A friends 11 gsd/collie cross has damaged his cruciate ligament. So far the vet has given him rimifin and wants to see how he goes.
Has anyone an experience of cruciate repairing without surgery as surgery isn't an option for this dog ?
Any tips or thoughts to help will be gratefully  received. poor thing is very uncomfortable atm
he is one glucosamine and has been for ages and has started on turmeric in the last week

I had one of mine damage her cruciate, couldn't operate on her so it was either have her pts or keep her on painkillers and take it day by day. she was on Metacam plus painkillers plus glucosamine, and we managed to keep her comfortable for just over a year and during that time she managed to get around quite a bit although she held the injured leg up and limped badly. I don't know if she began to repair a bit or got used to the injury but was ok-ish, but then she began vomiting badly and swelling in her abdomen, the vet came to the house and said he could keep her going for a couple more weeks but it wouldn't be pleasant for her or me so I took the decision to let her go 9 months ago. I firmly believe that all the medication destroyed her organs, but although I feel guilty still I do know that the meds gave us extra time with her. Good luck to your friend, I can only advise to take things day at a time and see how it goes.

I think a lot depends on a) if its ruptured or a partial tear and b) how active the dog is normally. If its a partial tear and the dog is sedate then keeping him confined for a few weeks and on anti-inflams & supplements might see some improvement.
A 3 y o litter brother to one of my dogs had a lot of fluid around the knee and was diagnosed as cruciate but when the specialist investigated further he found bone cancer. Best to get a definite diagnosis for your friends dog, hope it goes ok.

I have seen many manage cruiciate damage with 8 weeks cage rest and then gentle exercise for the next 4 weeks - similar to the recover post op.  The dogs who have done best are the ones whose owners have been strict and not allowed running or jumping, but again the same has applied to the best repairs.

As the recovery post op is not easy, I would definitely try the cage rest first anyway.  :)

Thank you I will pass on your comments to my friemd. Poor dog is not at all happy at the moment. He us finding it hard to get up or lay down . Quite sedate dog usually and is resting but tends to stand up for long periods as once up cant lay comfortablely.

>he is one glucosamine and has been for ages

Not enough.  My Bearded Collie needs 3 a day.  And you need 500gm of Glucosamine to 400gm Condroitin for the best result.  I stock up when they are on offer.  Change between Zipvit and Simply Supplements.

Have your friend get her boy to Fitpatricks Chris, they work wonders and can offer all types of advice beyond surgery.. I wouldn't go anywhere else for any orthapaedic issue

yep sue have told him to get referred asap :) Jeansw that should have read on glucosamine and chondroitin :) sorry my typing as usual

This article might be of use, it explains about treating cruciate injuries naturally.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/cruciate-ligament-rupture-missing-the-big-picture/?inf_contact_key=77b3032220f821be47b7ed8b76bcbf28cf1ccad0925dc36ece75efaa417936cd

A very interesting alternative viewpoint Dorcas!  :)

thanks you dorcas

Yes, quite a few years ago now, my American Cocker had a partial tear of his cruciate ligament which I decided to try to heal without surgery. I wanted to do it that way because my research revealed a prolonged  period of rest and restriction either way. It took 6 months of very strict cage rest and careful rehabilitation, but my boy was as good as new in the end.

Thats reassuring thank you. His owner really wont go down operation route as being a rescue with issues the stress would be too much being handled by strangers in a strange place

My lurcher had one cruciate repaired with TPLO, however, the second cruciate was also damaged (though not as badly) and I think with all the rest he got and the rehab afterwards, it has stabilised itself and has never needed surgery. He has no problem on that at all.

That all sounds reassuring and maybe an op wont be necessary and he can recover by rest. Atm he is on strict rest no stairs jumping etc. the biggest problem once he stands up to go for  a wee he wont sit down again as clearly the getting up and down is the most painful. Back to the vet this weekend .
have passed all your comments to my friend also suggested Fitzpatrick for opinion 

A friend of mines border collie was given conservative management...ie complete rest for roughly 3 month, and then increasing amounts of gentle exercise. She is as good as new and fast and agile as a whip again. As someone else said, it really depends on the level of damage. If it is a partial tear rest and rehabilitation can work really well, especially if you have a co-operative dog.

rehabilitation can work really well, especially if you have a co-operative dog.

And a consistant, firm owner.  :) :)
To me it's tough love because if you can't be firm and consistant, then the result of the operation won't be good either.  :(

I don't know if this will help but my boy partially tore his cruciate the christmas before last. The vet was all set for surgery but told me I would be looking to replace his hip in a year and possibly the other in 24months. The specialist was called to evaluate him and said no to surgery. He recommended a product by lintbells 'yumove'. Its not cheap and I have had to buy online, but after 4 weeks of complete rest and 3 tablets a day, we decreased the dose to 2 tablets and gentle exercise. Within 4 months there was marked change and he actually seems faster now! He only has 1 tablet a day and even then I sometimes forget.

The only thing I must say is that is contains green lipped mussels and will cause allerhic reactions if the dog is allergic to fish/shellfish. On the plus side though, you don't need to convert dosage to the size of your dog or worry about absorption rate.

Not sure if this helps but might be worth looking into.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin works really well, but gets soooooo expensive after a while. As others ahve said, it can easily run into 3/4 tablets each day, which all adds up.

I've been buying from supplemented which seems to be cheaper than the other places I have used

https://www.supplemented.co.uk/shop-by-category/glucosamine