Bosun’s knee injury occurred like most of them do; he was running/playing in the park, having a grand time, then turned quickly, YELPED! After that he was chronically lame.. The lameness for this injury is typically bad for a few days, then improves marginally with rest, only to recur with any slight amount of exercise or activity.

CCLR (cranial cruciate ligament rupture) is typically diagnosed based on the following criteria;
1. clinical signs; intermittent but persistent lameness. usually after an injury.
2. Excessive “drawer or thrust” when manipulating the femur and the tibia at the stifle (knee) joint.
3. x-ray of the knee is consistent with the injury.

In my opinion, as a veterinarian, the best outcome for this is surgery. I tell clients that braces are really only bet for those patients who are not safe to go under anesthesia. Also, the cost of a good brace is often about half the cost of the repair we do at my clinic. I would rather have clients save (or use our pet savings plan) and rest their dog so they can do (afford) the surgery.
rest and NSAIDs are the mainstay for this disease treatment early on. If the limping doesn’t resolve or improve significantly after 7-14 days of rest and leash walking I recommend xrays, blood work and a discussion of surgical options.
Multiple surgical options exist for this disease. The best article to learn about this is found here via the ACVS;

https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/cranial-cruciate-ligament-disease

Bosun had a lateral fabellar suture technique done at my veterinary clinic; Jarrettsville Veterinary Center, in Northern Maryland.
Here is the breakdown of his procedure;
Pre-op:
exam $50
blood work $170
NSAID $30
x-ray $150-200
this story was posted with permission from Bosuns family
Surgery;
iv fluids, iv catheter, fluid pump $110
cruciate repair $500
anesthesia $192
hospitalization (usually 2 days) $160
injectable and oral NSAID $100
transdermal pain patch $96
injectable and oral antibiotic $40