Canine Cruciate Ligament Disease

This is one of the most common orthopedic injuries that we see in veterinary medicine. In humans, this ligament is typically referred to as the "ACL" (or anterior cruciate ligament). In the veterinary world, it is called the "CCL" (or cranial cruciate ligament). Despite the terminology differences, the function of this ligament is much the same: to provide stability within the knee joint by providing a direct attachment between the femur (upper leg bone) and the tibia (lower leg bone). When a pet has sustained an injury to this ligament, the typical result is an unstable knee joint. Without prompt stabilization, the end result will be a severely osteoarthritic knee.

Tightrope®. This is one of the newest least invasive methods of stabilizing a pet's knee following an injury to the CCL. This procedure relies on a "Kevlar-like" biomaterial implant and bone-to-bone fixation, so there is no chance for implant loosening over time. The implant is known as Fibertape® and it is used extensively in the human surgical field. There are several other ways to surgically stabilize an impaired knee, but we have found this method to be far less invasive and the results have been consistently exceptional.