SURGERY
Article sponsored by Petcam ®
Cranial Cruciate Ligament
Injuries in Dogs
Where to go next?
By William Snell, DVM, DACVS
(Small Animal)
Canine cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease is the
most common cause of hindlimb lameness seen
in our canine patient population. 1. Rupture of the
ligament may occur as a traumatic avulsion, an acute
tear from excessive strain or more commonly as a
progressive degenerative disease resulting in partial
or complete ligament rupture. While any dog breed
can suffer from the condition, there are certain breeds
that appear to be predisposed. Patients may present
at any age, and both neutered and female patients
may be over-represented. 2, 3 Timing of neuter has not
been shown to correlate with this disease, and the
disease is thought to be multifactorial. We understand
certain genetic, developmental and environmental
factors play a role in the degenerative process,
including limb anatomic conformation, tibial plateau
angle, body condition and activity type, but all factors
have not yet been identified. Since the degenerative
form of the disease is thought to be progressive in
nature, patients may present at varying ages and
stages of ligament integrity. It has also been stated
that 30% to 40% of patients who tear one cruciate
ligament are predisposed to tearing the contralateral
limb within one or two years. 4
The cranial cruciate ligament is important to
neutralizing cranial tibial subluxation, internal rotation
and hyperextension of the stifle. The ligament itself
consists of two bands: craniomedial and caudolateral.
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Issue 03 | JULY 2018 | 6
Figure 1: Right Stifle, lateral view. The infrapatellar fat pad is
reduced as a result of joint effusion and or capsular thickening.
Mild osteophytes are seen on the distal femur, patella and tibial
condyles. All images courtesy of Dr. William Snell.