Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings

Bulldogs and French Bulldogs most common orthopedic problem I see at my practice is cruciate ligament injures.  Those knee injuries includes, ACL tears, ACL partial tears, and ACL rapture with meniscus tear. These bulldog and French Bulldog ACL injuries are usually manifested by acute hind leg limping and pain. Untreated ACL tears will cause chronic and painful orthopedic conditions such as degenerative joint disease and arthritis (osteoarthritis in bulldogs and French bulldogs). Other potential outcome of an ACL tear in bulldog and French bulldog puppies are meniscus injures and a ACL tear of the contralateral (opposite) knee due to overcompensation. Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings: The good news is that we now have excellent surgical options for ACL tears and when done in a timely manner, you can expect your bulldog and French bulldog puppy to return to normal function shortly after the procedure. The preferred surgical repair is a dynamic orthopedic procedure called TPLO (tibia palate leveling osteotomy). TPLO helps to biomechanically secure the joint function and the range of motion of the patient’s knee. Your bulldog puppy knees are NOT like yours. While a human knee is nearly flat (“parked in neutral”), your bulldog knees are positioned at a steep angel (“downhill parking”). Thus if you tear your ACL it is almost always due to traumatic injury while your bulldog and French bulldog torn ACL is due to stress injury. Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Total Joint Care for advanced bulldogs and French bulldog arthritis and Joint disease A non-repaired torn ACL is not a life threatening condition but rather a painful and debilitating one that overtime, will affect your bulldog quality of life. I am frequently asked what would happen if the corrective surgery is not performed for a patient (a “conservative non-invasive approach”)? So here are a few bulldog and French bulldog ACL tear’s tips and warnings.

Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings

Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  1: WEIGHT– Weight Loss (keep your pet lean) Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  2: EXERCISE- Controlled activities (no skateboard or Frisbee play). Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  3: SUPPLEMENTS- Joint Supplement like Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Total Joint Care for advanced Osteoarthritis and Dr. Kraemer’s V4B EFA Omega Fish Oil. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings 4: PAIN RELIEF RX- Provide traditional pain management (Pharmaceuticals): Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and other pain relief prescriptions. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  5: PAIN RELIEF NON-RX- Non Pharmaceuticals pain management and healing therapies: Pulse Electromagnetic Therapy (PEMT) , and Class 4 Cold Laser Therapy. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  6: STEM CELL THERAPY (with CRYOBANKING)- Stem Cell Therapy and Stem Cell Cryobanking are ideal for reliving pain, speeds ACL tears repair healing, prevents arthritis and reduces the chances for future orthopedic injuries. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  7: PRP- We usually combine a low cost Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy with all our orthopedic surgeries to manage inflammation and pain. PRP therapy also enhance the post op healing and range of motion. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  1: DJD- Acute limping due to an ACL tear in bulldogs will usually subside over time. Typically, the early onset of sharp acute pain turns into a chronic one due to DJD (Degenerative joint disease, Arthritis). Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings TPLO Surgical Repair Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings  2: COMPENSATION-ACL tears in bulldogs lead to decreased range of motion, and weight unloading of the injured knee which is then transferred to the elbows and opposite knee. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings 3: ATROPHY- ACL tears in bulldogs leads to disuse muscle atrophy of the injured leg. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings 4: OVERWEIGHT- Reluctance of your bulldog to exercise due to pain and discomfort leads to weight gain. This will further compound the damage to the injured knee. Weight will also increase the workload on the heart, lungs and other joints. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings 5: OVERCOMPENSATION- Tearing the opposite ACL is a common finding with bulldogs, most likely due to overcompensation. Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog and French Bulldog ACL Tears Tips and Warnings 6: MENISCUS- Menisci tears in bulldogs is often an outcome of a ruptured ACL and will compound the pain and joint instability.