Gait disruption after partial CCL tear

Hello,
I have a 5 ½ GSD who had a partial CCL tear late July of last year. He’s made outstanding progress using conservative management (hydro, laser and exercises for leg) and has the added protection of an OrthoPets knee brace. X-rays and other diagnoses don’t show any other issues, although meniscus damage was inconclusive.

He did have a “minor” setback Nov ’14 where the consensus is he tore some of the built-up scar tissue. I call it minor because he was back to where he was in 3 days.

This is his current status:

- Puts full weight on leg for 3 months
- Muscle has returned in injured leg to almost the same as good one
- Never walks with a limp for 3 months
- On Glyco Flex 3 since injury
- Doesn’t limp at trotting speed although this is not consistent
- Does not have his normal gait when allowed to run (short distance, on leash)

My feeling, which is shared by the PT who does his hydro, his Buck might be capable of recovering his normal gait, but he’s used to protecting that leg for the last 8 months so muscle memory is getting in the way.

So my question is, does anyone have experience getting dogs with a disrupted gait to return to normal? I haven’t been able to find much at all online. One thing I am doing is quick change of pace – walk, trot, walk, trot, that sort of thing, and I’ve noticed when I do that he never limps when trotting. I’d like to find out if there are other things I can do though.

The other reason is if he can return to his normal gait at higher speeds than that would mean there probably isn’t any meniscus or other damage. But if he can’t, then there could be something else going on and I’ll need to spring for an MRI to find out exactly what that is.

Thanks for your response!

Jonesy