Hello, my 7 year old Chocolate lab was just diagnosed with a partially ruptured knee. Right now, the vet put her on anti-inflammatory for 10 days and she is on restricted activity. She can put pressure on it but she still holds it up a lot. I was just wondering if anyone else had to deal with this, and if you had any tips. The vet said if it's not better in two weeks she wants to do an X-Ray to check it out further.
Hello there, and a very warm welcome to the forum The most common cause of hind leg lameness in Labradors is a ruptured cruciate ligament in the knee. Is that what you mean by a partially ruptured knee?
Hi, no advice here I'm afraid, just wanted to say welcome JulieT is the best person for advice on this subject
Welcome from me too. Julie has a load of expertise on cruciates/cruciate surgery. How are you managing the restricted exercise with your girl. Can't link on my phone but Julie has a lengthy and very informative thread on Charlie and his cruciate experience. Also links to how to keep your dog occupied whisk on rest. Hope she is ok. jac
Hi and welcome. As others have said Julie is best placed to advise on cruciates and restricted exercise and we've got quite a pool of knowledge on restricted exercise. Hope your girl improves with the medication and rest.
Just wanted to add another warm welcome, and sorry to hear about your girls poor knee, did this happen suddenly due to an injury?
Sorry to hear about your girl's knee. Cruciate lig injury is quite common in humans as well. It is more common with athletes and those that are physically active. I myself am having a tear in my right anterior cruciate ligament. The standard advice is to restrict physical activity (no jumping, running, climbing stairs etc., for a couple of months), and exercises to strengthen the muscles. I believe the same will apply to dogs as well. I hope she gets better soon.
Treatment of cruciate damage in dogs is very different from that of humans, and for most dogs the best treatment is surgery that changes the anatomy of the knee and makes the ligament redundant. No amount of rest, physio or drugs will heal a damaged cruciate ligament in a dog, although pain can be managed in these ways it would be for life if surgery for some reason is not an option. There is a good overview here: https://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/orthopaedic/cranial-cruciate-ligament-injury/
