Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is one of the most common and painful orthopaedic injuries in dogs, requiring either surgical correction or intensive rehabilitation for acceptable recovery.
CCL rupture causes acute pain from the initial injury and chronic pain from progressive joint inflammation and instability. Dogs experience significant welfare impairment — inability to bear weight, restricted mobility, and limitation of normal social and play behaviours. Post-surgical recovery requires 8-12 weeks of restricted exercise, which can cause psychological frustration in active dogs. Hydrotherapy and physiotherapy are critical to rebuilding muscle mass and joint stability, and reducing long-term osteoarthritis severity. Dogs that receive prompt surgical treatment followed by structured rehabilitation have significantly better long-term welfare outcomes than those managed conservatively.