[header] How to heal a torn dog acl without surgery [title] Understand when it is safe to forego surgery. [step] Both surgical and non-surgical (conservative) methods can be used to treat acl. A combination of both methods is usually helpful for the dog. 
However, the type of therapy recommended varies based on body size, body condition, and severity of lameness of your dog. [substeps] A dog under 20 kilograms may not be a good candidate for surgical procedures.