Step 1: Your Dog's Knee

The dog’s stifle (knee) is similar to a human knee. There are four ligaments primarily responsible for the stability of the stifle – the cranial cruciate, caudal cruciate, medial collateral, and lateral collateral as well as two shock absorbing discs called menisci. The top of a dog’s tibia has a more significant slope (tibial plateau angle) than that of a human knee, as such the dog’s CCL undergoes stress during normal activities, potentially predisposing it to injury.