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How to prevent another ACL tear in my dog & is surgery best?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

6 year old beagle. Has srma is on prednisone for it. Just tore his left acl. Surgery scheduled a month from now. I'm afraid he will put a lot of weight on his other three legs. He has a history of back pain. How do I avoid his other acl from being torn? Is surgery the best option?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Ladd, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 10th, 2017

It is true that he will put more weight on his other limbs and that is why 40-% if dogs tear the other. I would also encourage you to start him on fish oils to reduce inflammation as well and a chondroprotectants such as dasequin. Surgery is the absolute best option to reduce the development of arthritis. Happy healing!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I'm sorry your dog tore his cranial cruciate ligament (acl is what it is called in humans)! Yes, it is true he will put more weight on his other three legs while he is in recovery from his surgery, but he will need to have a lot of rest for at least 6-8 weeks, so he won't be moving much during that time. Having surgery is typically the best option. I have a Chow who tore both her CCL before she was a year old and I had surgery done on both of them. She is now almost 9 and has not had another problem with them that entire time. While he is recovering from surgery, it's very important to follow the vet's instructions for recovery and rest as much as possible. That will help avoid putting too much strain on his other legs. Once he is cleared to start moving more, I would speak to the vet about doing hydrotherapy (swimming) with him. This is a low impact way for him to regain muscle mass in the leg that had surgery on it, and the warm water will be soothing to him. I hope this helps!

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