By far the most common reason for a dog to have knee surgery is damage to the pet's cruciate ligament. This most often manifests itself with the dog showing lameness in a rear leg. The leg will appear to heal within a few weeks, but the knee will remain swollen and will become arthritic. Surgery is necessary to repair what is most likely a ruptured cruciate ligament.
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Diagnosis
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A test called "the Drawer Sign" is most commonly used to test for a ruptured cruciate ligament. If the tibia of the dog's leg moves forward, like a drawer being opened, the dog has a ruptured cruciate ligament.
Cause
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A ruptured cruciate ligament can occur for many reasons. They often happen in young athletic dogs and in older, overweight dogs. Certain breeds are also predisposed to this problem. It is especially a problem among larger dogs.
Types
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There are three types of surgery used to repair the cruciate ligament in the dog's knee. These are the extracapsular repair, tibial plateau leveling osteotomy and tibial tuberosity advancement.
Recovery
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No matter which type of surgery your dog has, he will likely not put his leg to the ground for several weeks following the surgery. He will also require some weeks of exercise restriction. Within six months, most dogs are healed and can return to normal activity.
Rehabilitation
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Depending on what type of surgery your dog has, rehabilitation will be necessary. This includes ice pack treatments, specific range of motion exercises and water treadmill exercises.
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