Long-term outcome in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease evaluated using the canine orthopaedic index.

Background: Cranial cruciate ligament disease (CCLD) is common in dogs, but studies on the long-term treatment outcome are scarce.

Methods: The long-term outcome in a cohort of 71 dogs with CCLD treated with tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO, n = 18), tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA, n = 23) or lateral fabellotibial suture (LFS, n = 30) was evaluated using the canine orthopaedic index.

Results: The risk of stiffness and lameness was increased in dogs treated with TPLO (stiffness: incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.33, p = 0.015; lameness: IRR 1.34, p = 0.020) or TTA (stiffness: IRR 1.26, p = 0.035; lameness: IRR 1.31, p = 0.026) when compared to LFS at a median follow-up time of 4.6 years.

Limitations: No follow-up veterinary examination was performed. Data were collected from only two university animal hospitals, and thus, a referral bias towards more complicated cases is possible, which may limit the generalisability of the results.

Conclusion: Clinicians can use the results to inform dog owners about the expected long-term outcome in dogs with CCLD.