By Dr. Sasan Haghighat DVM, CVA

February 1, 2014

The knee is a fairly complicated joint; it consists of the femur bone above the kneecap, the tibia bone below it in front, and the bean-like flabella found behind chunks of cartilage. Called the medial and lateral menisci, they fit between the femur and tibia like cushions.

There are two cruciate ligaments that cross inside the knee joint – the cranial cruciate and the caudal cruciate. The Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) prevents the tibia from slipping forward, out from under the femur. A ruptured cranial cruciate ligament is the most common knee injury in dogs. Please click here for link to the rest of the article at Vitality Magazine online.