Quote:
Originally Posted by 107barney  Sorry but conservative management can lead to arthritis. I would do the surgery for best quality of life. |
Not only does it lead to arthritis but immediate and severe arthritis. I would never put one of my pups through that.
OP, here is an articlewritten by the board certified surgeon I use. Hopefully it will help you in your decision making.
Yorkie Haven Rescue - Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tear Info
A quote from the article:
Treatment Strategy
Some veterinarians and pet enthusiasts recommend conservative treatment of CrCL tears for a period of time, but this is rarely successful and is not a good course of action to follow. Conservative treatment leaves the knee unstable for a long period of time allowing the onset of progression of osteoarthritis and meniscal tears. Osteoarthritis can progress very insidiously in the early stages, giving the impression that the dog is improving. This is because the lameness may appear to improve as the acute inflammation inside the knee joint subsides. However, as the arthritis progresses over the months and years to follow, lameness and stiffness ensue. Many pet owners have difficulty recognizing this and believe their dog has recovered. An orthopedic specialist can alert owners to the decreased function and pain the dog is actually experiencing. Dogs are very clever at modifying their posture, gait and activity level to lessen the pain and functional deficit they are experiencing. These clinical signs become more obvious when arthritis becomes severe. Unfortunately, surgical treatment of the CrCL may be less successful at this time due to the presence of irreversible arthritis and fibrosis of the joint. The best recommendation is surgical stabilization of the joint as soon as possible. It has been shown that early treatment of partial tears leads to preservation of the CrCL, minimal to no arthritis and a very low chance of future meniscal tears.