A post about ACL's on retriever training forums left me wondering about the frequency with which this condition occurs in the chesapeake breed......
I have been told (by a vet surgery tech that I know) that the angulation of the hock is an important factor in determining whether a dog will have acl problems or not.....(from her experience)

Unfortunately my dog (18 mo) is one of those with pretty straight, very long, back legs - not much angulation at all).

any thoughts?
Juli

ACL injuries are a fairly frequent topic of discussion on the field trial circuit as so many top Labradors have been afflicted. I don't have any statistics, but in this part of the country there are more Chessies running trials than in most areas, and everyone agrees that they are far less apt to get a torn ACL than Labs--maybe because they aren't as a rule as straight in the hock. Personally, I have only known one Chessie trial dog that had a torn ACL--and, to be sure, he was pretty straight in the rear. On the other hand, I had a bitch that was quite straight too, and she never had a problem and ran like the wind. I wouldn't worry about it.

I was wondering about that too. Well one reason I think we don't see it in chessies is not enough are running compared to Labs. Just like you don't see it in Goldens.But could another reason be that chessies are more muscle mass than labs? Interesting???

I don't wonder too, if very fast turns/sits can cause the ligaments to wear down quickly.....some of the labs I have seen can spin and stop practically faster than I can blink....gotta be tough on those joints.

thanks Tom (that post was about my previous girl Liberty)

Juli

I am a vet tech and have seen numerous acl injuries come into our clinic. Most have been labs, some breeds are predisposed to acls including labs, rotties, boxers. We usually tell our lab owners that don't be too surprised if the other one goes and sure enough the other acl tears. I know one chessie with a acl partial tear, mine. He has correct angulation and when he was 1 1/2 yrs old I was done training and threw him a "fun bumper" and he slid into it, twisted and rolled and came up lame. He partialy tore it so I rested him and took a year off. Then he went to a trainer and completed his senior title and then worked on masters. When he was four he came up lame again from the training and I decided to have it fixed, it was still only a partial tear and the board certified surgeon who fixed him said he doesn't see many chessies either. He is now 6 1/2 and he has never had anymore problems, even with the other leg. I agree that we hear about it happening with labs more because I think there are just more of them out there. If a dog is going to tear his cruciate I don't think there is much you are going to do to prevent it except by keeping them in the best shape ever. When most clients call with a lameness question they will say there dog was outside in the yard and they herd a loud screach and dog came in lame. Turns out to be the acl.