• 03 9439 0777
  • 164 Main Road, Lower Plenty VIC 3093
  • Mon – Fri (8am–6pm) - Sat (9am–1pm) - Sun & Pub. Hols. (Closed)
banner

Dog ACL Injury

My dog has suddenly become lame – is it a Torn ACL ?

 

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) or Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) is an important support ligament to provide stability to the knee joint. It runs from the back of the femur (the bone above the knee) to the front of tibia (the bone below the knee). It prevents the forward movement of the tibia when a dog places weight on the leg. When this ligament is torn, it causes instability in the knee joint manifested by marked pain, lameness and cartilage destruction. If early return to function is not achieved, the patient can develop arthritis later on in life.

Dog ACL injuries

can be caused by multiple factors including breed, age, activity level, and obesity.

 

Surgical options

There are a number of surgical options such as:

  • Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO),
  • Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA),
  • Tight Rope etc.

 

Most of these procedures are done by veterinary specialist surgeons at a very high cost.

 

At Lower Plenty Veterinary Clinic, we commonly use either Modified Maquet Procedure (MMP) or extracapsular techniques. The MMP technique is well researched and has been developed to provide a rapid return to function with very low complications during the rehabilitation period. This technique is a modification of TTA procedure performed by specialist veterinary surgeons. We offer this procedure at a competitive price of $1900 – $2100.

 

Here are some important links that you’ll find handy:

 


 Orthopaedic Case Study: Leo

Leo is a 12 year old (11 Kgs) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

 

Leo slipped from the stairs at home and tore his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in the right back leg. At Lower Plenty Veterinary Clinic, we performed the MMP (Madified Maquet Procedure) surgery on Leo’s leg. After the surgery, Leo started using the leg almost immediately. The video below is of Leo walking at just 3 days post surgery.

 

MMP has successfully shown to produce similar results to TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy). However, due to the cost, complexity and limited availability to perform these procedures, many dogs are denied their potential benefits. At LPVC, the MMP is performed at a very nominal cost of $1900 – $2100, regardless of the size of the dog to make it more affordable to clients and give patients potential benefit to their ACL injury.

 

https://www.facebook.com/LowerPlentyVet/videos/628674927593150/
Call us on (03) 9439 0777 for more information and to make an appointment.

 

For more information or to make a booking, call us on (03) 9439 0777.