Young Rottie with torn cruciate ligament

by Martha
(St. Louis, MO)

Hi,
I'm so happy to have this site to turn to! It seems as though my Rottie girl, Zoe, has partially torn one of her cruciate ligaments in a back leg. I'm waiting to hear back from the orthopedic vet at my dog's office for a final diagnosis. I'm heartbroken that this has happened, she's so young (she'll be 2 in August).

The vet said she'll probably need a "tibial plateau leveling osteotomy" (TPLO), and is sounds like recovery from this is rough and lengthy. I went to another office for a second opinion (I have an appointment to go with my dog to see their ortho vet, and it sounds like he has quite a bit of surgical experience); from their website it sounds like this vet usually prefers doing a "tibial tuberosity advancement" (TTA), and this procedure supposedly is a bit easier and has a quicker recovery time.

My questions are, do any of you readers have experience with this? How old was your dog when it happened, did you opt for surgery, and what was the recovery like? Did your dog eventually tear the 2nd side?

I have learned that it's common for dogs with one torn ligament to tear the other eventually, so I looked into dog insurance and only found one company (Pet's Best) that says they'll consider paying for the 2nd side if it happens, but they also don't pay for "hereditary and congenital" problems, and I'd hate to pay them for a few years only to have them say she had "congenitally weak" knees or something like that. Has anyone purchased insurance and had cruciate surgery covered?

I will appreciate any information anyone can provide ~ Thanks!






Hi Martha
I'm so sorry too to hear that this has happened to Zoe, but unfortunately it IS reasonably common in Rottweilers. Just stepping awkwardly can sometimes be enough to do it.

It sounds as though you're looking into things very thoroughly and are obviously keeping on top of your options which is excellent. I'm sure that you will get good advice from the orthopedic specialist and several opinions always helps.

I'm afraid I don't have personal experience of dealing with this, although I do know that surgical options are usually effective... albeit expensive! I also am not sure whether this is a hereditary condition as elbow and hip dysplasia is most commonly passed down genetically... cruciate ligament weakness.. I'm not at all sure, sorry to have to say that, but I don't want to venture a 'guess'.

You may want to check with the breeder that you originally bought Zoe from though. They usually know their dogs extremely well and if there is any weaknesses in that respect, a responsible breeder would give you that info. Also, if they have many dogs they may well have had to deal with this anyway, hereditary or not, and could offer advice or help.

Other than that, with the size of the Rottie community we have here there may well be some visitors who have had personal experience with this and who will be able to give you some more advice. It is now open to them.....

If you have time it would be helpful to all of us if you could keep us updated with her progress and your experiences. I wish you both the very best of luck, and hope Zoe is on the mend soon.