Bones, joints & movement
Cruciate Ligament Disease
Deciding on surgery, recovering well, and protecting the other leg after a cruciate (CCL) rupture.
6 stages · 27 guides from PetsLikeMine
Who can help near you
- Your vet1 kind
- Specialists2 kinds
- Therapists8 kinds
Listed by distance from you. Nobody pays to be listed.
Understanding cruciate disease
Stage 1 · 5 guides from PetsLikeMine
Has My Dog Done Its Cruciate? Signs and SymptomsA cruciate problem usually arrives one of two ways. Sometimes it's sudden: the dog jumps off the sofa or skids on the kitchen floor chasing a ball and comes up holding a…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Why It's Degeneration, Not an InjuryA sentence I hear over and over, usually said quietly, usually while the owner looks at the floor: "I shouldn't have thrown the ball." "He only jumped off the sofa."…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Partial Cruciate Tears: The Tricky Early StageLame, then fine, then lame again. That on-and-off pattern is what brings a lot of dogs into my consulting room with a partial cruciate tear, and it tends to come with a…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 5 guides in this stage
Surgery or conservative management?
Stage 2 · 4 guides from PetsLikeMine
Surgery or Not? How to Think About the Cruciate DecisionYour dog has done its cruciate, someone has said the word surgery, and there's almost certainly a number attached to all of it. So the question now is whether you're…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Conservative Management: When It's a Real Option (and When It Isn't)Surgery gets mentioned, and a quieter question tends to follow close behind: do we actually have to? Sometimes the operation costs more than a family can stretch to…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine What Cruciate Surgery Costs in the UK, and InsuranceMost pages about cruciate surgery dance around the money. I'd rather not. Someone has probably said a number out loud, you've got a quote in front of you, and what you…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 4 guides in this stage
Choosing the right procedure
Stage 3 · 6 guides from PetsLikeMine
TPLO vs TTA vs Lateral Suture: An Even-Handed ComparisonStart reading about cruciate surgery and you'll hit a wall of acronyms within five minutes. TPLO. TTA. Lateral suture, extracapsular, TightRope. One forum swears blind…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine TPLO Explained: What It Is and Who It's ForA TPLO is the operation most surgeons reach for when a dog tears its cruciate, and the acronym sounds a great deal more alarming than the procedure deserves. Once you…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine TTA and the Other OsteotomiesThe letters on your consent form say TTA, or MMP, or CBLO, and somewhere along the way the internet told you everyone does the TPLO. So a familiar worry arrives: a…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Recovery and rehabilitation
Stage 4 · 7 guides from PetsLikeMine
The 12-Week Recovery Roadmap After Cruciate SurgeryThe surgery takes one day. The recovery takes around twelve weeks, and it's the recovery, far more than the operation, that decides how well your dog ends up. So this…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine The First Two Weeks at Home After SurgeryThe shaved leg, the cone catching on the door frame, the wound that looks more dramatic than you'd braced for: that's what most dogs come home looking like, and most…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Strict Rest Without Losing Your MindThe hardest part of cruciate recovery usually isn't the operation. It's the weeks afterwards, when your dog feels brilliant, looks brilliant, and has absolutely no idea…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Protecting the other leg
Stage 5 · 3 guides from PetsLikeMine
Will the Other Leg Go Too? The Bilateral RiskOnce the first knee has been fixed and the limp has settled, a lot of owners arrive at the same quiet question: what about the other leg? Maybe a friend mentioned it…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Spotting Early Signs in the Other KneeOnce a dog has been through a cruciate on one side, most owners start watching the other leg. You've learned to read your dog's back end in a way you never used to: the…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Weight, Muscle and the Long GameTwo of the most powerful tools in orthopaedic medicine sit in your hands at home, and neither needs a prescription or a referral. By the point most owners reach this…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Living with arthritis afterwards
Stage 6 · 2 guides from PetsLikeMine
Cruciate Disease and Arthritis: The Lifelong PictureThere's a question that almost never gets asked in the consult room, because by the time the leg is working again the appointment is over and everyone's relieved. The…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Keeping a Post-Cruciate Dog Comfortable for LifeThe crate rest is over, the limp has gone, and the dog who couldn't put a foot to the floor is trotting around the kitchen again. Whether you chose surgery or managed…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Find care near you
Your cruciate ligament disease care team
These are the practitioners this condition can call for, from your everyday vet to specialists and therapists. Enter your postcode to see who's near you at each step.
- Your vet (primary care)
Orthopaedic specialist ·Referral hospital
Veterinary physiotherapist ·Hydrotherapist ·Hydrotherapy centre ·Rehabilitation centre ·Animal massage therapist ·Animal osteopath ·Animal chiropractor ·Veterinary acupuncturist
Understand the condition
Clinical background on vetcanon, the ConciergeVet reference library. Vetcanon is published by Concierge Vet LTD, which also operates PetCare Atlas.
Rehabilitation for cruciate ligament disease
Hands-on rehabilitation is a big part of recovery. Browse providers by area and see what qualifications to look for.
With PetsLikeMine
Read the whole journey on PetsLikeMine
Every cruciate ligament disease guide, in order, sits in its own space on PetsLikeMine, written by owners and vets who have been through it. We show the first few here and link to the rest.
Read every cruciate ligament disease guide