How to diagnose cruciate ligament injuries in dogs?

When you are in a dog park on a busy day, you will surely see a dog or two who has cruciate ligament injuries. Most of the time, it is the lameness of the hind leg where the dog cannot walk or run normally.

It is very difficult to diagnose cruciate ligament injuries in dogs without surgery and other in-depth tests because various medical conditions like arthritis, bone cancer, joint strain, muscle strain, or hip dysplasia have similar symptoms.

What are cruciate ligament injuries?

As the name suggests, Cruciate ligament injuries are ligament injuries in the hind leg. This cruciate disease is more commonly explained as the progressive damage to the cruciate ligament that will result in partial or complete knee failure. It is also one of the biggest causes of knee arthritis.

Early signs of cruciate ligament injuries?

The patient's history reveals that the dog was running or walking and suddenly stopped because of excruciating pain. Most of the time, there is no fall or accident. The dog starts crying because of the unbearable pain that starts out of nowhere. As a result, the dog cannot put pressure on one leg, and only the toe touches the ground while walking.

How to diagnose cruciate ligament injuries?

1. Preliminary checkup

A vet will perform a specific movement test called the anterior or cranial drawer sign. The dog will feel immense pain from this movement test; that's why events administer complete sedation to keep the free form pain. The movement will reveal whether there is an issue with the cruciate ligament.

2. X-ray

An X-ray is not the ultimate answer and usually doesn't reveal the nature and presence of this issue. To diagnose cruciate ligament injuries, vets need to perform more routines. But the x-ray will reveal the effusion around the joint. The presence of fluid around the joint is called effusion, which means there has been an injury in this part.

3. MRI and open surgical test

The most authentic method to diagnose cruciate ligament injuries in dogs is MRI and open surgery. Vets usually like to perform an MRI scan of the dog to get an accurate picture of the injury and the situation. The MRI reveals the status, and vets come to know about the actual damage.

If there are some complications, the final method and ultimate procedure is open surgery. This way, vets can see the damage and identify the problem with the ultimate diagnosis. Most pet owners try to go for the open surgery method when they want the repair of the cruciate ligament along with the test.

How can you prevent and treat hip dysplasia in dogs?

Hip dysplasia is not a lethal disease, but it can affect your dog’s quality of life and life expectancy. This disease is said to be genetic, but various environmental and dietary factors can increase the chances of this disease in almost all dog breeds.

Prevention is always better than cure, which goes well with this issue. The following information will help you to know “how to prevent and treat hip dysplasia in dogs?” and ensure the safety of your pet from this disease:

Ways to Prevent Hip Dysplasia

1. Since it is a hereditary disease, you can focus on screening the dogs with hip dysplasia and not use them for breeding. If you are not a breeder and want to have a pup, you must go for the breeders who focus on screening the parents and ruling out the candidates with different medical conditions.

2. Even if the pup doesn’t have the parents with hip dysplasia, excessive weight can increase the chances of this issue. When you allow your dog to gain unhealthy weight, the extra load on muscle will result in strain and sprains. This sprain will also affect the joint and socket, and your dog will suffer from this menace.

3. Malnutrition and an unhealthy diet are also causes of hip dysplasia in many dogs. You must add protein and vitamin B6 to your dog’s daily diet. Giving your dog such food will allow it to repair muscles and tissues and gain bone density to ward off the symptoms of hip dysplasia.

Treatment for Dog Hip Dysplasia

Technically there is no cure for 100% relief from this disease. But with the help of expert-recommended techniques and procedures, you can save your dog from excruciating agony. The most effective techniques for the treatment of hip dysplasia are:

Exercise

The most effective technique to ward off pain is exercise. You must follow the vet recommended routine and prevent providing strain to their hind legs. The exercise will decrease the speed of damage and will increase the recovery process.

Surgery

Your vet can guide you better about this technique, but the cost will be £1000 for each hip. The surgery is the last option when no other technique is giving results, and the pain has become unbearable for your pup.

Orthopedic Braces

It is the most common and most effective technique to manage the pain and stop the damage to the hip of your puppy. Dog of all ages gets great benefit from orthopedic braces. The key to success here is to go for a customized brace that is made according to the size and shape of your pup’s body.

If the braces are loose, there will be no benefit at all. The body will remain under strain to increase the damage. On the contrary tight braces result in hampered mobility and pain. Professional help is necessary for choosing the best size for great results. At Quincysdogs, we have a harness created for just this whioch will be able to help, known as the GenX harness

Can a dog's cruciate ligament heal without surgery?

If you ask if cruciate ligament healing without surgery is possible, yes. The surgical procedure is said to be the gold standard. Many pet owners do not want to go for surgery because of expensive bills and medications.

Following is the vet and expert-recommended list of procedures that help cruciate ligament healing without surgery:

Prolotherapy

The most productive way to cruciate ligament healing without surgery is Prolotherapy. The therapy involves injection administration to the affected area. The procedure consists of four injections with three weeks gap between each dose.

Many pet owners claim that the dog feels ease of pain and starts increasing mobility after two injections. This theory is used for senior and middle-aged dogs.

Knee braces

The main issue with the cruciate ligament injury is that the damage increases over time. When the dog tries to walk or move, the free-moving limb increases the strain and doesn't let the tear heal itself.

Knee braces are a perfect solution for this issue. With the help of braces, you can aid the dog in keeping the limb stable and allow more time and comfort for the ligament to heal without pain.

Swimming

This approach is the best option for overweight dogs regarding cruciate ligament healing without surgery. When your dog is obese or is struggling from being overweight, knee braces or Prolotherapy are not the only options. You need to add swimming with the Prolotherapy for better results.

According to experts, swimming alone results in cruciate ligament healing without surgery. Water removes the pressure of gravity and mass of the dog from the limb, and the movement allows the ligament to heal.

Dog Massage

The ligament and muscles get stiff and cause pain after a cruciate ligament injury. The use of massage therapy offers great results for humans in muscle and ligament injury. It also provides the same benefits to canines, and you can use it as one of the best approaches to cruciate ligament healing without surgery.

The massage increases the flexibility of muscles and allows the ligament to heal. More mobility without strain results in more comfort for the dog.

Hydrotherapy

It is not simple swimming where you take your dog to the pool and get them to play along. Hydrotherapy is performed by trained professionals who know what your dog needs in cruciate ligament healing without surgery.

The special center with all the facilities and gadgets to remove the strain from the ligament and increase healing is the best for middle-aged and senior dogs.

Cold laser therapy

Last but not least, laser therapy allows your dog to heal cruciate ligament without surgery. This therapy provides great results for puppies suffering from cruciate ligament injuries.

Cold laser therapy is also great for seniors and middle-aged dogs with arthritis, muscle sprain, or muscle damage. At Quincysdogs, we have a harness created to aid the dog from applying pressure on the injured leg known as the GenX harness . Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions at www.quincysdogs.co.uk.