Not just a tear: Reframing cranial cruciate ligament disease in dogs
Steve Mehler, DVM, DACVS, discusses why cranial cruciate ligament disease is a chronic inflammatory condition and what that means for treatment.
On this episode of the Vet Blast Podcast, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, sits down with Steve Mehler, DVM, DACVS, co-founder of Mainline Veterinary Specialists, to explore why cranial cruciate ligament disease is best understood as a chronic inflammatory condition, and what that means for surgery, rehabilitation, and long-term joint health.
Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity.
Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Let's talk about the cruciate ligament. I’m interested to get your thoughts on why so many dogs are tearing their cranial cruciate ligament? Or is it just data?
Steve Mehler, DVM, DACVS: There are 90 million pet dogs in the US. It's actually about 1% to 2% of dogs that are tearing their cranial cruciate ligaments, there's just so much attention to it. But, if you estimate the annual spend in this country alone for this one disease process, it's probably between $5 and $10 billion annually. That's not just surgery. That's physical therapy, braces, NSAIDs, radiographs, and all of those things.
I think the important thing to realize here is that this is so different than why humans tear their ACL. This is truly a degenerative, multifactorial, chronic disease process, and so when I talk to pet owners about cranial cruciate ligament injuries, I refer to it as a disease. I actually don't use the term “injury” anymore, and you get a lot of head tilts. It is a degenerative process, the major cause of which is chronic inflammation. This chronic low-grade inflammation leads to a progressive breakdown of the collagen fibers.
Want to hear the rest of the conversation? You can listen above or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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