Cruciate Ligament tear!

[Paul Schumacher]

Our 8 mo. old Zoe had a little too much fun playing with other dogs at the park today.  She wiped out hard and came up limping.  Just got back from vet, who is 80% sure she has a partial tear in cruciate ligament.  For now, she is on anti-inflammatory medicine and rest (no running, no stairs, no off-leash) until we reevaluate in 2 weeks. 

Has anyone dealt with this in their doodles?  Specifically puppies?  We are hoping to avoid surgery, and at her age, surgery isn't an option yet anyway.  She isn't finished growing.  Hope to hear some who have encountered this and had successful recovery without surgery.

Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm very sorry to hear this. Hoping for a good outcome. :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Me too.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Sending healing vibes.

[Becka]

Poor Zoe! I hope she heals soon and doesn't need surgery.

[Maryellen and Curly Lambeau]

We had a partial cruciate tear on a 3 year old wheaten. We had great results with water therapy, laser light therapy, and another therapy which I can't remember the official name but, they basically injected sugar water into her knee which irritated her joint and then the cruciate repaired itself. She was on crate rest for about 8 weeks. We never needed surgery! The cost of all this was similar to the surgery. Hope this helps, so sorry for Zoe and her family!

[Willow and J]

Willow was also diagnosed partial CCL tear a couple of times, once she was a puppy (less than a year old, got healed after several weeks) and last year (about 3 years old). Last year, we consulted with a specialist (surgeon), was shocked how invasive the procedure is, and decided not to do a surgery. But we were torn: our regular vet didn't want to do a surgery unless it's a complete tear, but the surgeon we spoke to didn't suggest not doing a surgery as an option. We wanted to try and see if a 2 month rest would do a trick, since post-op recovery time is also a couple of month. Willow was healed after several weeks, was was hurt once again, so it took about 5-6 months until she got back 100%. We gave her SAM-e and glucosamine (our vet said okay), but mostly resting and taking time did the healing. We moved to a house with a bigger yard since then and Willow gets twice as much running and walking, and luckily, she's fine. 

I think many would choose to do a surgery, and I am not sure how "usual" Willow's case is, but I just wanted to share our experience. Hope Zoe recovers quickly and can avoid surgery.

[Camilla and Darwin]

No advice but I'm thinking of you and Zoe - that is a tough thing to go through and I'm hoping for a speedy recovery!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

We had a standard poodle who had a partial cruciate tear.  We took him to a specialist and he said absolutely no surgery unless he no longer put weight on the leg (and was holding it up). He said at some point he might need surgery, but he would not do it at that time.  As it turned out, our poodle never had surgery, and passed away 4 years later from an autoimmune disorder.  I hope Zoe will heal and not need the surgery.  Good luck.

[Maryellen and Curly Lambeau]

The other therapy my wheaten had for the partial tear was prolo therapy

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

Aww, poor Zoe! I hope she heals quickly and can avoid surgery in the future. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Our Springer had total tears in both CCLs about 2 years apart. He couldn't put any weight on the leg.  He had surgical repairs.

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

At 2 years old, Skadi started limping and the folks we were boarding her with at the time told us she would most likely need surgery.  We took her to our vet when we got home and the vet told us she just had arthritis...nothing we could do for her.  The second vet took x-rays and said she may have some hip dysplasia and her stifle looked abnormal.   The third vet said her cruciate was torn and she should rest for 8 weeks.  Finally, after all this, and resting her without results, we took her to a 4th vet who said she definitely needed cruciate ligament repair. Dr. Gumbs from Ann Arbor came up to our vets office and did the surgery.  Today, Skadi is doing very well...granted she has arthritis, but not limping...can run and play with the best of them.  However, once one ligament is torn, chances increase for the other stifle to have problems due to the weight the dog bears on the unaffected leg.  In fact, this picture of her was taken in September and she had surgery that January.  She will be 4 this July and so far no further problems.