Cruciate Disease
The femur, tibia and patella form a dog's knee joint. The bones are joined by connective bands of fibrous tissue called ligaments. Two sections of ligaments crisscross the femur and tibia. These are called the cruciate ligaments. Cruciate ligament injuries are the most common knee injuries.

The cruciate ligaments keep the femur and tibia from rubbing against each other. The rear ligament is called the posterior cruciate ligament, and the front ligament is the anterior cruciate ligament. The cruciate ligaments are likely to rupture during twisting motions. If the knee is overextended, the ligaments will tear away from the bones, allowing the femur and tibia to rub against each other.

Dogs most at risk for cruciate ligament injuries are those who are extremely active. Larger breeds, particularly labradors, rottweilers and St. Bernards, are also at risk. Obese dogs of any size have an increased incidence of ruptured cruciate ligaments. The excess weight puts more pressure on the ligaments, wearing them thin over time. Cruciate ligament injuries in obese dogs are more likely to happen gradually instead of through physical activity or injury.

In a sudden injury, signs of pain will be seen immediately, often the dog will become none weight bearing. The knee joint will often appear swollen and might be warm to the touch. For dogs with progressive degeneration of the cruciate ligaments, there will often be intermittent lameness and the leg will be favoured.

The vet will diagnose cruciate disease by manipulating the joint, trying to achieve a cranial draw. This may need to be done under general anaesthetic and X-rays will be taken to determine the extent of the injury and to check for arthritis, which is often present in long-term injuries. Following the diagnosis the decision will be taken whether to treat the dog conservatively or surgically. Surgery will be implicated in most cases especially larger breeds. There are three techniques that are commonly used for realigning the tibia to reduce mechanical stress - over-the-top fascial graft technique, lateral fabellar inbrication suture, and tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO). A significant number of dogs will develop osteoarthritis at some point as a result of their knee injuries, regardless of how the cruciate ligament injury is treated

 

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