TPLO Surgery - has anyone had it done (shepherd, yorkie, vets)

[riveree]

My dog had a complete blowout when she landed badly in a jump.

My vet was hesitant to do the surgery, but after monitoring her for 2 weeks, we decided to give the surgery a try. It is a major surgery for sure. Her leg was opened all the way - imagine an incisions running from your upper thigh down to your ankle . She was 3 yrs old at the time and about 65 lbs.

The recovery time was long and difficult - this is not a dog who wants to stay still. My vet warned me that during recovery, since all the weight is now shifting to the other leg, there is a chance of the second leg tearing. Sure enough, it happened. The second leg was not worthy of surgery though and my vet simply recommended Glucosamine with GSM.

All in all, I am glad we did the surgery. Today, you would never know she had an issue except for those rare times when it flares up a bit (she limps maybe 4 or 5 days out of the entire year). The second leg healed with no problem, as my vet predicted. How this will all hold up over time, I don't know, but it's held up for about 5 years now.

2 things that might have been different in my case than yours:

1) We caught it right away. My vet would not have wanted to do the surgery if we waited too long after the injury because it lessens the success rate.

2) My vet only charged $700. This is not including the diagnostics to determine the problem, this was for the complete surgery. I'm sure there are vets in my city who would charge more, but mine is fairly priced for our city.

It's a tough decision to make. I'm glad I did the surgery and don't regret it a bit, but it was traumatic for her and she still has some sensitivity in that leg (doesn't like it when the other dog gets too rough with her leg). We keep her on a daily dose of Glucosamine with MSM - just the human supplement I buy in bulk at Costco - and I think it makes a big difference for her .

[ember13]

I kinda have it on 2 different perspectives. I had a dog(mastiff) that got 2 TPLO and it was a lifesaver she was walking around when she did on her front legs mainly her back leg muscles were atrophing it was horrible. On the other hand I've worked in a Vet's office that did these surgeries adn assisted in a few I can say that if you get the TPLO surgery done your dog will probably never have problems again. My dog was 6 months old or so when she had them done and she lived untill 8 1/2 years old she still needed help to get on the bed and stuff but she lived a full happy life, went on walks played with the other dogs

[Lcas]

Glad to hear you were able to save some money, Have a lab who will need surgery soon just wondering if you can give me the name of the surgeon in Conn.

[lired70]

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

I'm sure someone will berate me for this, but my dogs have about ZERO chance of enduring orthopedic surgery. I would consider it if the dog would have to be destroyed as an alternative to the surgery, but otherwise the dog will probably just have to get by on a banged up knee. It isn't asking too much, I've been doing it myself for a long time (getting by on banged up knees, I mean) and there is absolutely no guarantee that your dog will be better off with a repaired knee than a healed knee.

My advice would be to find a new vet with some G** D***** ETHICS!!

I can't believe how inhumane you are!! Try walking around with
2 severed CCL's and a torn meniscus!! My male lab and female lab are litter mates. My male fell in my yard, and couldn't walk at all!! He had TPLO surgery on both legs, and today he can bolt out of a door! He was only 4 year old! His sister had the same thing happen to her 2 years later. They both had the same orthopedic surgeon who was very competent, and most excellent. She had set backs, but he got her through. Today, they can walk and run. Yes, it is expensive, but wouldn't you want the best if it was one of your kids. It is also a front end investment to the owner. Approximately 4 months, with the dog in a crate with an e collar on the dog. Only to be let out to potty on a leash, every 8 hours. It is expensive, but oh so worth it when your dog can finally go from being a patient to being a dog again I feel so fortunate to have my labs with me. Their eyes say thank you every day

[southern by choice]

I studied this issue and agonized over it when my golden had a cruciate blow out. I immediately agreed to schedule the surgery...I would do anything for this dog....but then, while educating myself, on my own, I came to a different conclusion....I knew Skipper would not do well during the recovery period. I knew he would not thrive and it would be traumatic for him...so I opted out, and in the weeks that followed, I read everything I could, and gradually helped him to tolerate short walks, put him on supplements, and that was 3 years ago. Scar tissue formed around the site and strengthened it, and life went on, wonderfully. He is very happy and still active. So I think there is not one right answer for this issue, it is up to you to decide, based on the dogs overall health, tolerance, and age. Good Luck ! Beware, though : some veterinary surgeons would have you believe that surgery is the ONLY option. Its not !

[bamaboy2]

Originally Posted by riveree

2) My vet only charged $700. This is not including the diagnostics to determine the problem, this was for the complete surgery. I'm sure there are vets in my city who would charge more, but mine is fairly priced for our city.

Where is Jax did you get this done?? Was is TPLO surgery?

[rose gramegna]

I had two TPLO surgeries done on my then 9 year old dog. The surgeries were 8 months apart and cost around $3,700 each. The surgeries were done at the Animal Medical Center in NYC by two different orthopedic surgeons- neither of which is still there. Although recuperation is long, my dog did very well and is still running and chasing squirrels at 11 1/2. I recommend the surgery if your dog has a cruciate ligament tear. I also recommend looking into Care Credit- its a credit card that will offer 6 to 18 month interest free for veterinary, medical or dental procedures.

[rmilstein]

Originally Posted by rose gramegna

I had two TPLO surgeries done on my then 9 year old dog. The surgeries were 8 months apart and cost around $3,700 each. The surgeries were done at the Animal Medical Center in NYC by two different orthopedic surgeons- neither of which is still there. Although recuperation is long, my dog did very well and is still running and chasing squirrels at 11 1/2. I recommend the surgery if your dog has a cruciate ligament tear. I also recommend looking into Care Credit- its a credit card that will offer 6 to 18 month interest free for veterinary, medical or dental procedures.

I went through this with my 7 1/2 year old Lab this summer and 7 months later she is doing extremely well. It is daunting at first and we tried conventional therapy at the beginning but the tplo procedure was the answer. All of our experiences for four months were documented on Ellie's blog at Ellie's TPLO Surgery I tried to cover everything over the four months and maybe it will be helpful to those of you facing this decision.

[Juli2438]

I know it's been awhile since you posted this, but can you tell me how your dog is doing now? Was the recovery as horrific as I am reading?
I am scheduled to have TPLO on my labmix done in a couple of days and having second thoughts. I'm horrified on what I'm reading about recovery with TPLO. My cocker had fishing line done years ago and is great, but I realize my lab is heavier and more active. I am just torn as to what I should do and would prefer a less invasive procedure, but also want results. She is 8 years old and has a lot of play left in her. Any feedback is appreciated.

[sugarsugar]

Our 85# german shorthair pointer (high energy dog) blew out his knee when he was 5-6 years old. Vet didn't give much of a chance with conventional surgery, due to his weight, activity level and the extent of the tear. We were referred to several specialists regarding TPLOs - back then, this was still a fairly new surgery, and I really agonized over the choice. One guy was just starting to do them, not enough experience, the other was a bit far away for followups, and the vet we picked had quite a bit of experience already with doing them, and we talked with a lot of people who were thrilled with his results.

So we did the TPLO. We weren't probably as careful as the vet told us to be, and in week 2, he escaped our eagle eyes & jumped up on a couch, and we feared he had harmed the recovering leg; but he made it past that fine. From then on, we erred on the cautious side in terms of how much activity we allowed after the couch jump incident. If we couldn't be in the same room with him, he was crated. If he was too ambitious in the same room, he went into the crate. He had been perfectly crate trained as a puppy, but during the TPLO recovery period, he was not a happy camper in the crate - took him several weeks to adjust and behave. If he chewed at the stitches or the leg, I put a cone on, and put him in the crate and he really hated that. In the beginning, he was out on his small leash only far enough to do his business, he took his walks inside the house, around and around, so I could control his pace/distance and not let anything get into his wound that might provoke an infection. It was hard, but you know, his knee injury was so severe, that given his weight/activity level, this was his only shot at having a semi-normal life instead of being in pain and put down. It was an awful time, an awful lot of money, an awful decision to make, & an awful lot of work. I ruled his life with an iron hand for the next few months to give him the absolute best shot for a long and active life.

In our case, it was worth the whole shooting match for the result we got. Our boy recovered fully, right up to the same high level of activity (hunting, running, running with us while we rode horseback in rough rocky terrain - you name it, he has done it as though he never injured his knee in the first place). I don't know if all TPLOs turn out this well, but it was frankly a miracle. I don't remember how much we paid that long ago, but it was a steep price for something that didn't have much of a track record back then. The worst I could find was the concern of infection as someone else mentioned. Of course, with a typical ligament surgery, I had to consider that at his weight/activity level, he might need the repair done more than once which carries risks too.

Our boy is still with us, will be 15 next May, and we still have to run after him when we take him out to do his business, because even though he has some hind end weakness, we cannot keep up with him at a straight run. We were warned that he would likely get arthritis in the repaired area - that has not happened yet. The only thing we give him is cosequin now for his hips. Makes me tear up when I think about how he was, how his life could have been, and how lucky it was that we did this, because unless I told you, you'd never know from just seeing this guy perform, even at this age. His heart and lungs are going to take him out long before his formerly destroyed knee will ever give him even a twinge.

Good luck on making this decision - I think I've heard about another new way to repair these injuries, but can't recall what it is right now. I don't know if we can mention names here, but the specialty vet we used is in Oregon and has a very good reputation.

P.S. I also might remember it as a lot of work, because during that same period, my dh blew out his knee, and my young horse also blew out her knee, so there was a lot of hand walking and recovery of knees that year!