Torn Hock Ligament
When a dog’s paw gets trapped in a hole while running or between fence posts, it can tear the hock ligament. A torn hock ligament can also result from a forceful, traumatic injury, such as being hit by a car or being trodden on, which causes the ligament to be damaged and ruptured. Small ligament injuries that don’t appear to be dangerous at first may eventually result in ligament degeneration. Obese dogs are more prone to suffer from dog carpal injuries due to increased stress on the hock joint.
A Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tear is an extremely painful yet very common injury among dogs. One of the most important stabilizers within the canine knee (stifle) joint, the middle joint of the back leg, is the cranial cruciate ligament. The CrCL is also known as the anterior cruciate ligament in humans (ACL). The meniscus is a cartilage-like organ that lies between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone). It performs a variety of functions in the joint, including shock resistance, location sensing, and load-bearing, and it may be affected if the CrCL ruptures. CrCLD is most often caused by a variety of causes, including ligament degeneration, obesity, poor physical health, genetics, conformation (skeletal structure and configuration), and breed. Ligament damage in CrCLD happens as a result of progressive degeneration over months or even years, rather than as a result of severe, sudden damage to an otherwise stable ligament which is very rare.
Rheumatoid arthritis in dogs is very similar to that in humans and the diagnosis criteria is very similar, just adapted for dogs. It’s an immune-related arthritis targeting the cartilage in the joints. Multiple joints are often affected at once and dog pain presents lameness from the pain. Symptoms may include recurrent UTIs, lameness, joint swelling, fever limb atrophy, joint pain, tonsillitis, and inability to walk. The causes of Rheumatoid arthritis aren’t exact but since it’s immune-related, some possible causes could be a genetic predisposition, digestive disease, or cancer. Because Rheumatoid arthritis is not common for dogs and the symptoms can vary greatly, it can be difficult to diagnose. The most common symptoms, such as lameness, is a common symptom in many other disorders and they can come and go. Radiographs are usually the most effective way to determine a diagnosis to see the swelling and trouble in the joints. The vet may also opt to do a biopsy of the tissue to test for inflammation.
Hypertrophic osteodystrophy is an auto-inflammatory disease that affects the bones in dogs between 3-5 months of age. HOD typically affects fast-growing puppies that belong to large or giant breeds. These breeds can include the Weimaraner, Great Dane, Mastiff, Boxer, Bull Mastiff, Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler, and the Saint Bernard breed. HOD decreases blood flow to the part of the bone that’s directly adjacent to the joint. This disrupts proper bone growth and leads to weaker bones in puppies. HOD can also permanently damage growth plates and affect more than one leg. Clinical signs vary depending on how severe with some puppies only experiencing a slight limp with pain. Puppies experiencing a more severe form of HOD can have a fever, discharge from the eyes or nose, increased respiratory sounds, bloody diarrhea, bumps on the skin (may have pus), an inflamed vulva/vagina, and lameness. These symptoms present themselves as episodes lasting several weeks with possible remission. HOD can be very painful and pose a risk for quality of life so monitoring is critical. Diagnosing is made through a physical examination to spot swollen soft tissue over leg bones, radiographs, and blood tests.
Polyarthritis is the inflammation and swelling of joints making them painful and swollen that may cause dogs difficulty walking. Immune-mediated Polyarthritis refers to arthritis that’s a direct result of abnormal immune response by the body directed at the joints. This can come from either an auto-immune disorder or infection. Signs include overall joint pain, fever, loss of appetite, swelling of multiple joints, lameness. To diagnose this, a thorough physical examination and a variety of laboratory examinations, including blood and urine tests and urine culture, are common tests used to identify a possible origin of an internal infection.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta is also known as brittle bone disease. Osteogenesis Imperfecta is essentially the inability of the body to produce the collagen protein which provides elasticity to the bones. Because of this, affected dogs’ bones lack the ability to withstand impact and pressure causing them to easily break and fracture. Signs of Osteogenesis Imperfecta have reduced bone density, severe joint pain as well as bone and teeth fractures as affected dogs don’t have the Type 1 collagen needed. Other symptoms include difficulty walking, loose joints, stunted growth, weak tendons and muscles, and malformation of bones. They also present joint pain. There’s, unfortunately, no treatment for this condition but vets may prescribe pain medication to help. The occurrence of multiple bone breaks as well as x-rays can give a definitive diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta. Blood tests may also be run to see if the levels of vitamin D, phosphorus, calcium, and parathormone are abnormal.
Why Did This Happen To My Dog?
Hock instability is created when ligaments that hold the hock’s bones in place are torn when the fibula is fractured, or when the bottom of the tibia is fractured. These occur due to trauma, which can include a fall, accident, or similar event. RETURN TO TOP
Treatment requires surgery, but the surgery technique employed depends on the type of injury that is present, ligament damage versus a fracture.
Demonstration of KRUUSE Rehab Hock Protection
The dog hock anatomy comprises three major compound joints along with their ligaments and muscles. You will find the combination of tibiotarsal, intertarsal, and tarsometatarsal articulations in the structure of a dog hock.
There are 5 common ligaments (capsular, lateral and medial collateral, cranial and caudal oblique) involved in the dog’s hock joint. This compound structure also shows the contribution of some pelvic limb muscles.
Here, I will show you the main anatomical facts of the dog’s hock with the labeled diagram. You will also learn a little about the common injuries in the canine hock joint structure.
So, if you love to learn the anatomy of the dog’s hock joint, let’s continue this article till the end.