08/08/2025
I know this something I see a lot of clients with and a lot who fear it happening to their dogs so here’s a bit more info about it 😊
One of the most common injuries for active dogs to sustain
ACL Injuries In Dogs
"Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common orthopedic injuries veterinarians see in dogs. The ligament is also known as the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) in animals. It connects the bone above the knee (the femur) with the bone below the knee (the tibia). Essentially, the ACL stabilizes the knee (or stifle) joint.
It does not matter the size, breed, s*x or age of the dog, all dogs can get an ACL injury. That said, studies have shows certain breeds are more prone to ACL injuries.
These include:
-Labrador Retrievers,
-Poodles, Golden Retrievers,
-Bichon Frises, -German Shepherd Dogs, and -Rottweilers. [ Huskies and Malamutes are also notoriously bad for ACL injuries!]
Symptoms
Often symptoms of ACL injuries are gradual and a dog will slowly become more lame as the ligament becomes more damaged. Other times, when there is a rupture or tear, there is no advanced warning signs. Nearly all dogs with tearing or damage to their cruciate ligament will have swelling that is felt on the front part of their knee.
Symptoms may include:
-Lameness or weakness in one or both hind legs,
-Limping or reluctance to use one or both hind legs,
-Limping worsens with exercise and improves with rest,
-Abnormal posture, especially over the back and hip areas,
-Reluctance to get up, jump, run or go up and down stairs,
-Stiffness and difficulty getting up in morning,
-Sitting at an odd angle, with a hind leg slanted unusually off to one side,
-Swelling around the knee joint, and,
-Muscle atrophy in the affected limb.
Causes For ACL Damage
ACL injuries can be caused by many factors, although the exact reasons as to why it is so common in dogs is not completely understood.
Continual biomechanical wear and tear eventually causes the ACL to break down until it reaches a point that the ligament tears completely. Simple activities such as walking, running and jumping, all cause wear and tear.
Obesity, traumatic injuries or strenuous or repetitive activities can also cause the ACL to deteriorate. Obesity also contributes to chronic ligament damage because of the extra weight placed on the joints.
ACL injuries in dogs do not always occur during athletic activities.
Some dogs will be making a simple movement like jumping off a couch or going down a stair when their ACL will tear or rupture.
Most acute (sudden) ACL injuries in dogs occur during strenuous or exuberant activities, such as playing, chasing, roughhousing, running, hunting, jumping or engaging in other "doggie" fun.
Sometimes a dog will simply stumble and when they get up they will have ruptured their ACL. Other times ACL injuries will develop slowly over time. This can be caused by genetic abnormalities that cause poor muscle tone or poor neuromuscular coordination.
Other predispositions to
ACL injury include:
-Dogs who are overweight unfit dogs who engage in sudden strenuous, irregular activity (e.g. weekend warriors),
- dogs neutered under five months of age,
-Dogs with conformational abnormalities (e.g. lacking muscle tone and proper muscular skeletal development in their rear legs).
Approximately 30-40% of dogs who get one cranial cruciate ligament rupture will likely rupture the ligament in the opposite leg within two years of the first rupture. An ACL injury is extremely painful and affected dogs experience pain while simply walking. A tear or rupture leads to joint swelling, pain and instability in the knee joint. If left untreated it will cause lameness in the affected rear leg and, ultimately, chronic irreversible degenerative joint changes.
Damage to the ACL is a major cause of progressive osteoarthritis in the knee joint of dogs. The good news is that there is a high success rate with surgeries performed to repair ACL injuries and that dogs who receive surgical treatment can resume regular activities after rehabilitation.
Prevention
There is no guaranteed way to prevent ACL injuries in dogs. Keeping your dog healthy and in good physical condition is the best prevention, but by no means guarantees your dog will avoid tearing their ACL. Well-conditioned dogs are better able to avoid injuries, because their joints and bones are protected from outside stressors by strong surrounding musculature.
General rules of thumb are:
*Keep dogs on high-quality diets at optimal weight.
*Give dogs regular, moderate exercise.
*Dogs with conformational abnormalities in their rear legs may predispose them to ACL injuries. These dogs should not be bred and their activities monitored.
*If a dog is inactive for a period of time, avoid suddenly getting dog to do sudden strenuous activity. (e.g. if they dog has been a couch potato all winter, avoid suddenly going out for a 2 hour play time at the beach in the summer). Instead, gradually work up /train your dog to have the endurance and muscles so they can enjoy more vigorous activities.
Treatment Options
Canine ACL tears are debilitating to a dog. Oftentimes, full tears to a dog's ACL will require surgical repair to avoid severe, progressive osteoarthritis. Surgical repairs to ACL tears have a high success rate (usually around 95% for all the procedures), but as with all surgical procedures there is always risks involved.
For partial tears, non-surgical treatment may be the better, less invasive option, with surgery as a back-up if the injury does not heal properly. There are several cruciate surgical techniques used to treat ACL injuries in dogs. However, there is no clear research that points to one technique having better success and outcome than another.
Some surgeries are more complicated than others and therefore risks of complications may be higher and the surgery more costly. Some techniques may be better at preventing osteoporisis (arthritis) and others better suited for certain-sized dogs and to individual cases.
Your veterinarian will recommend treatment for your dog based on his/her size and age and the severity of the injury. It is important to discuss with your veterinarian what is the most suitable treatment options with your veterinarian.
Read in more depth about ACL treatment here:
http://www.caninearthritisandjoint.com/acl-injuries-in-dogs.html
