Agility, Working, & Herding Dogs: Knee Surgery

Alternatives to Knee Surgery

How common is knee surgery?

Competing and working dogs damage their knees more often than any other joint. Surgeries to repair dog knees are so common that over a million dogs—at a cost of over 1.2 billion dollars—underwent knee surgery in 2003. Many of these dogs were engaged in working, herding or agility events.

Which breeds commonly have knee problems?

Some dog breeds are much more likely to need knee surgery than other breeds, perhaps because they have a genetic tendency to knee instability. Among these breeds are Newfoundlands, Labradors, and Rottweilers—all large dogs who may compound genetically unstable knees with the burden of being heavy.

Toy dogs also have knee problems, but frequently of a different type—toy dogs have knee caps (patellae) that slide out of place.

Any dog making quick turns, sudden stops, high jumps and repitive movements, such as weave poles, is prone to knee injury. This includes most competiting dogs, agility, herding, and working dogs.

Why is the knee fragile? How is it repaired?

It’s very easy for a dog to damage its knees because knees are internally stabilized with 2 ligaments that cross and form an X. These ligaments are called the anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL). Canine ACL repairs are so common that they are done 5 times more often in dogs than in humans, who are also prone to knee injuries. (Humans have the same unstable cruciate ligament inside their knees.) While ACL repairs are the most common knee surgery, other knee surgeries are done in dogs, including a surgery that changes the angle of a the top of the tibia leg bone. This is called a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO).

Is knee surgery cost effective?

Unfortunately, many of the dogs undergoing surgical repair for knee injuries do not improve. Insurance companies have been keeping statistics to evaluate the wisdom of paying for these repairs and find that only 20% of dogs improve within 6 months following any of the surgical knee repairs. Because of this low rate of improvement, some veterinarians and insurance companies have begun questioning the wisdom of performing knee surgeries, especially the TPLO. Insurance companies are focusing on the TPLO because this surgery increased the average cost of a dog’s annual vet visits nearly doubled in 4 years--from $300 in 2000 to $575 in 2004.

What can be done other than surgery to help the knee?
How can we help these dogs if we decide not to seek a surgical repair because surgery only has a 1:5 chance of causing improvement? Consider the following:

• Keep the dog lightweight rather than heavy
• Encourage swimming rather than running
• Decrease intensity of workouts
• Decrease twists and jumping
• Provide joint protecting medications (chondroprotectives)
• Provide MSM for pain control
• Provide ramps so your pet doesn’t jump into a vehicle or onto a bed or sofa

What can be done to prevent knee problems?

There are steps you can take to minimize the likelihood that knee problems will ever develop:

• Don’t overfeed a puppy
• Don’t ask a dog for maximum performance until it is fully grown or at least one year of age
• Don’t encourage a dog to jump higher than its elbows until it is an adult
• Put active dogs on chondroprotectives when they are young

Using chondroprotectives for knees

Chondroprotective (cartilage-protecting) supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin help keep knee joints healthy for several reasons. Chondroprotectives increase the moisture within cartilage so that the cartilage acts more like a mattress that provides cushioning as the bones come together. Chondroprotectives encourage the production of healthy joint fluid that lubricates and nourishes joint structures. Chondroprotectives stimulate cartilage production.

Which injectable chondroprotective is good?

Adequan (Rx) an injectable medication is the best. Many veterinarians find Adequan works well injected into the muscle or below the skin in the subcutaneous layer. Most dog owners can learn how inject their own pet so that if the veterinarian prescribes Adequan, they can administer the injections themselves. Injections are given once a week for a month, then once a month for a few months.

Which oral chondroprotectives are good?

Cosequin, 1-800-PetMeds Joint Flexor, or Glyco-Flex are excellent chondroprotectives and can be begun when dogs are young. Research shows that joint injury is less severe and return to function is faster if the animal was on a chondroprotective medication when an injury occurs.

If the joint is injured, switch to products with MSM, such as 1-800-PetMeds Super Joint Enhancer. MSM works like an herbal aspirin to control pain, but MSM doesn’t have any of the side effects of aspirin, such as stomach ulcers. Injured dogs can be supplement with Yucca Intensive to help prevent abnormal inflammation—heat, pain and swelling. Injured dogs can also be prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to control pain. Among the best are Rimadyl, Etogesic, Deramaxx, Metacam, Zubrin and Previcox. Although NSAIDs are effective at controlling pain, they have the potential to cause stomach ulcers, liver and kidney disease so they must be used with caution.

Where is there more information on medications for the knee?

To learn more about medications for the knee and how to help your pet have normal, pain-free joints, visit the section on glucosamine and chondroitin at www.pethealth101.com. If your dog already has arthritis, visit the Arthritis and Joint section at PetHealth101.

The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians   Date Category Topic 01/27/06  Pain/Inflammation  BITEING HIMSELF 12/26/05  Bone & Joint Care  HIND LEG PROBLEMS 11/21/05  Pain/Inflammation  DRUG INTERACTIONS 10/18/05  Bone & Joint Care  BACK LEGS & HIP PAIN 10/15/05  Pain/Inflammation  EUTHENAISIA 10/11/05  Pain/Inflammation  ACL

 

Enter question or keyword(s):              or search by pet type:  All Pet Types Dogs Cats Horses Other             TIPS: Search for answers by entering keywords, Use multiple keywords