Cruciate ligament surgery- expected recovery timescale?

My ESS Bruce is about to have a cruciate ligament operation tomorrow. he is a working dog and i was wondering if anyone has had a dog with the same symptons, and if he is able to work again after the recovery period.

It is being repaired by having a new ligament made out of muscle and re-threaded.

I would appeciate any comments or information on this matter.
The vet has told us that he should be able to work again next season, if the recovery period is successful.

I don't know but hope everything goes really well for Bruce and hope you don't worry too much x

Hey there
Wishing you both all the best for tomorrow(( hugs))

My dog had a cruiciate repair with the repair being made from muscle she is a fairly big dog and for her recovery was long but ive known friends whos dogs have had it done one being a Ess and they were flying about in no time. I hope all goes well and if you have any queries im sure between us someone on here will be able to help

Hi and so sorry to hear that your dog is in for the op tomorrow. You'll find quite a few threads on this subject and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will find links to them.

My neighbour's Labrador has had both legs done and she was about 5 when she had the first one operated on. She followed the vets instructions for rehab to a tea and she was racing around within 5-6 months again. However, I'm sure you have been warned by your vet that once one has gone there is a strong possibility that the other leg's cruciate will also go. I believe this was due to most weight bearing being on the 'good' leg which of course puts that under much more stress. This was the case in my neighbours dog and but she recovered far quicker after the second leg op as she had a strong leg to weight bare on. Post operative the dog had to be crated and only allowed out on a lead for toilet breaks. She came out of the vets with a morphine patch on her side which released the painkillers slowly. You now would never know that she had had the ops and she races around, over gates etc and has never had problems since and isn't expecting to.

It is quite a slow recovery time and you have to be so careful for the first 6-8 weeks. No running, jumping, stairs etc.

The best of luck and keep us informed as to how the op goes.

Hello there, and all the very best for your dog tomorrow, and for YOU because now starts a very long period of recuperation which would try the patience of a saint!

Seriously though, if you can stick to all the rules which will be laid down by your vet, then your dog should be able to gradually return to work after about six months or so.

Our last dog ruptured her cruciate (she was a collie x) and after about a year was as fast and agile as she was before. However, with her (and this won't apply to every dog after the op) she did eventually develop arthritis in that joint, and although various drugs did a remarkable job of keeping her mobile and pain free I am not sure that if she was a working dog they would have been enough. This was some years later though.

I hope that your dog recovers well, and goes on to return to full work with no problems. He probably will, so try very hard not to worry too much.

I see you posted this yesterday so I hope that your doggy is well and home now.
Let us know how he got on.

Sending Bruce lots of healing {{{vibes}}} with best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Just wondering how Bruce got on with his op?