Bilateral cruciate tears; non-surgical

[K9Rehab]

Hi everyone,
Looking for advice on bracing options specifically for bilateral full cruciate tears on a 12 year old healthy but sedentary husky. First tear was in December and owner was fantastic with conservative rehab and the dog did quite well and was able to return to his relatively sedentary lifestyle. Sadly tore the other side just this weekend just with a small slip in the house - degenerative changes stifles and hips on rads otherwise he's happy and healthy. Owner just wants him to be comfortable walking around the block. Dog can't get up on his own currently but owner reports will limp for a few steps once up. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[lehughes]

Tough one! Have you put your hands on the dog yet? What is your assessment of the meniscus? Of course that's the biggest deciding factor regarding success conservatively.

Beyond that, well, with braces on, dogs have some difficulty getting up with just one. They're rigid so as to protect the joint, but that's not quite handy for allowing full flexion ROM for getting up.
Which means, maybe you try without for a bit to see if you can get some functionality in that leg. OR maybe you just brace THAT leg if the other one is pretty good.

And, then strengthen, strengthen, strengthen!

Best of luck. Keep us posted!

Laurie

[K9Rehab]

Thanks Laurie... and to clarify I'm not pushing for braces, the owner really is (a close friend of his had a very positive experience with bracing his dog). We've started back to square one with strengthening exercises and the dog is already showing signs of improvement in his mobility so I'm hoping we avoid the bracing issue all together. He's a stubborn yet pleasant husky and I feel that, like you said, getting the braces even on might be a struggle. Will see how he does. There's definitely meniscal involvement in the first leg he tore, the more recent one seems okay.

[lehughes]

Ah, I see!
Okay... best of luck then.
I always feel like these are a race against time...
Like you have to prove what you suggested will work before the owner just finds someone who will do what they want (even if it's not the best idea)!
Fingers crossed!

Laurie