CCL injuries

Dog CCL Injury Misdiagnosis: Lucy’s Hind Leg Lameness

Cranial cruciate ligament tears are one of the most common causes of hind leg lameness in dogs. How often does it become a default diagnosis? Experience bias is a dangerous thing. If what CCL injuries are what you see most often, it is what your brain goes to when you see a dog lame on their hind leg. Yet, it…

by Jana Rade

Talk To Me About Dog ACL/CCL Injuries: My Dog Ruptured Their Cruciate Ligament

Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) damage is one of the most common causes of hind leg lameness in dogs. If your dog suddenly starts limping on their hind leg, particularly a large breed dog, the chances are they suffered a CCL injury. The essential thing to note, that without treatment, your dog’s knee will only become worse over time, developing arthritis…

by Jana Rade

Tibial Tuberosity Advancement: My Two Cents on the TTA Repair

The tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) was one of the first modern surgical options to address cranial cruciate ligament tears in dogs. The TTA neutralizes the abnormal forces in the joint that result from a CCL rupture differently. Even though it also involves cutting a bone, it uses the strength of the patellar tendon to stabilize the knee. This technique underwent…

by Jana Rade

Regenerative Medicine and CCL Tears: My Two Cents on Regenerative Approach to Treating Cruciate Ligament Tears in Dogs

Are surgery or conservative management the only options for the treatment of CCL tears in dogs? Your dog has injured their cruciate ligament; now what? Invasive surgery is scary and conservative management can be daunting and has a questionable chance of success. Are there any other treatment possibilities? Could regenerative medicine work? Maybe. What is veterinary regenerative medicine? Regenerative medicine…

by Jana Rade

CCL Tears Conservative Management: My Two Cents on Non-Surgical Treatment of Cruciate Ligament Tears in Dogs

Is there a way to treat your dog’s torn cruciate ligament without surgery? The best treatment option for your dog’s CCL injury depends on several factors such as: size/weight age/activity level overall health/other medical conditions degree of damage I always give serious consideration to non-invasive options before making any treatment decision for my dog. Why put your dog through surgery…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of America, and an award-winning author in my spare time. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Endless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care into my own hands. I learned the hard way that simply seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to finally get a diagnosis for her initial issue. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to use 20 years of hard-earned experience to save others from the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way, as I did.

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