Cranial cruciate ligament

Hind Limb Lameness, Pain and Arthritis

Cruciate ligaments (CCLs) is the most common soft tissue injury in dogs.

Torn Cruciate Ligaments in Dogs

“Cranial cruciate ligament tears are very common in dogs. Learn how these injuries happen, and what you can do to try to prevent them.” [3]

“A CrCL injury in a young, healthy dog is typically an athletic injury. In older dogs, it is usually an injury of chronic wear and tear. This explains why it’s so common for a dog who has damaged the CrCL on one side to then tear it on the other side. When you take one back leg out of commission, the work load shifts to the other, increasing the strain on the ligaments of the “good” leg.” [3]

“Dogs who've been spayed/neutered have more CCL damage than intact animals, which makes sense since sex hormones appear to have a protective effect on the musculoskeletal system.”

“canine patients could be mineral-deficient, specifically lacking dietary manganese, which as it turns out is the root cause of many human ACL injuries. “ “Manganese is necessary for healthy ligament development and maintenance. A dog's manganese requirements are high. Food sources vary on the amount of manganese present.” Home prepared foods will generally be low on manganese without supplementation.

“Dogs who have had substantial CCL injury should be on progressive joint supportive protocols for the rest of their lives to slow degenerative joint disease in the injured knee and improve ligament resiliency in the other knee.”

“Instituting chondroprotective agents (CPAs) as soon as possible helps reduce further damage to joints. For genetically predisposed breeds this means beginning CPAs proactively, at six to 12 months. The most commonly used CPAs are perna mussel (green-lipped clam), eggshell membrane, glucosamine sulfate, MSM and cetyl myristoleate.” [1]

“Dogs who have had substantial CCL injury should be on progressive joint supportive protocols for the rest of their lives to slow degenerative joint disease in the injured knee and improve ligament resiliency in the other knee.” [2]

“In addition, I incorporate many natural anti-inflammatories for long term management, including boswellia, devil's claw, feverfew, proteolytic enzymes, SAMe, scutellaria, serrapeptase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), turmeric and ginger, and willow bark (dogs only — not for cats).” “There are some excellent homeopathic remedies and Chinese herbs that can be beneficial as well, but these natural treatments should be given in addition to CPAs, not in place of them.” [2]

Pain Relief & Joint Support

Dogs are commonly given a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis. Dogs treated with curcumin at a dose of 4 mg per kilogram twice a day showed that curcumin essentially mimicked the anti-inflammatory and immune response activity of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in the study.

Studies “suggest that any time one of our dogs is diagnosed with a soft tissue injury such as a sprain or strain, or with arthritis, we should consider curcumin as an adjunctive therapy.” (Soft tissue; muscle, tendon, ligament)

“• May cause an upset stomach, flatulence and yellowing of the stool, so use caution if your dog suffers from a gastrointestinal disorder or nausea due to chemotherapy.
• Curcumin may also increase the risk of bleeding when given in combination with some medications such as NSAIDs, blood thinners and antiplatelet drugs or when given with certain foods such as botanicals, Gingko biloba, garlic and saw palmetto.
• If your dog is on chemotherapy, curcumin can decrease the effectiveness of certain chemotherapy drugs
• It is poorly absorbed across the GI tract and it is rapidly cleared from the blood. To overcome these hurdles, we advise giving your dog a high quality curcumin supplement in conjunction with a fatty food such as olive oil or fish oil, which can increase its absorption.”

https://www.hemopet.org/curcumin-turmeric-health-dog/

[3] https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/torn-cruciate-ligaments-in-dogs/

[2] A Very Common Trigger of Hind Limb Lameness, Pain and Arthritis

[1] What's Behind the Epidemic of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease?

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