Vital Feed

A CCL injury in dogs is the most common reason for canine orthopedic surgeries. Dogs tear or rupture their CCL (cranial cruciate ligament), also called ACL, through running, jumping, and heavy impact. A CCL injury can also be due to a congenital knee condition called patellar luxation, which is more common in small dogs. No matter the cause, a torn...

Ten years have passed since WDJ explored “conservative management” – the nonsurgical treatment – of knee ligament injuries (see “Saying ‘No’ to Surgery,” February 2010). Since then, although surgery remains by far the most widely used knee injury treatment, consumer demand for complementary therapies, including the use of custom-designed knee braces, has grown.  Nearly all veterinarians have experience with canine...

Prolotherapy is used to increase tendon and ligament strength and relieve arthritis changes. In veterinary medicine, it can treat lameness and other conditions. Prolotherapy is a non-surgical treatment used to increase tendon and ligament strength and relieve arthritic changes. In humans, it is commonly used in Olympic sports medicine, as well as for the non-surgical treatment of rotator cuff injury,...

This non-invasive modality can successfully treat a range of orthopedic and soft tissue problems in animals. Though most commonly used for horses, shockwave therapy also has many applications in small animal practice.   Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that can speed the healing of many types of orthopedic and soft tissue injuries and conditions. It has been used in Europe...

Your next case coming to the practice is a small breed dog with a history of progressive pelvic limb lameness. The top differentials for this presentation are patellar luxation and cranial cruciate ligament disease. But what about the patient with concurrent patellar luxation and cranial cruciate ligament disease? How do we reach a diagnosis of this challenging combination of diseases...