my 9 month old lab has just been told by our vet that he may require a cruciate ligament operation on his back leg . I am aware that this is quite a serious injury and am very concerned about the quality of life he will have after the operation. Will he be able to lead a normal life ? or will life be a struggle for him ?

Hi, well, first and foremost I would seek a second opinion from a Specialist Orthopaedic Consultant. Get a referral to your nearest Veterinary University and go from there. Really, if surgery is required and successful the outcome is generally favourable. All the best, Dawn.

He'll be just fine and back to normal after a few weeks of convalescence. I've known several dogs, including one of my own many years ago, who had the same operation. They all made a full recovery and you'd never know there was anything wrong. He might get arthritis later in life but he could have got that anyway and keeping fit fit and the correct weight will help.

There are mixed views on this.  I have had one done and known two other people who have had excellent results from the operation.  I dont want to sound brutal but unless you the operation done then it will probably mean having the dog PTS which is not a nice alternative.  My own dog we were warned had a small amount of arthritus in the injured leg but then it has not affected her so am not concerned.

Just realized my reply was not 100% clear - he MUST have the operation if he needs it. Not having a cruciate operated on is not an option as he will not recover on his own and be severely lame and in some pain with it for the rest of his life. The only other option is euthanasia.