Having served the community for more than 25 years, Naperville Animal Hospital is located about 30 miles west of downtown Chicago. Having helped 20,000 orphaned pets find loving families, Naperville Animal Hospital offers high-quality care and comprehensive medical attention for pets, including animals diagnosed with cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) damage.

1. What is Cranial
Cruciate Ligament
Damage?
NAPERVILLE ANIMAL HOSPITAL

2. Introduction
Having served the community for more than 25 years, Naperville Animal
Hospital is located about 30 miles west of downtown Chicago. Having
helped 20,000 orphaned pets find loving families, Naperville Animal
Hospital offers high-quality care and comprehensive medical attention
for pets, including animals diagnosed with cranial cruciate ligament
(CrCL) damage.
The cranial cruciate ligament is the fibrous tissue that connects the
lower leg bone to the thigh bone and helps stabilize the stifle joint,
similar to the knee in humans, in quadrupeds. CrCL damage may be
progressive (chronic) or sudden (acute) and is defined as the failure of
the stifle joint, resulting in complete to partial instability.

3. Cranial Cruciate Ligament
Specific breeds most susceptible to CrCL damage are Labrador
retrievers and Rottweilers less than four years old, canines older than
five, and spayed female dogs.
The most common cause for hind-leg lameness and degenerative joint
disease in canines is the partial or complete rupture of the CrCL,
resulting from repetitive micro-injury due to pressure on the ligament.
Diagnosis of CrCL damage includes manipulation of the joint, fluid
analysis via arthrocentesis and visual assessment of the ligament via
arthroscopy.