Articles with cruciate ligament injuries

Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligaments: Hanging by a Thread? Stabilizing Forces in the Canine Stifle

A [cranial] cruciate ligament (CCL/ACL) tear is the most common knee injury in dogs. Is the knee anatomy to blame? Is the fate of the knee literally hanging by a thread of the cruciate ligament? If you look at the anatomy of the bones, the knee joint does look like the most unstable conformation imaginable with the tip of the…

by Jana Rade

Cora-based Leveling Osteotomy: My Two Cents on CBLO Repair

If your dog injures their cruciate ligament, you have some serious homework to do. There are many treatment options out there, and the number continues to grow. You can explore everything from conservative management, holistic therapies, regenerative therapies, to surgical repairs. Surgical solutions themselves include eight different techniques I know of at the time I’m writing this. That tells you something–there…

by Jana Rade edited by Dr. Joanna Paul BSc BVSc

Evaluating PRP Treatment for Dogs: Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment (PRP) for Partial Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) Tears—Would I Do It Again?

So it’s been over a year and a half since Cookies PRP treatment for her partial cruciate ligament tear(s). Back then, we had a long, hard debate about what we should do. There was the TPLO surgery, which is the first thing most veterinarians recommend. While the traditional suture repair worked well for Jasmine, I didn’t believe it could withstand…

by Jana Rade

Simitri Stable in Stride: Islay’s Knee Injury and Repair

Islay’s mom, Judith Brown, shares their experience with Simitri Stable in Stride to repair a ruptured cruciate ligament. Islay is a 7-year-old Gordon Setter female, she is the fifth generation of my own breeding program. I have been breeding GordonSetters under the Sassenach Prefix for 35 years. Islay is an extremely active athletic dog, she’s my competition girl. I’ve not…

by Jana Rade

PRP for CCL Injuries: Cookie’s PRP Treatment for Partial Cruciate (CCL/ACL) Tear Update and Considering the Future

Can regenerative therapy treat canine partial cruciate injuries? When I have an option to chose between surgery or regenerative therapy, I am always willing to consider regenerative therapy first. Platelet-rich plasma treatment is what we decided to try to treat Cookie’s partial CCL tears. Our experience A long time has passed since Cookie’s treatment. It is time to review how…

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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