As Karen asked, it is important to know if this is the ACL or CCL -- anterior cruciate ligament, or cranial cruciate ligament. You also want to know if it is a tear, or a complete rupture.

A complete rupture is not going to heal without surgery. A tear may heal without surgery, depending on the degree.

You will find articles online for alternative care, often referred to as conservative treatment, such as this one:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/iss...s_16198-1.html

There is a yahoo group online for folks who are using the conservative management.

Here is a good explanation: (taken from this page: http://www.bendvetspecialists.com/up...ent_Injury.pdf )


Diagnosis: The diagnosis is made by your veterinarian and usually includes gait/lameness evaluation and manual palpation of the joint to assess instability and
severity of the injury. Your veterinarian may alsorecommend x-rays and possibly joint fluid analysis to further stage the injury. Radiographs are used to gauge the overall joint structure and secondary problems such as osteoarthritis rather than on the ligament or soft tissue injury itself.
Joint fluid analysis is used to identify inflammation and if present, whether it is high grade (acute), low grade (chronic) or infectious. For those who prefer a
definitive diagnosis of the severity of the injury diagnostic arthroscopy can be performed.
Diagnostics are almost always followed by surgical treatment of the injury if enough evidence of ACL injury is identified.

Treatments: Although the treatment of choice for an ACL Injury is usually surgery, treatment can range from conservative treatment to surgery depending on the cause, severity, size, age and lifestyle of the dog. Your veterinarian will help you decide the best approach for your dog. Initially, mild sprains can often
be managed conservatively.

Treatments may include rest, ice, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS), glucosamine/chondroitin supplements or injections, stem cell injections, physical rehabilitation and lifestyle change recommendations. Moderate to severe injuries generally require surgical intervention in order to stabilize the joint and minimize the progression and severity of secondary osteoarthritis. In addition to surgery non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, glucosamine/chondroitin supplements or injections, stem cell injections, physical rehabilitation and lifestyle change recommendations may be recommended.

Bichons are prone to ACL tears. I've not dealt with this myself, but know of many who have. Keep in mind that the above is an overall summary. I have never heard of a bichon having: analysis of joint fluid, arthroscopy; stem cell injections, or injections into the joint. Those are extreme treatments IMO.

So, you first need to phone the vet office and get more clarification as to which ligament is involved (anterior or cruciate), and find out the grade the vet suspects. You may need to have xrays done to determine this. Keep in mind anesthesia is usually required for xrays (dogs rarely want to be still!) and usually you want to have everything necessary done while the dog is 'under,' including surgery if needed, and even a dental! You don't want to have the dog under anesthesia once for xrays and then again the following week for the surgery.

Once you have all the information available at this time, then do some online research and make some decisions about how to proceed. You also want to read up on post surgery recovery; the dog needs to be crated for about 6 weeks as I recall, with limited activity during this time. You want to prep for that in advance.

Let us know what you learn, and feel free to post and ask more questions as they develop!

Other web sites:
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/...ciate_ligament

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.co...e-surgery.aspx

http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/pos...-and-diagnosis