November Hero!!

Meet Vinnie 6.5 year old Cattle Dog

Vinnie had surgery to repair his right cranial cruciate ligament in July, and recently had surgery to repair his left cranial cruciate ligament. These surgeries were both performed by Dr Darren Gibbins at Cooks Hill Veterinary Clinic.

- Did you know that in dogs with one cruciate problem, there is a 50-70% chance that the other knee will have the same problem within weeks to years of the first one!

The cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) is one of the main stabilizing structures of the knee joint in the hind limbs of dogs. It is a rope-like structure inside the joint that acts as a stabiliser of the knee, ensuring that the tibia and femur are properly aligned during all forms of activity.

Contributing factors of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease (CCLD) include degeneration (aging of the ligament), poor physical condition i.e. obesity, genetics, and breed. CCLD often results in the rupture of the CCL. Rupture of the CCL is one of the most common reasons for hind limb pain and lameness in dogs and can be experienced in different degrees of rupture.

Symptoms include limping, holding up the hind leg, pain when joint is touched or moved, swelling of the joint, stiffness, lack of activity.

Surgical intervention is often required when a dog experiences a CCL rupture (partial or complete).

Here at Cooks Hill Veterinary Clinic, Dr Darren Gibbins uses the Tightrope CCL technique to repair the CCL.