Humans complain a lot about pain in their knees and joints, but what if I told you your dear pet could also be experiencing a similar condition? A dog's stifle which is the knee joint has four main ligaments, two are found on the outside and two are found on the inside. The ones on the outside are called collateral ligaments while the ones on the inside are called, the cruciate ligaments. These ligaments are responsible for attaching the femur to the tibia, thus preventing the tibia from moving forward in contrast to the femur, at the same time, it also helps with the prevention of rotation and over-extension.
When humans experience ligament rupture, it is often as a result of trauma, but in dogs, it is usually a degenerative condition, cases of the condition happening as a result of trauma are generally not common. There has not been a straightforward answer to show the reason behind the occurrence of this condition in dogs, the common knowledge is, that some breeds are usually more affected than others.
It is quite easy to tell that a dog may have ligament disease when it begins to limp on the bad leg this development of the condition can either happen gradually or suddenly, some dogs may show sign of stiffness right after getting a rest, or after an exercise.
In addition to limping, dog owners also notice stiff swelling, pain, and joint instability. Affected dogs are also seen to sit wonky or have an affected leg held out to a side.
A treatment option is osteotomy procedures, which involves the cutting of the shin bone to flatten the slope of the tibia, therefore removing the need for a cruciate ligament and preventing the movement of the femur, relative to the tibla. The bone cut is now further stabilized with metal implants which hold the bone in a new position while healing happens. After healing has happened, the implants remain except there is a problem that necessitates its removal.
Ligament substitutes can be substituted through the use of the patient's tissue, this technique is commonly used amongst humans. What is considered, over the top technique was commonly used for several years, but with evidence, the outcomes are unpredictable, with the substitute ligament undergoing degeneration, the strength of the substitute ligament is also weak when compared to the original, this technique has now fallen out of use amongst specialists.
The use of prosthetic ligaments has been known to be available for several years. In place of a ligament material nylon is used, secured through knotting or with a metallic crimp, but if the suture stretches or breaks over time, the patient can return to the pre-operative status during the early phase of recovery.
The rate of complication with TPLO as a form of surgery is very low, even when infection is detected, most times, the dog will respond to antibiotic therapy. Keeping a treated dog confined to a spot after surgery and remaining to the post-operative care plan provided by the surgeon helps to keep complications reduced to the bearest minimum, even if this does not eliminate all existing risks.
A non-surgical means of treatment is through exercise, weight control, rehabilitation, dietary supplements, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This method however produces an unpredictable outcome and that is why it is not commonly recommended in some clinics.
