Dog Acl Injury – Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention

Injury in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the most common orthopedic concerns that dogs face today. Cruciate ligament dogs, also known as Cranial Cruciate Ligament, connect the femur bone with tibia, the bone below the knee. Typically, it stabilizes the knee joint in animals. All dogs can get ACL injury, though there are certain breeds that are more prone to such injury, including poodles, Labrador retrievers, bichon frises, golden retrievers, rottweilers, and German shepherds. Moreover, dogs that are overweight have conformational abnormalities, which are unfit and engage in irregular strenuous activities, and male varieties that have been neutered less than 5 months old have predispositions to ACL injury.

Causes

Torn ACL in dogs can be extremely painful and if left untreated, it can cause lameness in affected rear leg and eventually lead to chronic irreversible degenerative joint changes. It is also a major cause of progressive osteoarthritis in dogs. Delightfully, there is high success rate with dog ACL surgery and the treated dogs can resume their regular activities post rehabilitation. There are several causes for ACL injuries, though precise reasons are yet to be understood. Continuous biomechanical wear and tear of the ligament causes it to breakdown gradually, eventually leading to a point where it tears completely. Walking, jumping and running can cause wear and tear of the ACL. On the other hand, strenuous repetitive activities, obesity, and traumatic injuries can also cause the ligament to wear off.

Cruciate ligament dogs can also deteriorate slowly over time, typically caused by genetic abnormalities that lead to poor neuromuscular coordination or muscle tone. Obesity is another factor that causes chronic damage to the ligament due to additional weight put on the joints. Often a dog will stumble during a physical activity and when they get up, they have ruptured their ACL. Though accurate reasons behind torn ACL in dogs often remain unknown, it is important that the symptoms are examined correctly, and likewise, necessary actions have to be taken immediately – whether to go for a surgery or not.

Symptoms

Symptoms of ACL injury often show up gradually and the affected dog becomes lamer as the ligament deteriorates further. Other times, there are no advanced warning symptoms where there is a tear or rupture of the ligament. Symptoms of torn ACL includes –

• Weakness or lameness in one of both hind legs
• Sitting in an odd angle with the hind leg slanted off to one side in an unusual way
• Reluctance to use one or both the hind legs
• Difficulty or stiffness to get up in the morning
• Limping that worsens with physical activities and improves with rest
• Muscle atrophy
• Swelling and inflammation around the knee joint
• Abnormal sitting or walking posture, particularly over hip and back areas

Prevention

Dog ACL surgery isn’t the best thing that you would want for your loving pet. Therefore, it is important to take some preventive measures to avoid ACL injury as much as possible. Keep your dog at high-quality appropriate diet and at optimal weight. Give it regular moderate exercise. At the same time, ensure that if it is inactive for a long period of time; don’t get it do sudden strenuous activity. Dogs with conformational abnormalities shouldn’t be bred and their activities should be monitored closely.

About The Author

Renee McAdams is a renowned veterinarian and a big time dog lover who has dedicated her life to the health and well-being of pets across the world. She likes to write various informative articles about medical procedures like dog ACL surgery and more to help people get acquainted with their various aspects.