Cruciate ligament rupture is one of the most common orthopedic injuries in dogs, causing acute and chronic pain that requires surgical intervention for good welfare outcomes — yet access to surgery is unequal.
Dogs with ruptured cruciate ligaments experience acute lameness that, if untreated, transitions to chronic pain from joint instability and progressive arthritis. Conservative management without surgery leaves most dogs with persistent pain and reduced mobility for the remainder of their lives. The welfare gap between surgically treated and untreated dogs is enormous — surgical repair typically returns dogs to near-normal function, while conservative management results in years of chronic pain. Cost barriers to surgical treatment create welfare disparities based on owner resources.