ACL Surgery in Dogs vs. Nonsurgical Treatment

The anterior cruciate ligament is a band that connects the back of the femur to the front of the tibia and stabilizes the knee joint in the dog̵7;s leg. Large, active breeds are particularly prone to tears of the ACL. A dog with an ACL tear may exhibit limping, swelling and pain in the leg that's affected. Surgery is common for canine ACL injuries, though nonsurgical treatments are also available. Your veterinarian can inform you of advantages and disadvantages of surgery vs.nonsurgical treatment.

  1. Surgery for ACL

    • Surgery for ACL attempts to realign the ligament to give better support to the knee. Three different types of procedures are done to accomplish this goal, according to the CruciateGuide website. Extracapsular surgery uses sutures to secure the ligament into its original position. Tibial Plateau Leveling surgery saws into the bone to provide a more stable surface for the ligament placement. Tibial Tuberosity surgery is similar to this method, but completely cuts through the top of the tibial bone, changing its shape.

    Benefits of Surgery

    • Surgical treatment of ACL injuries in dogs is generally successful, with restoration of full use of the knee. The rehabilitation period may last up to 10 weeks. After this period, the recovered dog can resume normal exercise habits.

    Problems of Surgery

    • Any kind of surgery for your dog may include risks of blood loss, anesthesia problems or wound infection. In addition, the need to keep the dog restrained for two weeks to heal the surgical wound may be difficult for very active animals if they are not accustomed to being crated. Lack of activity can also lead to weight gain.

    Nonsurgical Treatment

    • For some dogs, ACL surgery is not recommended. These are dogs that may have other health problems that make the ACL surgery too risky. Such dogs can still be treated with more conservative approaches, such as water therapy and weight management to reduce the amount of the pressure on the knee. Dogs with minimal injury to the ligament and only intermittent lameness are the best candidates for this type of treatment, according to the Whole Dog Journal. An enriched diet, nutritional supplements and anti-inflammatory medications help to ensure weight management and pain relief, and help to prevent injury in the other leg. Resting the affected leg is also a part of nonsurgical treatment of this type of injury.

    Benefits of Nonsurgical Treatment

    • Nonsurgical treatment does not entail the usual risks of surgery, such as reactions to anesthesia, wound infection or problems with healing. Though exercise is limited, you do not have to keep the animal immobile while the surgical wound heals.

    Problems of Nonsurgical Treatment

    • Dogs undergoing nonsurgical treatment of ACL injuries may not get sufficient exercise and can put on weight. Weight increase adds stress on the injury. If nonsurgical methods do not remedy the problem, surgery may be necessary. Without surgery, an ACL injury may progress to further degenerative changes in the leg.