Summary
Objectives: To survey the current management of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in small dogs
(<15 kg) by veterinarians.
Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to veterinarians attending the British Veterinary
Orthopaedic Association Spring meeting and British Small Animal Veterinary Association
Annual Congress which took place in April 2010. Respondents were surveyed on their
management of small dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture
Results: Immediate surgical management was chosen by 15.5% of the respondents. Following that,
77.6% of respondents suggested that case management would depend on severity of lameness
(81%), age (72.6%), bodyweight (70.4%), degree of instability (64.8%), and duration
of lameness (64.0%). Conservative management included non- steroidal antiinflammatory
drugs (91.1%), short leash walks (91.1%), weight loss (89.0%), hydrotherapy (53.6%),
physiotherapy (41.9%), and cage rest (24.2%). Where surgical management was chosen,
71.4% would perform the procedure rather than refer it to another practice. Surgical
techniques included extra-capsular stabilisation (63.4%), corrective osteotomies (32.9%),
and intra-articular stabilisation (6.8%). The demographic characteristics of the responding
veterinarians had no effect on their initial management of the case. General practice
veterinarians were less likely to perform a corrective osteotomy than to refer the
case, but were no less likely to perform an extracapsular technique.
Clinical significance: Conservative management is still widely used for treatment of cranial cruciate ligament
rupture in dogs weighing less than 15 kg; this is in agreement with previous publications
on the management of this condition in small dogs.
Keywords
Cranial cruciate ligament - conservative - management - dogs
