My buddy Buster (border collie, staffordshire bull terrier mix) was recently diagnosed with full CCL (cruciate ligament) tear in his right rear leg. Not candidate for surgery. Almost 9 YO with Cushings and diabetes. Currently he is on galliprant and gabapentin for inflamation and pain and a dasuquin joint supplement. Need to get him a knee brace. Vet reccomended a sleeve type brace to support the knee during healing which may take to 6-18 months but didn't have specific recommendation. Anyone else here been through this before? Recommendations on knee brace? Custom or "off the shelf"? Buster is limping badly and can barely move somedays.
Dog with Full CCL Tear
- Thread starter viking63
- Start date
Our dog blew out both back leg CCL’s. It took so long to get him in for TPLO surgery after the first one, he also then tore the other. He was just under three years at the time.
He is on the Dasequin for life and Carprofen. The surgeon didn’t recommend leaving him on Carprofen forever as it can damage something (kidneys I think) but our vet does bloodwork to monitor for that and keeps them on it both for pain and inflammation.
The TPLO surgery costs a ton but vet said if he does damage a ligament again, he will at least be able to walk as the surgery restructures the knee to be more like a human one.
Don’t have much experience with braces. He was in a kind of cool harness for about six months after surgery that also went around rear legs the really helped with getting him in and out of car. I only outweigh him by about 30 pounds.
I would recommend a good orthopedic dog bed. Our guy still has a bad callous on a hip from when it was easier for him to lie on that side. Would plop on floor a lot as hard to deal with our bed or couches, and his dog bed was hard for him to deal with at the time.
He is now strong as an ox a year later. Had to hold on for dear life when he saw a cat in our front yard.
I’m so sorry you are dealing with this. It is heartbreaking when they are hurting but still insist on keeping you safe from things like the neighborhood cats. Hope you can get some useful guidance
He is on the Dasequin for life and Carprofen. The surgeon didn’t recommend leaving him on Carprofen forever as it can damage something (kidneys I think) but our vet does bloodwork to monitor for that and keeps them on it both for pain and inflammation.
The TPLO surgery costs a ton but vet said if he does damage a ligament again, he will at least be able to walk as the surgery restructures the knee to be more like a human one.
Don’t have much experience with braces. He was in a kind of cool harness for about six months after surgery that also went around rear legs the really helped with getting him in and out of car. I only outweigh him by about 30 pounds.
I would recommend a good orthopedic dog bed. Our guy still has a bad callous on a hip from when it was easier for him to lie on that side. Would plop on floor a lot as hard to deal with our bed or couches, and his dog bed was hard for him to deal with at the time.
He is now strong as an ox a year later. Had to hold on for dear life when he saw a cat in our front yard.
I’m so sorry you are dealing with this. It is heartbreaking when they are hurting but still insist on keeping you safe from things like the neighborhood cats. Hope you can get some useful guidance
No experience with CCL, but we had arthroscopic surgery on our dog’s shoulders to clean out damaged cartilage in her shoulder joints. It was a 8 week recovery with very limited movement for the first month. They gave us the pieces they extracted and they were chunks of bone/cartilage that looked like teeth. Pretty wild. She was only 4 when we discovered this so we had the surgery because she has a lot of good years ahead. Her recovery went well and she’s probably healthier than as a puppy.
I also recommend an orthopedic bed. We got our girl a nice flat orthopedic bed that was easier to her to lay on than her normal bed and it made it easier for us to do her home PT (stretching the joints).
So sorry to hear about your dog. It’s so hard because even when they’re in pain they want to play and be your defender. It was heartbreaking for us to see our normally happy and wild lab be unable to move normally for months, but we were lucky that she was young and her recovery went really well.
I also recommend an orthopedic bed. We got our girl a nice flat orthopedic bed that was easier to her to lay on than her normal bed and it made it easier for us to do her home PT (stretching the joints).
So sorry to hear about your dog. It’s so hard because even when they’re in pain they want to play and be your defender. It was heartbreaking for us to see our normally happy and wild lab be unable to move normally for months, but we were lucky that she was young and her recovery went really well.
We had our then 6 yo Boxer Staffy go through the TPLO surgery and again on the other leg at 10. Very successful but $4000 a pop. I sympathize with what you’re going through and agree a 9 YO dog with health issues would not be a good candidate. I would reach out to a specialist in orthopedics for brace recommendations. Your vet should be able to recommend an orthopedic specialist.
When Beckett had surgery, we got a harness for his back half that allowed us to lift him and made it easier to help him get up and climb stairs. This is the brand of harness we got.
Large U-Band Harness
Best Suited For: Retrievers (Labs, Goldens), German Shepherds, Rotties, Irish Setters, Standard Poodles, Dalmatian, Huskies, Dobermans, Hounds, Sheep Dogs, Akitas, Airedale, Bloodhound Our harnesses have 9 different areas of adjustment – so each harness can be articulated to your dog’s specific...
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Had a lab/blue heeler mix tear up her knee around 9 years old too. She had a chest mass that made surgery a nonstarter. Never had a brace recommended but I'm not a knee ligament expert, so may not be apples to apples. She was able to adapt to one leg doing the majority of the work. Her days of jumping on beds were over, but she was able to get around comfortably until she passed away a year or so later. That pesky chest mass.
Brace seems like a good idea. How long ago was the injury? I assume it's not fully self healing, but are you seeing any improvement? Our girl had a limp to her until the end but right after it happened we were concerned we'd have to put her down. Like an amputee she figured out how to work with her limitations. Help in the ways you can, but nature bred some tools into Buster that will hopefully aid the process as well. Good luck!
Brace seems like a good idea. How long ago was the injury? I assume it's not fully self healing, but are you seeing any improvement? Our girl had a limp to her until the end but right after it happened we were concerned we'd have to put her down. Like an amputee she figured out how to work with her limitations. Help in the ways you can, but nature bred some tools into Buster that will hopefully aid the process as well. Good luck!
Thanks for your kind thoughts. Glad to hear your dog fully recovered. Dog's are so resilient and never complain but you can tell when they are in pain. It hurts my heart to see Buster in so much pain. We will conquer and move forward.
Appreciate your thoughts. Glad the surgery worked out for your pup.
Just ordered orthopedic bed for Buster. We have a couple of "basic" beds for him that he likes but think the additional support of ortho bed will be beneficial. Thanks.
Thanks for the recommendation on the harness. Buster has also lost his eyesight due to complications from the cushings/diabetes which led to cataracts. It is difficult to get him into the car to get him to the vet for his glucose checks. It seems the harness would be a great assist to get him in especially now the CCL tear.We had our then 6 yo Boxer Staffy go through the TPLO surgery and again on the other leg at 10. Very successful but $4000 a pop. I sympathize with what you’re going through and agree a 9 YO dog with health issues would not be a good candidate. I would reach out to a specialist in orthopedics for brace recommendations. Your vet should be able to recommend an orthopedic specialist.
When Beckett had surgery, we got a harness for his back half that allowed us to lift him and made it easier to help him get up and climb stairs. This is the brand of harness we got.
Large U-Band Harness
Best Suited For: Retrievers (Labs, Goldens), German Shepherds, Rotties, Irish Setters, Standard Poodles, Dalmatian, Huskies, Dobermans, Hounds, Sheep Dogs, Akitas, Airedale, Bloodhound Our harnesses have 9 different areas of adjustment – so each harness can be articulated to your dog’s specific...helpemup.com
Sorry for you loss. I am going to be a complete mess when it's Buster's time.
Buster has been limping for about 3 months now. Took him to vet at the start and they evaluated him to have soft tissue damage. Put him on galliprant and recommended dasuquin supplements. Limp persisted and we just recently took him back for another evaluation and they determined it was now a CCL tear.
Buster just keeps moving forward. This has slowed him down but he keeps on keeping on. Just sad to see him in so much pain. We got him his own heating pad for his bed which I think he likes and and we are doing in-home laser light therapy.
