By: Amy Rosenthal, My Pet’s Brace Practitioner
The Patient: Miss Winfrey, a 60 pound, 6-year-old Boxer who sustained a left CCL tear in 2017 and a right CCL tear in 2018.
Case of Interest: According to many published studies and research, if a dog injures one CCL there is a 50-60% chance of the dog rupturing the contralateral CCL. However, our own experiences do not mirror this percentage.
According to our patient reported outcomes survey in 2020, only 18% of dogs injure the opposite CCL after receiving their initial stifle brace.[1] Unfortunately, Miss Winfrey was one such dog in that minority.
Diagnostic History: Miss Winfrey slid across their kitchen floor and became three-legged lame. After her orthopedic evaluation, Miss Winfrey was diagnosed with a chronic CCL tear in her left stifle with a suspected meniscus tear.
Miss Winfrey presented to our clinic in early December 2017 favoring her left hind leg while standing and walking. We took a cast of her leg and fitted her with a left stifle brace. She wore her left stifle brace for 9 months during her waking hours.
The stifle brace is designed specifically for CCL injuries. An anterior strap is fitted to resist tibial thrust during extension. The resistance to the cranial movement of the tibia reduces the pressure that is put on the injured CCL and the scarification that is occurring. The brace is also designed with hard physical stops which do not allow hyperextension of the stifle, further reducing the strain on the ligament.
In December 2018, she was running around in the backyard when she yelped and began favoring her right hind leg. Her veterinarian diagnosed her with a CCL tear in the right stifle.
She returned to our clinic in mid-January 2019 for a right stifle brace. The original left stifle brace was also cleaned and the straps were replaced.
The owner was instructed to have Miss Winfrey wear the original left stifle brace during the break-in period for the new right stifle brace to give her additional stability. She was also instructed to wear both stifle braces during walks and active periods to ensure ample support during these times.
Follow-Ups: Miss Winfrey returned to My Pet’s Brace for several check-up appointments during 2018 and 2019. She was able to transition from wearing both braces and on restricted activity to being able to go back to her normal lifestyle. She no longer wears either brace, is bearing full weight on both rear legs and is thriving!
[1] My Pet’s Brace emailed a Knee Brace Follow Up Survey in January 2020 to pet owners whose dog received a stifle brace for CCL injury between 2015-2018. Out of 687 survey responses, 123 or 17.9% of owners reported their dog sustained a CCL injury on the opposite leg after receiving a stifle brace for a CCL injury on the initially injured leg.