Anyone on here have experience of cruciate ligament damage? I have a 9yr old 12kg dog lame on left hind for nearly 3 weeks. Sometimes weight bearing, sometimes not. Has had xrays & diagnosed with small CCL tear. Now on crate rest and Meloxidyl. Vet is suggesting surgery as no improvement but I am not keen as feel it is too soon. Wondering whether I should try a knee support?

You're right, as it's only a partial tear then it's too soon to go to surgery (unless the dog is very large or overweight). Small tears take a long time to repair; your dog will probably need a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks strict cage rest - on the lead out to toilet and that's all the exercise he can have - but that's the same for cruciate surgery recovery, so either way a knee support would probably just be uncomfortable and could affect the blood supply to the leg when he's lying down.

I had an American Cocker Spaniel with a partial tear of his Cruciate Ligament in 2004. I crated him strictly for what amounted to 6 months in the end. He was only out for toileting in the garden a few times a day. His first walk was just out into the street slowly increasing to walking to the end of our short cul de sac. It was very hard to be so strict and there were times when I worried I might have done the wrong thing by not having the surgery for him but it did work for us and he went on to be completely sound for the rest of his life. I didn't use any kind of support.