injury, and the mechanical stresses placed on the knee, are all factors in the final end result.

Having a ligament heal across a very large gap will result in excessive scar tissue buildup. This ultimately prevents the normal ligament from bridging the space and correcting the defect.

Arthritis sets into joints that have been injured. Without surgery it can happen much quicker. A preventative approach needs to be taken to minimize and reduce the arthritis which follows.

ACL injuries are difficult to avoid because it can happen very easily and very fast. They needs to be able to run and play and lead a normal life without the fear on the part of the owner, that they could have a torn curciate ligament in their dog. Their life would be pretty boring if they never got to do the things that gave them such great joy. For dog health, all we can do is our part; feed them a healthy diet, provide supplements to support their bodies, provide them the exercise, mental stimulation, attention, and give them unconditional love!

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Some informational links:

Complementary, Alternative and Holistic Veterinary Medicine (information on alternative and holistic treatments)

Wound Wear (various braces for canine leg injuries)

 

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