The cranial cruciate [CREW-she-ut] ligament, or CCL, is one of several ligaments that stabilize a dog’s knee. When one of these ligaments breaks down — and it’s often the CCL — it makes for a painful, unstable joint.

Dogs with an acutely ruptured CCL are normally in such pain that they’re unable to bear weight on the injured leg. That may improve over a week or so, but the knee will remain swollen and quickly develop degenerative changes, resulting in chronic lameness and pain.

Studies show that surgical repair of a ruptured CCL results in significantly less lameness and need for long-term pain relief than nonsurgical treatment.

You may not be able to prevent your dog from rupturing a CCL, but you might be able to choose the most effective treatment out there.