Hi there,

You ask a great question. This topic is one that comes up often, as we see this injury so frequently.

Here is what you really need to know:

• First it is great that he is not over weight as that does compound the problem
• He would regain some or even all function of the leg initially without surgery as the body starts to lay down scar tissue to stabilize the joint. However long term these dogs do much worse because there is more motion in that joint than there should be, so they end up with fairly severe osteoarthritis in the joint.
• Dogs who have surgery often end up with a small amount of arthritis to, but it is not nearly to the degree as if the surgery is not done.
• Dogs who blow one CCL have a high probability of blowing the other one too...if his leg with the ruptured CCL is painful for quite some time as it tries to heal, it increases this risk as they bear an unusually high portion of their weight on their "good leg".
• Joint supplements should be given to this little guy for life...I like one called Synovi G3 (which is going to be discontinued soon, but is still available on line right now)
• Surgery will provide a chance to look at the meniscus too...sometimes these are torn with this injury and if so, they will not be pain free until the torn fragment is removed.
• I would not walk him until this joint is healed up....until the joint is stabilized, each time he goes for a walk is causing more inflammation and pain.

Because your dog is so young, I would highly recommend surgical repair so he ends up with less arthritis in this joint long term.

I hope this helps. Sometimes in little dogs (15 pounds or less) we will not do surgery as they can heal better because they do not have to bear much weight, but once you get up into the medium sized and larger breeds, they truly do better long term with surgery.

Best of luck to you!

(by the way....it pulled up my profile as a cat veterinarian as you posted your question in the cat expert section...however I work on dogs and cats and also have a dog expert profile...didn't want you concerned about my credentials!)

I am so sorry! I would make sure that an orthopedic surgeon handles his case and that they take all the necessary precautions to make anesthesia safe for him. We normally have a mobile orthopedic surgeon come into our clinic to do the surgery for our clients and we offer the very safest anesthetic options, so that we just have not had those types of concerns. You may be able to see if something like that is available in your area. If not, don't be afraid to ask to be referred to a board certified orthopedic surgeon...there is nothing wrong with that at all!

I wish you well...I know this is a hard decision to make.

I wonder when you say he is not in pain if the correct diagnosis has been made....he should be limping or panting or stiff in the morning when he gets up....if none of these are true...I wonder if he could really have an ruptured CCL....just a thought.