Articles with CCL injuries

Canine Bilateral Knee Surgery: Physical Therapy for Cooper. Do Dogs Enjoy Their PT?

Working with dogs over the past four years has certainly taught me about their ability to understand and retain words and phrases uttered by humans. Never has a particular dog, Cooper, shown me the depth of those perceptions than he did a few short weeks ago. Cooper’s story Cooper is a 4-year-old white-coated Golden Retriever who suffered cruciate ligament tears…

by Susan E. Davis PT

Dog Knee Injuries: Why The Second CCL Often Goes Too

Have you ever wondered about the impact of improper use of an injured limb on the rest of the body and how other areas are affected? Dog knee injuries are no exception. The canine knee or “stifle” is the most problematic joint in the dog. Source: The Dog Health Handbook The stifle is a complex joint starting with the rounded…

by Susan E. Davis PT

Dog CCL Injury Grading: Cruciate Tears “All or None, or Partial?”

Cruciate ligament tears are a topic of prime concern with any canine species-at-risk. In some cases, despite efforts to prevent tears, they still occur. Injury mechanism Unlike in a human knee, in dogs, the cruciate ligament tends to tear gradually. As humans are bipedal, upright walkers, the knee’s anterior cruciate ligament is situated horizontally in relation to the ground. This…

by Susan E. Davis PT

CCL/ACL Injury in a Rottweiler: How The Odyssey Started—Jasmine’s ACL Injury

Rottweilers, like other large-breed dogs, have increased predisposition to CCL/ACL injuries. Morpheus: What happened, happened and couldn’t have happened any other way.Neo: How do you know?Morpheus: We are still alive. The Matrix Reloaded Jasmine’s story When Jasmine started limping that summer, we didn’t think too much of it. It wasn’t the first time it happened. Jasmine had injured her hind…

by Jana Rade

CCL Injury in Golden Retriever: Knowledge Is Your Friend—Brittni’s ACL/CCL Injury

Some breeds are more susceptible to CCL injuries and Golden Retrievers are, sadly, one of them. Thank you, Lindsay Stordahl, for sharing Brittni’s story. Brittni’s story I had never heard about knee injuries in dogs until my golden retriever Brittni tore her ACL at age 5. Now I know that anterior cruciate ligament injuries are fairly common in all dog…

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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