Decision making in the management cruciate disease in dogs
- Sandra Corr
Sandra Corr graduated from Glasgow in 1985. She spent six years in small animal and equine practice, and two years as a lecturer in small animal surgery in Zimbabwe, before joining the Royal Veterinary College, where she is a senior lecturer in small animal surgery. She holds a PhD for studies on gait analysis and is a European specialist in small animal surgery.
Abstract
CRANIAL cruciate ligament rupture is one of the most common orthopaedic conditions seen in dogs. In addition to the obvious welfare considerations to the animal, the financial burden on pet owners can be considerable — an estimated US$1.32 billion was spent treating this condition in the USA in 2003. There are a number of surgical options available to manage cruciate disease and new procedures continue to be developed, all of which have advantages and disadvantages, with different reported success rates. The decision regarding the best procedure to employ for a particular case therefore remains a dilemma for many practitioners. This article reviews the current literature on cruciate disease and discusses how this might be applied by veterinary surgeons to provide evidence-based recommendations to their clients.
- British Veterinary Association. All rights reserved.
