Anyone here with a dog that has had a TPLO procedure?

-
72Duster440 said:
Our pup had it done a few years ago, while she was recovering, the other one went out. Between the two procedures, she was drugged and in a pen for over 6 months. It took about another 6 months for her to fully recover, not sure if it was from the procedure or all of the meds she was taking. She was a whole new dog though, tons of energy and always wanting to play. However, 3 or 4 years later now, she is getting some arthritis in the first knee they did. We have been giving her joint supplements, which seem to help. It doesn't appear to bother her once she is moving, but when she goes to stand after laying down for a while, it looks a bit painful.
Click to expand...
All of the vets we've seen have mentioned the possibility (likelihood?) of damage to her other knee from her "compensating" during recovery, and as someone who has had arthroscopic surgery on both knees, I completely understand that. Thankfully her "good" knee doesn't seem to cause her any pain, and there's no indication of damage....yet, either via x-rays or physical examination and manipulation.

Thank you for you response, and I hope your dog has many happy & pain free years ahead of her!
 
Kern Dog said:
We had a yellow lab that had two bad knees, one worse than the other. We didn't have the cash to spend the $6000 to do the TPLO so we went the cheaper route.....and about a year later it failed and damaged his leg worse than it was before. We had to have his leg amputated.

View attachment 1716231224
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to hear this, and not for our sake. Not looking for a response on this, but I sincerely hope he made it to a pain-free condition.

A neighbor three houses down has a three-legged dog, and you know- That dog can run through the woods almost as fast as his siblings! It's amazing what dogs can still do with what we would consider a "handicap".

Thank you for the response!
 
My vet said it's pretty much 100% on the other knee going out... depending how active the dog is.. My beagle was up and running around the day after the operation.. they are insane dogs..
 
ProjectBazza said:
All of the vets we've seen have mentioned the possibility (likelihood?) of damage to her other knee from her "compensating" during recovery, and as someone who has had arthroscopic surgery on both knees, I completely understand that. Thankfully her "good" knee doesn't seem to cause her any pain, and there's no indication of damage....yet, either via x-rays or physical examination and manipulation.

Thank you for you response, and I hope your dog has many happy & pain free years ahead of her!
Click to expand...
We had to seclude our dog for at least 5 weeks... We kept him in one room that he could still see us in. We hung shower curtains to block out the windows he could look out.... He goes nuts over squirrels and visitors, never mind the mailman. :rolleyes: I slept on the couch so he wouldn't be alone. It wasn't easy but I didn't want to spend the money and not follow close directions from the vet and have this all for nothing. I was home on leave cause my wife broke her ankle while on vacation. I took care of them both.
 
85glht said:
Did this last spring. The dog is better BUT his leg gets stiff at night. He likes to run and when he does, it really gets stiff on him at night. The next morning, he is fine. Is it perfect, no, but we are glad we did the surgery.
Click to expand...
This sounds like our little girl. She's loves to run, and we have the room for her to do so, but she, too, comes up lame once she comes in and settles down. Sometimes it's only a little pain, and she can "walk it off", while at other times it appears to be considerably more, as she has trouble getting up. Either way, next morning she's usually good to go again.

Thank you for the response!
 
Icetech said:
My vet said it's pretty much 100% on the other knee going out... depending how active the dog is.. My beagle was up and running around the day after the operation.. they are insane dogs..
Click to expand...
Yikes! None of the vets we've seen have given us odds or possibilities, but if that's the case, looks like I won't be insulating and building-out the shop/shed this summer after all.
 
ProjectBazza said:
Yikes! None of the vets we've seen have given us odds or possibilities, but if that's the case, looks like I won't be insulating and building-out the shop/shed this summer after all.
Click to expand...
ya never know.. your dog might be mellow.. but try to control a beagle... their nose owns them and will over-ride any sense they might have :)
 
Our Husky mix, Trinny [8, when rescued]... blew out both her knees one night when we were out for dinner. She couldn't walk. Long story short...after a couple consults, we took her to Michigan State veterinary school in Lansing Mi.[great place]. They did a double TPLO on her. She was 12, and many said to put her down...but, she was a incredible dog. Money wasn't an issue. but having her was. She recovered perfectly, and lived to 18.

post winter dogs close-up Trinny.jpg


101_0050.jpg
 
Last edited:
Dogs are funny.. i literally won't spend a penny to see a Dr. unless i'm literally on the verge of death.. but my dog has a sniffle.. OH GOD!!! to the vet!!
 
MMissile said:
Our Husky mix, Trinny... blew out both her knees one night when we were out for dinner. She couldn't walk. Long story short...after a couple consults, we took her to Michigan State veterinary school in Lansing Mi.[great place]. They did a TPLO on her. She was 12, and many said to put her down...but, she was a incredible dog. Money wasn't an issue. but having her was. She recovered perfectly, and lived to 18.
Click to expand...
I hate the people who say "put em down"... If there is more life in the dog, I would definitely spend the $$!!!!
You're good people!! :thumbsup:
 
85glht said:
We had to seclude our dog for at least 5 weeks... We kept him in one room that he could still see us in. We hung shower curtains to block out the windows he could look out.... He goes nuts over squirrels and visitors, never mind the mailman. :rolleyes: I slept on the couch so he wouldn't be alone. It wasn't easy but I didn't want to spend the money and not follow close directions from the vet and have this all for nothing. I was home on leave cause my wife broke her ankle while on vacation. I took care of them both.
Click to expand...
There's an oak tree right outside the window of the front bedroom...which just happens to be the room the dogs use for their self appointed "guard duty", and in an old knothole in that same tree lives a family of squirrels. 15 feet away, and almost at the same height...squirrels! We have to close the shades quite often in that window, but "somehow...someone" (cough, cough) has damaged the shades, and not gently!

This same dog had surgery on her hip (cancerous growth) about a year ago, so we're well-versed on hauling-out the queen size mattress from the spare/guest bedroom and sleeping on the floor with her.

But I can't imagine taking care of a dog, and a spouse, at the same time. That must have been a challenge!
 
Last edited:
MMissile said:
Our Husky mix, Trinny... blew out both her knees one night when we were out for dinner. She couldn't walk. Long story short...after a couple consults, we took her to Michigan State veterinary school in Lansing Mi.[great place]. They did a double TPLO on her. She was 12, and many said to put her down...but, she was a incredible dog. Money wasn't an issue. but having her was. She recovered perfectly, and lived to 18.
Click to expand...
Ah! You "get it"!

Good Man! :thumbsup:
 
MMissile said:
Our Husky mix, Trinny... blew out both her knees one night when we were out for dinner. She couldn't walk. Long story short...after a couple consults, we took her to Michigan State veterinary school in Lansing Mi.[great place]. They did a double TPLO on her. She was 12, and many said to put her down...but, she was a incredible dog. Money wasn't an issue. but having her was. She recovered perfectly, and lived to 18.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the response. It really does help to hear other people's stories about this.

Much appreciated!
 
We've rescued 10 Huskies in the last 35 years. Amazing family members, though not for most people.
 
ProjectBazza said:
There's an oak tree right outside the window of the front bedroom...which just happens to be the room the dogs use for their self appointed "guard duty", and in an knothole in that same tree lives a family of squirrels. 15 feet away, and almost at the same height...squirrels! We have to close the shades quite often in that window, but "somehow...someone" (cough, cough) has damaged the shades, and not gently!

This same dog had surgery on her hip (cancerous growth) about a year ago, so we're well-versed on hauling-out the queen size mattress from the spare/guest bedroom and sleeping on the floor with her.

But I can't imagine taking care of a dog, and a spouse, at the same time. That must have been a challenge!
Click to expand...
LOL!! "Guard duty"!! We call it "squirrel patrol".

A challenge and a blessing in disguise, believe it or not. I got "paid" to be home taking care of both of them.
 
ProjectBazza said:
TPLO: Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy. Think canine version of a torn ACL.

Basically what they do is cut the bone, rotate the tibia 90 degrees, and let it heal. Supposed to be "the fix" for this ailment, but it just sounds so invasive to us.

One link: When Does My Dog Need TPLO Surgery? | Veterinary Surgical Specialists

Two link: Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy for Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture in Canines: Patient Selection and Reported Outcomes

Sounds really scary to, so I guess I'm just trying to "man up" about this.
Click to expand...
You'll have to help your dog by lifting with a towel under the belly for awhile.[maybe not for 1 knee] It wasn't an issue for us. She healed completely, and you'd never know anything had happened to her. A husky is probably one of the harder dogs to have comply with....anything. It was a life-saver for her.
 
Last edited:
They mentioned that to us as well, helping with a towel. We have 4 steps down from our doorway to the back yard, but the steps are big, like 2 feet each so she was able to get all 4 legs onto each step before going to the next one. We didn't need to help her as she managed just fine, but I think if the steps were smaller, like stairs to your basement, I would have had to carry her up and down them every time.

I will say, she can't squat like she used to be able to either, it makes cleaning up droppings a pain, she has to almost walk as she goes, so instead of piles, they are long trails! Lol
 
Last edited:
MMissile said:
Our Husky mix, Trinny [8, when rescued]... blew out both her knees one night when we were out for dinner. She couldn't walk. Long story short...after a couple consults, we took her to Michigan State veterinary school in Lansing Mi.[great place]. They did a double TPLO on her. She was 12, and many said to put her down...but, she was a incredible dog. Money wasn't an issue. but having her was. She recovered perfectly, and lived to 18.

View attachment 1716231329

View attachment 1716231330
Click to expand...
(On the edit: ) Great looking dogs!
 
MMissile said:
You'll have to help your dog by lifting with a towel under the belly for awhile.[maybe not for 1 knee] It wasn't an issue for us. She healed completely, and you'd never know anything had happened to her. A husky is probably one of the harder dogs to have comply with....anything. It was a life-saver for her.
Click to expand...
I guess we haven't given any thought to that yet, but this makes good sense.

Thanks!
 
72Duster440 said:
They mentioned that to us as well, helping with a towel. We have 4 steps down from our doorway to the back yard, but the steps are big, like 2 feet each so she was able to get all 4 legs onto each step before going to the next one. We didn't need to help her as she managed just fine, but I think if the steps were smaller, like stairs to your basement, I would have had to carry her up and down them every time.

I will say, she can't squat like she used to be able to either, it makes cleaning up droppings a pain, she has to almost walk as she goes, so instead of piles, they are long trails! Lol
Click to expand...
The "surgery vet" said they would give us a "Recovery Schedule", with less and less restrictions each week during recovery. I don't remember most of them, but I do remember the vet saying that for Week 2 they would release her for "light stairs". Only 3 steps (total) to get outside, but still won't be able to go downstairs to the lower level.
 
Last edited:
I think by week 2 or maybe 3 we were doing a couple 5 minute walks a day. It was pretty quick before our dog wanted to be at 100%, but we had to keep her in a pen to keep her from over doing
 
Andre (2 year old rottweiler) had his TPLO surgery done on Dec 13 2023. We reduced his weight from 100 to 95#. After the surgery there are no stairs for two weeks. No unleashed pees or poops. A steady medication to reduce inflammation and to keep him comfortable (anxiety).

We kept him on leash only for about 8 weeks and encouraged no spazzing out after that as well. His primary exercise is/was swimming.

He injured himself with just some straightline acceleration going for the ball.

We have been very careful to get that leg up n running as to not injure the other.

EDIT: We got a ramp for the car.

He was a well behaved/trained boy before this happened and that paid dividends.

I dont do dog parks anymore.

I could have gotten it done cheaper, but I didnt. 7K. Money well spent IMHO.

There are re-hab situations that you could investigate. Its time and money as well but obviously less invasive.

Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top