Ask the vet: Advice on treating plantar ligament rupture in dogs

Shane Morrison, lead orthopaedic veterinary surgeon at Christchurch Vets, gives advice on what you should do if your dog is showing signs of plantar ligament rupture.

Question: Rolo is my seven-year old Shetland Sheepdog who has recently found going for his walks more difficult than usual.

Both of his back feet have become bent, and he seems to be in pain. My vet has prescribed anti-inflammatories, but these have had a limited effect.

My vet has mentioned using braces for Rolo’s feet, and surgery has also been mentioned, although as a last resort. I’m really not sure what to do for the best?

Shane Morrison, lead orthopaedic veterinary surgeon at Christchurch Vets (Image: Simply C Photography)

Answer: I am sorry to hear that Rolo is struggling with his walks, particularly as he has been such an active dog.

Thank you for attaching a picture of his back legs. This shows a bend in his tarsus (foot) just below the heel bone. The right hind is more bent than the left.

This appears to be a condition that we call plantar ligament rupture; a condition that shetland sheepdogs, as well as a few other breeds, are prone to.

X-rays would be required to diagnose the condition properly, and your vet should be able to arrange this.

If confirmed, the plantar ligament rupture in Rolo is due to a breakdown of the short, but usually very strong, ligaments that connect the calcaneus (heel bone) to the smaller fourth tarsal bone of the foot.

This condition can be seen following a single traumatic event, but in Rolo’s case it is likely to be due to a more insidious degenerative process.

Because the ligaments that have broken down are on the underside of the feet, they are constantly under tension during normal weight-bearing, and will therefore never heal, but rather get worse over time, as you have seen.

The use of tarsal braces will assist with his capacity to walk normally, but they won’t allow the ligaments to heal. Braces actually weaken the situation even more.

Despite your reservations, and those of your vet, surgery will provide the best management of this condition.

The surgery of choice is an arthrodesis (fusion) of the heel bone with the fourth tarsal bone. This fuses the small joint that the broken-down ligaments formerly bridged.

As there is virtually no movement between these bones, the fusion of this joint does not restrict the function of the leg in any way, but rather corrects its alignment to allow a normal, uninhibited gait.

For more information, visit christchurch.vet or call 01473 230999.