Common Dog Health Terms and Definitions

These terms refer to conditions affecting dog health, and are commonly used by veterinarians to describe health conditions, dog injuries, and dog anatomy.

ACL – Cranial Cruciate Ligament (canine knee) – also referred to as CCL

Carpal Hyperextension – Carpal hyperextension injuries in dogs produce a breakdown of the ligaments that support the back of the carpal joint in the wrist resulting in collapse from the normal upright position. Learn more

CCL – Cranial Cruciate Ligament (canine knee) – also referred to as ACL

Cruciate – Ligament in the dog’s knee

Dysplasia – Joint looseness and laxity; joint inflammation, degeneration and osteoarthritis. Most common in a dog’s hip areas.

Hock joint – The hock joint, or gambrel, is the joint between the tarsal bones (paw) and the tibia (bone in the lower leg). This joint is above the paw and below the knee.

Luxating Patella – This is the condition in which the patella (kneecap) dislocates or moves out of its normal location.

MCL – Medial Collateral Ligament; injury is associated with acute trauma, which in canines, likely involves a medial or lateral force on the joint.

Orthotics – An allied health care field concerned with the design, development, fitting and manufacture of orthoses. Orthoses are commonly called splints or braces and are devices that support and/or correct musculoskeletal injuries or deformities.

Prosthetics – A brace, splint or artificial limb to support and stabilize an injured canine leg.

Tarsel/Tarsus – Several short angular bones that are contained in the hock joint and lower to the paw.

TPLO – Tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy (TPLO) is a surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint after rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament.