Cruciate ligament injury in older dog

Bailey (retriever) had his done a year ago this week - he was 10 at the time. For us it was an on-going issue, we'd rest it up and inevitably tear it some more and he'd be in pain again. I made the decision to just get the surgery done and out of the way rather than waste any more time resting, trying different pain relief etc etc - it was really a quality of life decision for us at the end of the day. He was/is otherwise fit and healthy, perfect bloods etc so the vet said he was fine to go ahead with it at 10. When they opened the knee up there was pieces of broken ligament inside too so definitely the right decision for our situation.

We didn't crate him but restricted him to one room at a time - I basically lived in the sitting room with him for 3 weeks lol. Recovery time is 12 weeks all going well. Like it's doable - stressful at the time but so worth it for us as he's not in pain from it tearing bit by bit and I don't have to worry about it blowing out on a walk(!)

Be mindful that it's never going to heal - you'll see an improvement like that as you rest and build up some scar tissue.. then they'll run/turn the wrong way/tweak it and will be in pain again until it settles. So you'll need to manage it to prevent destroying the joint. You can get braces so might be an option in your situation with her heart? Make sure you have pain relief too if you're not going for surgery - and proper pain relief not just supplements that may or may not be helping. They do adjust to their level of pain and hide it very well - so yes she could be tricking you. And I know what you mean about the couch lol - i had ours barricaded so he couldn't get up - first night he was standing like "here will you get this crap off the couch so i can jump up" - like he'd only had the surgery that afternoon!!! :pac:

Has she had an xray to see what the actual damage is OP?

If she has torn her cruciate, she wont be putting any weight on that leg

You have two options - surgery, or hope that by *RESTING* it she will build up enough scar tissue to help keep the knee in place and have some sort of recovery

Our not so young dog had the surgery. The recovery wasnt bad - just the first week of keeping him very restrained (we sectioned off a section of the family room) - after that it was very small walks for toilet and just to keep his head sane.

I would worry that by not having surgery, and if she is still playing with your other dog, that she is not going to let it recover, and might have issues later. My dog didnt have heart issues, so I didnt have to worry from that point of view. Worth getting a second opinion though? Or maybe talk some more to your vet?

Bailey never yelped with his - even a few hours after the operation when he walked out to the car. Hopefully it’s settled and she’s ok. With Bailey he didn’t show any signs of pain being examined normally but under sedation he lifted off the table in pain . I think with a bigger dog it’s more obvious when something is wrong.. smaller dogs I find people either don’t notice/dismiss them hopping as you see so many small dogs with hoppy legs. (Hoping for me would be a sign of pain)

I had a westie who had the same issue, was running and pulled up yelping. He was a bit younger when it happened then yours but imo you should get it done, they can live 14+ years. About 6 wks in a cage with possibility of hydro therapy which i didnt avail of but should have. My biggest issue and i have mentioned it on another similar thread, is that all of the pain relief and anti inflammatory meds i believe damaged his kidneys and a few years later it was the reason i had to put him to sleep.



For me its a no brainer, do it,

My Westie is 13 (14 in April). He had surgery for stomach issues just before Christmas.
I was worried about his age.
Recovery was a bit slow but no too long. He's been fine for weeks now. Back to his old self.
It just shows that they can get through surgery at that age, so 11 is not too old.
As regards her medical condition, obviously the vet is the best person to ask re surgery etc.
I wish you and your dog the best!

Ideally they should be taking her in and checking under sedation to be sure - it’s called the drawer test. Bailey also got a joint tap last year too and the vet knew by that the ligament was tearing bit by bit. I was very lucky that I just decided to go ahead with it - we just missed the restrictions kicking in with his checkups.

It’s daunting but don’t worry - you’ll all get through it. There’s plenty of people here who’ve been through it too (this was Baileys 4th surgery - 2 x ankles and 2 x knee) who can offer advise and support.

Please do, good luck, we are all rooting for ye ðŸ‘

My 13 year old Jack has this last year & I joined this Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninecruciatestories/?ref=share

Found it very helpful, we decided against the surgery as he has other health issues . He was never a huge walker anyway but is back doing little walks. We took steps in the house to make him comfortable & stop him from running all over the place & making it worse. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

My lad is 12 in July and he ruptured his cruciate ligament had the surgery and now they’re looking to take the plate back out.

He will use his leg when playing, walking on stones, scratching himself and on the beach he will take 2-4 steps then lift but he just will not use it after that 🀷*♀️ I don’t know what to do with him

I found the recovery time with ours fine - he was out on short walks at week 2. At one stage we had to increase from whatever was the standard for the week we were at because he was going mad playing with his footballs on the house lol :pac: I was uber uber careful with him though. From FB groups - the suture and tplo methods seem to have complications... but at the same time you see people doing crazy amounts of exercise/the dog is running around off lead days after surgery or they’re obese. My vet said he’s never had one fail yet (tta-rapid).

The first time you see them run afterwards is both terrifying and joyous lol!

bertiebomber wrote: »

Sad update on my Bernese mountain dog her lump is a non encapsulated neoplasm ( a melanoma). A very bad histology result she has 6 months if i am lucky have to examine her daily for mestastasis to her lymph node & /or lungs ( listen for coughing ) . Such a good dog too.

Ah really sorry to read that

bertiebomber wrote: »

Sad update on my Bernese mountain dog her lump is a non encapsulated neoplasm ( a melanoma). A very bad histology result she has 6 months if i am lucky have to examine her daily for mestastasis to her lymph node & /or lungs ( listen for coughing ) . Such a good dog too.

So sorry to hear that. Please spoil her for the rest of her life.

My lab x collie tore her cruciate 18 months ago, at age 13.5yrs. We went to specialist ortho vet and he advised conservative management given her age. She recovered really well, and to be honest didn't think she would still be with us now but she is, almost 15, walking, jumping on couch, upstairs, even manages to climb onto kitchen table via the chair when she wants to be really bold . I used to work in a vets and have seen many dogs come through cruciate surgery. For a website, at 11, I would assess other health issues and ask vets opinion. Post op recovery and conservative management are similar. I didn't even need to create my girl, just house confined for a few weeks before building up shirt walks. She's off pain killers now due to gastro issues but is actually flying without them. Not lame, stiff at times , but...15....She started another painkiller recently as an anti seizure medication so that should cover her for pain if there is any. Goodluck on 16th!