Our TPLO Surgery Experience - Not Very Good - You Might Want to Consider Other Alternatives
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- I am not a veterinarian but our 6 year old labrador retriever tore her Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) and after doing much research which seemed to indicate a Tibial-Plateau-Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) was the Gold Standard for dogs over 40 lbs, we opted to have that surgery and have regretted it ever since. This details our experience which has been disappointing.
Some things I thought of after making this video:
1. I should have mentioned we did keep her on a leash at all times during the recovery phase except while making this video as I wanted to show how she was walking naturally, not as she walked pulling on a leash.
2. When she had the plate removed, the vet looked for problems (including a meniscus tear) and couldn't find anything wrong. She was rolling out with that leg prior to and after having the plate removed. The vet said she didn't have a torn meniscus but I'm skeptical.
3. The first few times she came up badly lame, we rushed her to our local vet and each time he did x-rays and saw nothing wrong although the joint is very arthritic now.
Bootlegs Matter posted a link to a detailed paper on complications of tibial plateau levelling osteotomy in dogs you should check out if considering this operation: www.orthovet.org/sites/defaul... - Спорт
You let your pup off leash bro. You're not suppose to do that for 12 week. slow walks. Go potty. Go back in. Small confined space. No free roam. Looks like you didn't follow the very strict instructions. And you're taking her on hikes after within weeks of surgery? Even with taking it out. You did that to your dog bro.
No I disagree you're an idiot
@@michaels.9632 No, he's absolutely right. Talk to any orthopedic vet and they'll say exactly the same thing.
My dog is in week 3 and he is still soooo sore. However, his CCL injury happened in one move, it was instant pain and leg up for 2 weeks till vet cut him open and fixed his knee. He already stop on in to pee, had a moment that tried to run, etc...leash for 12 weeks at least and hoping it all works out. I have to say, walking slowly as recommended he si already walking in a better shape and putting more weight on that knee. I just have to wait for the 6 week post op x ray. Good luck to everyone, dogs are family...by the way..if anyone did their acl, you would be on crutches for 4 weeks at least.
You know the TPLO recovery instructions? They are not the same as the lateral suture surgery.
My 7 year old pitbull has had two tplo surgeries and the recovery has major restrictions that I don't see being followed in these videos. I work in vet med and have seen multiple dogs recover wonderfully from these surgeries.
His post op care was horrendous
I agree it's not what >I< have been instructed to do (looks over at goober girl IN her crate sleeping). I'm horrified.
Dude, did you even watch any of the recovery time. It’s 3 months..... this isn’t how any of this works.
Dude I just went through all this. You gotta be patient and work with the doctor during the recovery. It won’t be a linear process. My dog seemed fully recovered one day just to start limping again the next. I was stressing out a lot but I kept my faith. Now, he’s fully recovered after three months. We’ve gone on long walks, hiking and running. All the money felt well spent. Yours might be an isolated incident. In that case, I’m sorry for your dog.
Did you slowly introduce her back to her normal activities like hiking? How long after the surgery did you do this
@@wn9742.......Your dog should have been on leash & not been allowed to run loose. It's instinctive for your pet......more supervision on your part was conducive to a successful outcome!!!
What's disappointing and heartbreaking is that it's clear that her post op care was not taken seriously. Poor girl should have been in a kennel for 2 weeks recovering. It's absurd to expect she'd be "walking around like nothing ever happened" after two weeks.
I agree 100% with you on this one. My dog had TPLO about 3 weeks ago. They told me VERY LITTLE ACTIVITY FOR SIX WEEKS. It's impossible to enforce the activity restriction, and I don't have the heart to lock up my dog in his crate for 24 hours a day, which is kind of what my vet and his nurse implied after I picked him up at the animal hospital. Even with Trazodone (a sedative) my dog still wants to walk and play, especially in the mornings and after dinner in the evenings. The sedative does help to chill him out, so he usually sleeps all afternoon and he sleeps through the night. But breakfast time and dinnertime, that's another story. Fortunately, he can walk pretty well, but I make sure the walks are fairly short, just a couple blocks. (We used to walk at least 3 miles every day.) But still...he has his moments. My dog jumped up on the sofa to keep my brother company the other day, even after I asked my brother TO MAKE SURE THE DOG WOULDN'T JUMP UP ON THE SOFA!!!! (What an accommodating and helpful brother, right?) But honestly John, I think it would have been SO MUCH EASIER if my dog had been kept in a kennel for at least one week following surgery. Most dog owners cannot enforce these ridiculous activity restrictions. But yeah, thank god for the Trazodone! Without it my dog would be far more active than he should be during his period of rest and recovery. But it's still really hard for me to deal with this.
100 agreed. His post op care was cruel. It's a shame people have this procedure done, don't follow the STRICT guidelines and expect their dog to walk normal. This video is so sad and heartbreaking that he didn't follow post op care properly
@@MathematicalCowboy Holy CRAP. Your dog is NOT supposed to be doing all that at three weeks out. It is supposed to be confined to a small area for another 3 weeks yet. A couple of blocks of walking is a crap ton more than it is supposed to have. My vet said try to keep it to 5 mins and under for potty and then right back in to the crate. I hope your dog managed to heal right despite this.
My dog is going in 2 days for the surgery. Definitely not supposed to be walking around 2 days later.
The post surgery instructions for that surgery say to keep them on leash at all times. Her recovery is on you.
Piss off.
That would not cause her leg to bow out. Save your nasty comments! You witch. This guy loves his dog and it's heart breaking to see your fur baby in pain. Don't need rude comments. Think before your speak.
@@MsChristyMarie yes, it absolutely would’ve. He pushed the dog too quick too fast. It’s all on him.
@@Layla-in3fm Yep, this is 100% non-compliance with the recovery directions.
ua-cam.com/video/zE9g11Q0ITs/v-deo.html this video explains how recovery should be done after a TPLO.
No offense to the owner, i feel you, but you should've be veeery patient for at least 2 months after the surgery. After all imagine to have surgery on us humans on a knee. We wouldn't be able to walk in just a week!
Once the cruciate ligament tears the knee becomes unstable. An unstable knee is prone to development of osteoarthritis years down the line. If the osteoarthritis becomes severe enough dogs can lose the ability to use that leg. The goal of the TPLO surgery is to stabilize the knee to reduce arthritic changes over time. 90 to 95% of dogs return to normal function following TPLO procedure years down the line, higher than any other surgery for torn cruciates. Your dog may have been walking fine following tear of the cruciate ligament but if left untreated over months and years she would develop severe osteoarthritis in that knee.
Once the knee becomes unstable this can cause extra stress on the menisci. With enough stress they can tear causing what we call a meniscal tear. A meniscal release his procedure where we transect the meniscotibial ligament that holds the meniscus in place. The idea behind this is that if we cut that ligament the meniscus is more free to move around therefore maybe it is under less stress. However studies show that meniscal release does not reduce the incidence of meniscal tears in dogs following TPLO surgery.
That internal rotation or bowing out of the leg that you see on your dog is due to internal rotation of the tibia compared to the femur. One of the purposes of the cruciate ligament is to prevent internal rotation of the tibia. Once the cruciate ligament tears there is no prevention of that internal rotation. The TPLO procedure does not fix the cruciate ligament it only alters the shape of the bone to stabilize the joint. Therefore internal rotation can still result following TPLO procedure. This is usually corrected by placement of a lateral suture to prevent that internal rotation. Many dogs do not require this suture because overtime the muscles of the joint will strengthen and that internal rotation will disappear or reduce.
The difficulty that you see of your dog getting up out of the bed may be a sign of hip dysplasia and is not a result of the knee or any meniscal tear or procedure complication.
Finally, following the TPLO The vet instructs you to keep your dog strictly confined for a total of eight weeks. This includes leash walks only and no off-leash activity whatsoever. Failure to comply with these instructions may lead to increased complications during recovery.
Have had two TPLO procedures done to my dog. With proper rehab it works wonders.
Went thru two TPLO surgeries here to...one on each hind leg. Both went well. My dog weighs 80#. Like humans, there is no "One size fits all" surgery.
Your supposed to keep on leash and use a sling to help with the leg. Take out to go to the bathroom and come right back in! Strict rest for a minimum of 8-12 weeks until further notice from your vet! Your dog doesn’t know what to do but you do! The surgery is only successful if the owners do the right thing! I feel bad your baby had to go through that but you should have done your research prior to surgery.
Exactly! I was horrified to see her in snow and ice not being supported. And to hear this man holding the vet responsible for a clear violation of post-op protocols is maddening.
this is not accurate
No research even needed really, the vet will give you all the information you need. You can look into other peoples stories that have done this to look for recs on dogs similar to yours. But really, you are given every thing you need to succeed. So sad, this didn't need to have gone so poorly..
Oh dear heavens! What gorgeous dogo you have. It truly is heartbreaking to see her progress or recovery not going exactly as plan. To me it's hard to tell what went wrong but it is obvious in each step. I hope that by now, with all that many struggles and treatments, your dog fully recover. I"m with my dog 2nd day of his bilateral TPLO and I'm struggling here. I just hope that my boy come out alright. It's hard. From a dog owner to another, that invest so much for their care out of love, I hope that your fur baby gets fully recover. Thank you for sharing.
My Husky had TPLO on March 5th and now it's like the injury never happened. It helps that my wife is an ortho nurse. We were instructed that our dog was to put NO WEIGHT ON THE LEG FOR 3 DAYS after surgery.
My 80 pound Golden had it done 2 years ago and thank god it worked on him. He was fine after 8 weeks and had no problems with that leg for two years. The other leg is having some problems now but don’t know if I would go with TPLO again. Good luck, hope your dog gets better.
Thanks for sharing your story. I hope she continues to improve!!!
Thanks for Sharing . Lily my 5 years old golden retriever did the surgery here in Canada and i know how hard to see your dog go through intrusive medical procedure but she healed really well while i was continuously applying heat and cold on the wound and it did take a really long time ( 6 months ) for her to heal completely .also she lost a good a mount of weight which also helped putting less pressure on the knee, nowadays she is using her rear left leg the same way she was before her actual injury but you can still clearly see its still not as it was before the injury .
Her other knee started a while ago to show similar symptoms, and i m like omg here we go again but thankfully , I put her back on movement restriction and continuously applying cold 3-4 times a day on the right knee this time day 10-15 min. and i must say its working but also she can do one wrong move and back in to it so i m always careful with her movement. Hope this help
Thank you Brad for the effort that you have put into this video. Surgery is always a last resort in my book, but when are solely responsible for another beings welfare your emotions can take over and cloud your judgement.
I feel your pain as I am in a similar situation ( no surgery yet ) just emotional pain for me and physical for my dog.
Thank you for sharing
I am so sorry to hear this. My Sadie is 11 days out of surgery with no issues. I did a lot of research on the 4 major techniques, and the TPLO with meniscectomy (longitudinal tear in the medial which is the one that takes a beating with a ruptured CCL). I am glad you got a 2nd opinion. The Tightrope technique is the is very strong, but harbors a high infection rate. TTA is about the only other surgery, and that splits and shims the tibia to move the tuberosity (where the patellar tendon attaches) forward. This applies a shear force to the tendon. If the CCL is truly ruptured, then I think repair is the right move. The joint will change for the worse with every unstable load. It is likely she is limping due to a meniscus injury. They are a source of pain for sure.
Thanks for sharing your experience, our baby is having TPLO surgery in 2 weeks and we are so worried. Our surgeon said confinement for the first 2weeks and only out on leash for potty breaks with support sling. I don’t know if you did that but I guess you did what your vet said to do. You love them like one of your kids and you want what is best for them. You have a beautiful dog, I hope he’s better now.
Hi Brad! This was a great post! Our 2 year old lab fully ruptured both ligaments and tore meniscus' in both hind legs so we did TPLO. He did amazing on the first surgery, the second was a bit rougher on him and he was pretty grumpy the first week after the second (understandably). It was hard to see him swollen the first week for both but now, 5 weeks into recovery on the second surgery he is doing amazing! My husband and I went through so many emotions each time - "was this right to put him through this?, will he hate us? what if it doesn't heal right? we can't make him go through this again!" He's had both legs done back to back - so since March of this year he's been in surgery and recovery - a straight 4 months! I am glad we did it because he had no other options with a full rupture. Even with a full rupture on both we only noticed when he was getting up off the couch or his dog bed and he could not jump into the car without us lifting his back in. He had a partial meniscectomy on both legs. It's interesting what you said about the black lab - ours was also walking around like nothing happened after two weeks. I'm so sorry this happened to your dog and I think you are correct, your vet should have recommended something less invasive than TPLO or done something with the meniscus. I do want to tell you that you should not beat yourself up about any of this - it's clear from the videos she is still happy and loves you - limp or not. I know how hard it is when you have a special connection with your dog and watch them go through this. I felt those emotions HARD over the last 4 months. I hope I never have to go through this with another dog. I will also add that I will never put my dog through another surgery - he's happy now and 2 was enough, I'm just hoping nothing goes wrong with his plate. You probably already have her on joint supplements but if not make sure you start giving them to her - they make a huge difference.
one more thing I noticed is they used old school staples on your dog! ours were dissolving. probably not a huge thing, but they don't look comfortable at all.
I feel you. Mine completely ruptured her first knee in November 2022, at just over a year old. Then on New years day, 8 weeks into recovery, she completely ruptured the other. So now I am 2 days out from the surgery on the second. As well as the first is healing I have high hopes for this second one but it sucks right now...she's SO swollen and it was oozing a bit earlier which makes me nervous..but on the other hand, it's so swollen...how would it not ooze. This will suck hard till she can lose the stitches and the cone...then the rest I can handle, no problem.
I'm sorry that your dog and you had to go thru all this. Very very sad that we are missed inform. I have a twelve year old poodle with extended leg problem. Been to different vets. So many different opinions all the time. Very scary. Do surgery don't do surgery???? I have cried so many times before going to sleep when I see her liping. God bless you guys. Give that beauty a hug from me.
It's is very hard - wish our dogs could tell us what was wrong.
Mirna:
You're not only one. I found out my dog has a CCL issue too, just few days ago. Damned, life was bad enough with this FUCKING Covid and all of the other employment issues. Let alone -- now, my dog has knee problems too. Whew, life isn't as easy as it was when we were kids, right? So, if you think you are the only one who has a shed a tear, you are not. I have too, along with wife. Thanks for your posted comment, Mirna.
Your post op care was ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS. She should have NEVER been off leash the first 8 weeks. Shame on you!
Our 7 year old golden just had a TPLO 2 days ago. He walked out of the clinic on all 4 legs really well. It’s a little over 2 hours from the clinic to our house so I rode in the back to keep him stable. We already had an area prepped in our living room with a fence around it to keep him isolated from our other golden and to restrict his movement. He is walking better in 2 days than he did before the surgery. Of course when he exits his fenced area he is on a leash, goes potty and right back to the restricted area.
I think you have to do a lot of research not only if a TPLO is right but you have to find the best surgeon. I could have had my dogs surgery done cheaper but a dogs legs are their life and if you mess it up then they are done. I went to Skylos Sports Medicine in Frederick Maryland because they looked like the best to me. He has no staples and internal stitches that will dissolve, my dog looks real good after 2 days.
I would never let my dog run around especially off leash like this video, it’s just to early for that.
So sorry to hear you had a poor outcome. I have a large dog who tore his CCL last year the end of Sept. It was hard to find a surgeon, but we did and he had the surgery in Dec 2021 the one that ties the two bones together. He managed to break the pin they had to stablize it and is now looking at a second surgery the TPLO. We are very nervous about this surgery and the extensive rehab afterwards, not to mention the cost of a second surgery. The first surgery was a bit over 3K and the second is a bit over 4K. It is so hard to know what to do and we rely on the experts. My husband just ordered a brace to try.
I'm so sorry to see this xxx
My dog had the tightrope method done just a few days ago. TPLO was not an option for us because of the expense. I really hope Aspen will get better or will at least continue being a happy dog for the rest of her years
Thank God I read this b4 decided to do the surgery for my husky.
Was her knee clicking? Do you still see the pivot shift on the right leg? I'm so sorry she's struggling.
Her knee was not clicking. I have a friend's who had a TPLO done on her dog and it was clicking terribly and after many surgeries, her dog had to have the leg amputated. So sad. Anyway, right now, it seems her left leg CCL seems to be torn and we haven't done anything yet, but she's favoring that leg and her right leg is now her stronger leg. She rotates less on it now that she has to rely on that leg more. Ugh.
@@MTBIKEXC you might consider a custom fitted stifle brace. There are two stand-out companies: Hero Braces (www.goherogo.com) and Orthopets. I don't like the other companies for various reasons. There are cheap stifle braces of Amazon which I don't recommend because they, slip, slide and twist when the dog moves. That can result in more pain, the very last thing these CCL pups need. Stifle braces need to be worn for up to nine months in order to grow scar tissue needed to stabilize the joint internally, but I'm thinking that with one stable leg to rely on, she might have a fighting chance with a brace. Wishing you and your dog the very best.
My dog blew out her first knee in November and she walked like your dog did AFTER surgery holding the leg up before the surgery- she couldn't use it. In my experience the way your dog was walking the first week is the way my dog walked before surgery. By 6 weeks out from surgery she was completely solid on the leg with no limping though at times you could see her shifting her weight to the good leg from time to time. THEN at 9 weeks post surgery she was GREAT and moving pretty normally in that leg, and she blew the other knee out and she is 2 days out from surgery on that leg as I write this. The first leg is being solid as a rock and supporting her at this point as she has no other choice. The vet checked the first leg and says it is perfect on the xrays still. Of course she is back on complete crate rest from the surgery so her first leg can finish up full healing while she begins healing on the other leg. I am being particularly particular and careful about surfaces she walks on, the speed I will allow her to walk and because I have 3 stairs to the ground from my home any way you go, she has to do those stairs so I make her take a step and stop and release any pulling or tension she's putting on the collar and stop, then another stair and stop and the last and stop. This enforces on her the way I want her to navigate the stairs and puts the least stress on her legs. By the time crate restrictions are loosened her first leg will be done with the bone healing rock solid at 12 weeks in. As far as I know there was no meniscus release done on my dog on either knee- as far as I know it was left intact to do its job. I got her in FAST after the injuries and she was fixed fast 3 weeks with the first as I got her diagnosed and figured out what to do and got my oars in the water, 9 days the second as they knew me and I knew them and we'd talked about this eventuality and had a plan, and her meniscus was pristine each time (though he said that if it was torn or damaged he'd have to remove it). My dr was trained by one of the best in the UK. He said that if he didn't cut out the tendon that ruptured it would cause pain her entire life, same with torn meniscus. Perhaps the vet that did it didn't do that or didn't do a good job of that. My vet also said that if it was not fully ruptured he'd leave it in there to heal...maybe that was the case in your dog that it was left and for whatever reason it just hasn't healed as expected. I wonder if during the plate removal if they didn't remove more which helped deal with some of the pain. My dr warned me that if she wrenches the knee just the wrong way that it can still pop out of place on rare occasion but that with the bones changed it will pop right back into place by itself immediately, but that it popping out will naturally hurt and may make her sore for a couple days and there is nothing that can be done about this- it is what it is.
She came out of surgery this time (9 days from injury to surgery) putting weight on with her foot flat on the floor when I went to pick her up, the leg that the day before she held up and couldn't use. She is still holding it up half the time since, but it was shocking to see her actually have it on the ground that soon after surgery when I went to pick her up. This is like a near miracle for us. Each time she couldn't use the leg at all. Imagine if she couldn't use the first leg and then blew out the second trying to support the first (which is what essentially happened, her good but weak knee couldn't hold up to the increased duty any longer and ruptured out). Then she wouldn't have been able to walk at all and that is disastrous in a 100 lb dog. I am hoping this knee heals as well as the first one, but even if it doesn't and she still kind of limps, at least she can walk, trot, run a little even and go to the bathroom without extraordinary help. That's a whole lot better than being unable to walk at all and I'd probably have to get her a wheelchair or put her down. That would be a shame as she was JUST a month over a year old when the first blew out. She has a whole life ahead of her.
I am so sorry for how the recovery for your dog has gone. When my 3 yr. old 50+ lb. Greyhound pit-bull mix tore his CCL I had been with the same veterinarian for more than 15 years. After my dog's examination my veterinarian recommended the TPLO surgery and a surgeon they used regularly to perform the operation. I met the surgeon after I dropped off my dog while leaving the building and I guess I looked worried because the surgeon volunteered that he had done this many times and my dog would be fine. I wish you had a surgeon like the one I had. He did not use staples he used stitches, there was no infection, minimal swelling, and the cost was $3,200.00 all-in. I performed the rehab myself and I did not remove the plate. This was back in 2019 and we have had no problems since. If you trust the veterinarian you use now I would have that leg x-rayed again something has to be wrong if your dog is still experiencing intermittent swelling and lack of use. I appreciate the tone of your video this is a big decision and people should try to learn as much as they can before deciding what they will do.
Im so sorry i dont want to get tplo surgery my dog is a shiba inu 3-4 years old and my dog as a child was a shiba who needed tplo... she was never the same! My shiba now is lame on her foot when she gets up like its stiff and i dont want her to get tplo im so sad 😭 idk what to do or even to take her in
Thank you for your video! My black 2 year old Lab tore his ACL and our vet recommended TTA. He is having surgery next week! I’m super nervous about it. Had anyone has any experience with TTA surgery?
I hope you chose an alternative to surgery. We were just dx with the cruciate injury and recommended TPLO. Can' t do it. We are doing rest, meds and rehab.
What a beautiful dog, we just got the surgery done and sure hope this goes well. Sorry yours didn't work, I hope its better now!
As a DVM every surgery has risks. My dog is having her second TPLO done tomorrow.
I used to do tons of CCL surgery but w TTA and TPLO I do my technique on dogs under 40 pounds.
I believe that a meniscal release should be done on every case. I do it on every CCL I do.i must have referred 200 dogs for CCL/ TPLO surgeries and I’ve seen less than 6 w complications that required revision surgery..
Here’s a question. When she blows her left CCL what are you going to do??
Interesting on the meniscal release. Funny you should ask about her other leg cause the CCL is torn on it too now. We've done nothing for almost a year now and she limps while walking on that leg, the muscle has atrophied quite a bit and her TPLO leg is now her strong leg. At 10 years old now, I guess we're opting to do nothing but it has gotten worse. She still gets around okay, no long walks anymore, when she gets up she's quite lame and doesn't put much weight on it when standing still. I have been wondering if doing a traditional fishing wire fix at this age might be a good option. We have had 3 labs in our lifetime and they died at 7, 10 and 12 so... not sure what's worth doing this late in life.
@@MTBIKEXC I’m in dire straits with my ten year old trying to decide what to do. I simply can’t afford that, and she doesn’t weigh enough! (29!) plus her other leg is already hurting AS 50-60% of all do….The vet still wants me to sell my plasma for surgery, I guess. Im heartbroken. She stays up panting and night, but she pulls and wants off lease badly. She simply jumped off the bed wrong. I want to tell you to try the NeoAlley plain neoprene with Velcro attachment braces. These helped her tremendously. They are sold in pairs because both legs are so often hurt. My pup had to use the shorter kind. Watching him walk makes me think those braces would be very helpful! (No rods, fittings, very cost effective) They are like the Velcro shoes little kids start with Im so sorry for you. I needed to see this to validate my concerns, however I can’t let her suffer? 😢 Do they want to please us this much that they don’t cry? Just pant and stay awake!? 😩
Exactly what is a meniscal release? Thanks.
@@MTBIKEXC Have you looked into a brace. The make them for CCL tears. They even have them on Amazon.
@@MTBIKEXC The original vet should have told you to expect the other to rupture out. That is the first thing mine told me. We expected it, just not during the recovery of the first leg...that was a little soon. But you do what you have to do.
Were her hips checked first? My dog used to look just like your dog pre op video. He was found to have bad hip dysplasia and has responded brilliantly to cartrophen injections and hydrotherapy
Her hips were not checked. She didn't walk like this before the operation.
She certainly has been made much worse by the surgery poor girl. My dog was thought to have cruciate disease but when his hips were found to be so bad we decided to treat them first and thank goodness he is sound now and no more treatment needed at the moment. It is so sad to see what your dog has been through
My lab had this surgery 6 months ago and he is acting just like your dog is. I am so frustrated and upset that he is in so much pain, three legs it most of the time, and is unable to act like a normal dog should.
We had our 10 year old lab/pointer mix have surgery to fix her ACL. 6 months after surgery, a stitch started to work its way out through her skin. Then at 8 months another LARGER thicker stitch started to come out and she had a terrible limp. Trip to vet and removal of all stitches later, she’s now a three legged disabled dog. It sucks!!
sorry to say this, but all i see on this video is evidence you didn’t follow the post care protocol hardly at all, which sadly likely contributed to this dog’s lack of recovery imo.
you have no right to cast blame on the tplo procedure itself, if you can’t even follow basic (albeit intensive)post care directions. you basically admitted this in another comment...
off a leash in the snow week one? are you serious?
furthermore, then blaming the surgery and creating this video is irresponsible as you’re acting like this is some honest fair sided opinion piece which it’s not.
that being said, aspen seems like a sweetheart. best of luck to you and your dog
Agreed!!
I have had great experiences with TTA surgery for my dog
I know this sounds odd but did you try to put the a sock on the other foot
My dog was limping right after she's getting up from her bed about three years ago. But the limping went away in a few minutes. She walked and ran without any problem. We took her to the vet and it turned out (through MRI) she has a very mild hip arthritis and IVDD. The vet (pet neurologist) believed IVDD is the main cause for her lameness. After some acupuncture and laser treatment to help her reduce the inflammation she started underwater treadmill. And she was not limping anymore.
The very first vet we went to is her primary care vet. She told us that our dog might have arthritis. Then we went to a vet specialized in sports injury. This doctor did a x-ray on our dog, and also examined both her leg and spine. And then, she referred us to see a neurologist.
Please see update just posted 1 year post op. It’s under the original comment
Just had TPLO on my St. Bernard 2 weeks ago for torn CCL. He’s doing the bunny hop that your dog was doing at 2 weeks. It’s been very difficult so far. I hope to see increased improvement. The cost is unbelievable for the surgery and follow up care. I am in about $5200 at this point. I will get some of it back from pet insurance. It is sad and a tough call. Thanks for sharing.
UPDATE: Dog was doing very well until a month ago which is about a year post op. All post op instructions followed precisely. The leg became very swollen and he got so bad he couldn’t move on his own. Bone healed perfectly and plate had not failed. Vets consulted ortho and neurologist. Also took culture aspirate of the leg. They are not 100% sure what happened but they believe plate needs to come out. He is up walking again but I am limiting his activity to leash and backyard only for bathroom breaks. He either bunny hops, rolls out, or stand on tippy toe of that leg. We are now contemplating removal because he was doing well until this happened and I’m concerned he may blow out the other leg sooner compensating for the tplo leg. Someone asked about my insurance sorry I’m a year late nationwide reimbursed me 90%.
It’s early so hopefully things will improve and you’ll have great results.
mcapril291 which pet insurance do you use if you don’t mind me asking? I’m looking for some now and I’ve looked into Spot.
@@musclemania30 Oh boy... that's a whole other story... She used to dig a lot and would limp on her front legs. We thought she had elbow dysplasia. We did get pet insurance and they sort of covered visits for that but I vaguely remember them saying it was a pre-existing condition or something. At maybe 3 or 4 years of age, our premium went up and I cancelled because I thought it was going to be the same premium for her whole life. So, then this happened and we had no insurance. I'm looking for the name of the pet insurance online and can't find it. I thought it was PetMD or something but that doesn't seem to be it. Sorry, wish I could help, but if your considering it, find out what the premiums will be for the life of your dog, not just when it's young.
Brad Herder I’m starting to think the best thing to do is to just set up a savings account for her.
@@musclemania30 Yeh - I agree. Insurance companies charge more than they expect to pay out. In over 40 years of driving, I've had two claims on my car insurance totaling much less than I paid in premiums - but with a car - you could hurt someone and get sued for huge dollars. With people health insurance, you could get a disease or injury that could wipe out all your savings (assuming you want to live).. So for cars and health, the risk of not having insurance is too great to not have it, but for a pet, if something really bad happens (cancer, hit by a car but not killed, etc...), it'd be a bitch, but putting them down is an option.
So sad but thank you for sharing
I am just exploring different options...for TPLO it actually takes 16 weeks approximately for recovery...its not an immediate fix all. I am thinking about whether to do TPLO OR TTA - which is less evasive. It is my thought the reason your dog is not putting her leg down is not only because of a cruciate ligament injury but also tears in her meniscal - which will not heal on its own at all and cannot be repaired. Apparently with TTA - its less evasive. You may want to consider such as she will continue to deteriorate without. Give her time to heal without jarring and running etc. She is lovely and I am sorry she is going through this. Good luck.
my dog had this surgery two days ago. I have been advised that he is not allowed out of a cage for 6 full weeks post-op and only allowed out to relieve himself and for food. were you given these guidelines?
We had a whole mess of guidelines. I can't remember what they were but it was several weeks of nothing but out to go to the bathroom. 6 weeks sounds a little longer than I remember but it could have been.
@@MTBIKEXC yeah and you clearly didn't follow them. Being leashed is extremely important. You have to make them go slow. You cant just give them free roam. There is 6% chance of the surgery not working. Half due to screws or plates moving and half to idiots like you that don't follow instructions and then blame the vet.
@@bbibbyer378 Hi, I have a consult for our dog on Monday (for TPLO surgery). We have two extra large crates. With what you said is it best to keep her crated full-time (we can put one crate in the bedroom since she sleeps with us at night and other on floor where we spend our time to keep her confined but close to family) in order to allow for proper healing? I'm trying to prepare just to be safe and know some of this will be covered by the surgeon but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Also, I was going to purchase a sling to assist with walking when she needs to go to the bathroom. Our Daisy is 8 years old, 69 lbs (American Pitbull Terrier -- extra weight is due to thyroid issues but we are changing her diet to shed weight to assist in pressure on limbs), and has some arthritis in the bad leg and her back. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
**edited to add** I know the weight is bad. It has fluctuated the last two years since her thyroid levels are low and kept climbing (and we've been doing six week visits to find the right amount of medication for her condition). I'd changed her diet due to that but it remained at 70 during those years. At the time the vet thought it was fine (I kept asking about it in concern). I know weight is important and didn't overfeed her. I feel awful about it now.Just wanted to clarify.
@@pbjelly9082 hi! My dog had this surgery last Friday. We haven't kept him in his crate, but we blocked off an area in the kitchen so he has room the size of a small play plen. He has room to stretch his legs but not enough to do much else. We put blankets down and his bed ect. My vet gave me a sling so I would wait until you find out if they're gonna give you one before you buy one. It is critical that you do not allow your dog to be super active. Take him out to go potty ON A LEASH. and go right back in. And do not let him over do it. My dog tried to walk fast and almost sprint the 2nd day but with a leash, they are forced to go the speed you are going. Slow slow slow. . Be advised. The first couple days are going to be the hardest. They're gonna cry and whine But it gets better. My pups leg was very hard to look at and we are on day 4 and the swelling has gone down a lot already and he's already bearing weight on it. Good luck to you and if u have any questions feel free to message me. This is a very stressful surgery for owners and dog
@@bbibbyer378 Okay, that's good information and I thank you so much for it. I got a guide for the follow-up things but it never hurts to ask. I will keep her slow and make sure she doesn't get up to her usual antics. THANK YOU!
My dog is 4.5 months after her second TPLO, both legs. 14 months apart. She is doing fantastic. Even after 4.5 months, she is still only allowed off leash in my backyard, everything else is leash controlled. I'm probably over doing it, but its worth it. The surgeon left both of her menisci in tact because they were in good shape. I looked into physical therapy afterwards but my surgeon said she would basically do it on her own with controlled walks and she did. Its a shame your pup didn't do so well and I feel for you guys but I will do TPLO on any of my future dogs 100%. Bills for both legs and all the accesories/time of work/toys/treats/extra meds etc is nearing $20 000 CDN. I would do it again in an instant.
Also, make sure you are giving Glucosamine and fish oil supplements daily.
Very happy for you! Good to know this operation works. Wish I knew the percentage of good vs. not so good results.
Yep, here (and I got a bit of a discount) it cost about $4500 per knee. I paid that for the first and I paid about $4100 for the second- they gave me a break because alot of the pre op work done for the first was still valid for the second and didn't need redoing so they saved that cost and passed that onto me. I'm just so very lucky and blessed by the Lord that I had a way to cover that. Usually I wouldn't in my wildest dreams be able to afford that kind of cost. I hope to never have to have this surgery done again.
@@TRON-MP I am giving a calcium with MSM powder supplement, also an organic bone broth powder for collagen which the body uses in tendons and tissues and helps cushion the joints...especially those healing knees. I also fairly regularly are mixing cottage cheese in with her food to supply her with more calcium that her body can use to knit the bones strongly. And on top of all that I use a supplement called Nupro that my dogs love the taste of as a top dressing. It has all kinds of vitamins and trace minerals with glucosamine that will also help her heal well too.
The reason why your dog didn't heal as good/fast as possible is because she was up and walking around unassisted the day after. If these are the instructions that the Vet/surgeon gave you they were dead wrong. And why on earth would you have the plate removed? My dog is currently recovering from double TPLO and has been in a pen for the last 3 months. I was given strict instructions to crate and only to take out with an assisted harness. Couldn't do the crate but he has been in a pen. Your Vet did you a grave disservice. My dog with the proper aftercare and PLATES STILL in is doing amazing and is starting PT next week. TPLO surgery is common and very easy. I'm sorry you went through this. This has more to do with your Vet/surgeon being TERRIBLE. Also the post OP care was horrendous. I can understand if this is the instructions that you were given and not knowing any different. If that's the case its on the VET/Surgeon. If you didn't follow Post OP instructions to the T than that's on you. If you had abdominal surgery would you be doing sit-ups the very next day.
The recovery is the hardest part , it’s a slow process too . Don’t give up , there is plenty on the matter on line .
What would the miniscus release do?
What is the tightrope?
Brad Herder- My 35 lbs beagle needs a tplo, however, she uses her injured leg great. She only randomly limps after walks. My sisters dog got a tplo, and now needs a tplo on the other side. Should i go with this tplo? She is incredibly active as of now.
What did you go with? I have a 45 lbs beagle and they are suggesting TPLO. If you did the TPLO could you tell me how it worked out?
You might to contact the our dog breeder, Chris Wincek in Chardon, OHIO. 6 mos is VERY young to be neutered. My last lab was neutered at 20 months after 2 cycles. The previous 2 labs were neutered at 14 months. I understand cost is based on weight. So of course by waiting you will have to pay a little more for neutering but certainly NOT $20,000. Forewarned is for armed
I don't remember when she was fixed for sure but it would have been just before her first heat. When Aspen goes (hopefully not for quite awhile as she has been our best dog ever), I'm thinking my next dog is going to have to be bred for distance or something. We hike fairly long distances (5-20 miles at a time) and I mountain biked with Aspen too - not much but some - which may have contributed to her CCL tear although I've heard several people who've never done anything significant with their dog and had to have a TPLO. We also did agility with her - and one time she jumped off the top of the A-Frame - just flew up it and launched herself - scared the crap out of me but didn't seem to be hurt by that. She didn't develop the CCL issue till years later. Also, she loved to be chased by other dogs and could out-run every one of them. She was fast and could corner like crazy. Probably a combo of a very active life eventually wore out her CCL. Anyway, I love labs. I think there are "field" versions - might be more able to do longer distances without trouble. I dunno. I'll look at Chris's dogs. Thanks!
This is why the vets say there is a 90-95% success rate. It unfortunately looks like your pup fell in that 5-10% that do not fully recover. My dog had the TTA surgery and was fully weight bearing 2 days after surgery and started putting weight on her foot the next day. After a week she was completely walking normal. I hope your fur baby is doing better, I can't imagine the heartbreak of seeing your animal struggle after spending so much money on a surgery that is supposed to help them. I would try the TTA surgery if you can -- I have heard of people having to have the plate removed from the TPLO, the TTA is a completely different surgery.
Sorry to see this. Dogs with lameness after a tplo procedure typically either have an infection or tear in the caudal medial meniscus. Since the plate was removed and the dog was still lame it makes for a latent meniscal tear a possibility. Or a tear was there from the beginning and the tplo procedure aggravated it more. The walking or bowing of the surgical leg could be do to a pivot shift which can be an uncommon complication. Sometimes the placement of an antirotational suture can help with that. Sorry to see that you have had a poor outcome with this procedure.
you didnt what you were supposed to do, there is clear video evidence of that
Our breeder told us that every lab pup he sold that the owner had neutered before 2 years of age ended up with ACL tears. He said its really important to let hormones develop naturally in labs. Probably other dogs also nhope this info helps u in the future. We have 2 labs and love them to pieces
Interesting. She was spade at the normal 6 months or whatever it is. Our two prior labs had issues where the "leaked" and people thought that was related to being spayed.
Labs and Rottweilers are the top 2.
@@MTBIKEXC That happened to our lab, the leaking, had to give estrogen to make it stop. I also heard later or no spay and nueter is better for many of these issues, but I am no expert. In the US there is such a strong push to get pets spayed/nuetered. But I heard in the UK there isn't? I wonder if they have any problems with CCL, leaking, etc.?
Yep, studies have been done that prove that altering insanely increases their risk of blowing out their ACL. It's not all dogs, at least not proven yet. It is in my breed (rottweilers) but none of mine are altered and my young girl still blew out.
I'm considering to have surgery to my dog, he is 7, GS. He starts limping 4 weeks ago, took x-ray and on pain control till now. Now I'm scare for such invasive procedure for him, however, there literary is no other alternative option.
I was told they could not guarantee my dogs leg would improve but should give the surgery a try... go figure ..I dont know what to do..thank you for sharing
Thanks for sharing. We've got to do something about my dog, Oreo. I'm here researching what are options. She also has a ligament tear or CCL, as they say. I think I might just get her some custom braces and see if it heals on its own. She doesn't seem that bad. Just like yours, she does her Walkie just perfect. Then comes home and has a little trouble moving around the bed. One place we notice it is when she PLOPS DOWN -- if you know what I mean, she doesn't lay down anymore. SHE DROPS / PLOPS DOWN. So, maybe it hurts when she needs to bend the knee to lay down. Anyway, I wouldn't have thought about doing anything, but we took her to vet, because we thought she might have stubbed toe or something; then, they did an xray (of course, $450-ish). So, now, they're suggesting a $2500 surgery. But, they say the other leg will get a CCL if the other one does, so that's $5k eventually. So, our dog is 14 yo. I just don't see $5k, then the potential for what happened to your dog too. Many people who get CCL surgeries have some regrets. Now, if it is serious, yes. But, we are thinking of something like this ...
www.aocpet.com/products/custom-stifle-knee-dog-brace
This one is something that I can't believe ... Watch the video. If this is real, it is amazing ...
www.aocpet.com/collections/injury-1/products/performance-dog-knee-brace
ua-cam.com/video/D1Xzy5LZfU0/v-deo.html ... does that dog really have an injury?
I just want to make the good decision. We are not rich, and I could not go down the path of all of that spending, especially if the surgery went south. So, you have helped convince me that the braces are a better choice for my older dog. Thank you. I am not sure she'd tolerate the surgery well.
IF you have thoughts, please write back. And, I am so sorry what happened to your dog happened. It brings tears to my eyes. I only wish that I knew how to make what you situation is right, but yeah, I get teary eyed on mine. She's my Buddie-Bud and is with me 24/7. So, it's hard not to want to take action to help alleviate her pain.
Oh - just seeing this. At 14, I wouldn't even think of surgery. A brace might help but man - $695 for the first one is very expensive. The $325 one seems a lot more reasonable. but I wonder if you'll have significant success with either. My dog's other leg is bad now and her TPLO leg is now bearing most of the weight and has beefed up considerable where her other leg is very atrophied. If both legs were failing, I'd try a brace. Although, if Oreo can get around without, especially at 14, maybe it's just how it's gonna be. I tend to plop down myself b/c my knees hurt and they hurt when I get up but I can go hike without much trouble and my dog seems to be similar. Sounds like yours is too. I know how you feel. Nothing is worse than telling my dog she can't go on a hike and she knows my hiking clothes vs. my biking clothes. Breaks my heart.
Ligaments don't heal. They are fibres that have torn and will never just reconnect on their own.
@@MTBIKEXC Let me tell you what happened, Brad. I can not believe that I am writing this. She is almost healed and/or fully healed. You won't believe what I did. This is no joke. I almost duck-tacked it, like in this video. We tried a full cast (at first), and it was just a pain-in-ass. She hated it and fought us. We stopped going running together (her and I), and we quit walkies. All she could do was ride in car, slowly go down stairs to poo-poo, and no chasing squirrels or anything. And, we just made her rest, as much as we could. And, we kept taping it. She is even taped tonight. And, what I can't believe, is you would not even know it. We don't take the tape off, until it comes off. But, she has no outward signs of it. Now, we haven't had her X-rayed, but vet has looked at her. And, our vet can't believe it. She spent $5000 to fix her dog's knees, and she suggested same for us. She had one go bad and she braced it, then the other went bad little later. And, she spent the money for the surgery -- after saving up. But, I don't understand. Oh, also, we give our dog DASQUIN (the Costco one), and it helped too, I think, to rebuild cartilage and it has CONDROTRION (I think), GLOCOSIMINE and MSM. Just whatever, that helped too.
And, tonight, I am shocked that we went walkie & drove around & they got out 3 times tonight. And, I just looked and she doesn't have the tape on anymore. So, I'm not sure she needs it, but we just keep it on her, just-in-case. Here is video. Maybe it can help you. Promise you -- this vet's on YT's technique works.
@@TRON-MP Troy, you might (or might not) be correct. I don't know, but read my post above to Brad. Vet recommended surgery for our dog, but I don't have $3000/$3500 for one side. Then, Vet said other side would go soon, so she said to do both ... $5k here. And, my dog is 14 -- almost 15 yoa now. So, I didn't want to do it. So, I know you won't believe me, but I taped the damn thing. And, I think she is healed, or if not healed, it is close enough to normal that it is not noticeable. If you have questions, do ask.
@@MTBIKEXC Brad, also, if you have questions. Do ask. Read my reply to Troy too.
We are going in for a consult. I hate this operation because it is 30 years old and very invasive. Please tell us who did your surgery. We are in Connecticut.
Sorry to hear. However, my golden needed to have both legs done via tool. Both were very successful and he can run around like he did when he was a puppy. No regrets here. But you’re right…very expensive. $6k/ leg. Note…it took him about a year to get to a point where I did not notice any limp or favouring of the leg. I think some of the hesitation was healing…and some was a fear of using the knee.
My 20-pound Bichon poodle had TPLO about 3 weeks ago. Limps a little, but doing pretty good. Why was your dog's metal plate removed. My vet told me that usually it's not necessary to remove the plate. Most veterinary surgeons just leave the plate in there unless the screws break or the doctor suspects the plate is causing problems. You live in Asheville, North Carolina? I hear it's a truly beautiful city and extremely dog friendly, but also very expensive. Sometimes I think about retiring there, but by the time I retire (in about 10 years) Asheville could be so costly that I may not be able to live there! Nice video, and I sincerely wish you and your beautiful dog the very best. By the way, sorry about the Rimadyl toxicity. I give my dog Rimadyl, but only on days when he really needs it. I was warned against giving it to him every day because eventually it can produce a toxic reaction, especially in the dog's liver.
Damn, that sucks. My dog just had his second TPLO surgery and he's walking on all fours after 3 days. Unfortunately, he gets major dysphoria when coming down from anaesthesia and it's 48 hours of perpetual whining/crying before he finally settles down (we call it the NIGHTMARE PHASE). After that, everything calms down. We do keep him on a leash as much as possible for poo and pee, but man, if he hears barking or a cat outside, he'll dart towards the stairs, or hop on a bed with just three legs, and it's scary as hell! We minimise his movement to one room, but even a couple of days is a long enough time to slip up once in a while (we both work somewhat from home, and can't afford to take time off) and leave the door ajar for a moment. I think there's a lot of stress on post-op because any sort of infection or any joint problems means they need to get back in there. But I mean stuff like rehabilitation and all, we don't have any of that here in India and dogs do just fine as long as you're paying attention to your dogs. They tell you a lot with their movements, and looks. Also, never ever trust your other dog because all he actually wants is to get back to chasing/playing/hiking and will keep trying to get the patient moving. What a bad influence he becomes.
youre supposed to keep them for 2 weeks in crate rest mode
That’s not true for every surgeon instructions. It’s just not true you’re supposed to keep them on leash while walking and they definitely need walking for bone growth
No leash! Leash is a necessity. Our lab was walking in 2 days and wanted to go on her mile walks . Our chow chow had both done at 8 and 9 years and still catches rabbits.
Brad, where in Asheville did u have this done? Thanks!!
Actually had it done in Vermont.
Thank you for sharing an honest, terribly bad experience for Aspen and family. This info confirms my fears and would never consider this procedure. Too invasive, and I'm hoping Aspen is doing well, respectfully j
Hi, i have looked into tplo dog owners that have had this surgery, it is extremely painful and most need to have the plate removed. I have opted to do the MMP instead for my GSD on Monday, less invasive, just as good and shorter recovery time. Hope for the best. Im so sorry for your pooch.
Why did you have the plate removed? I can’t see that helping and as you said it was another big surgery.
That's so sad, you just cemented my decision. I'm m not going to do it. Thank you for sharing. One thing I noticed is that she was supposed to be on a leash at all times to control her walk. Did your vet fail to tell you that?
Please do one of the surgeries though. You will drastically shorten your dogs quality-life by leaving a blown knee untreated.
TPLO’s are great procedures (coming from a Vet Tech). The thing most people don’t realize is that majority of the work is after the surgery. My 6 year old got a TPLO surgery, and we started rehab on day 3 post-op. Of course every dog will have a different healing process, but after a TPLO there are strict instructions we must follow. Short walks controlled on the leash. No running, jumping, playing until at least 8 weeks post-op. Never forget to do daily rehab exercises at home, for the entire 10-12 week healing process.
I’m sorry you went through all this trouble. You nor the pup deserve to go through all this trouble. However, I really hope that the reason she didn’t recover well is because she has a bad reaction to the plate/screws… and NOT because you didn’t follow recovery instructions.
Wish you two the best of luck
Our GSD just had one too for her left leg. She gets her staples out tomorrow and the post op is the most important! She no longer has a limp. Aspen should have been laying down for 2 weeks except to eat and go to the bathroom on a leash. Then icing with crushed iced at least 3-4 times a day! Why spend money on something like this if you're not going to take the after care seriously!
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thats super sad. Out 8 year old pitbull needs this done. Such a sweet dog. Thats so much to go through for a dog. I dont know what to do. Do the surgery or not. What do you think. I watched the full video, great video. Im surprised your dog Is favoring the good leg, didnt put alot of wear on the good leg, making that one rupture as well. There are obviously 2 ligaments the Cruciate ligament, and caudal ligament. The cruicate more holding the tibia and femur from sliding front and back, as the caudal ligament more side to side. Could it be the caudal? The meniscus is a stabilizer and Is cushion, usally the remove 20-30% of the torn meniscus when doing the tplo. We both are not vets or doctors, just alot of research, and im still not sure what to do. The Suture with the fishing like dosent satable the side to side movement, if the did it to both ligament in the knee there would be no mobility. There is a brace, but nit fixing thr limoing can either cause arthritis or bith legs to go out from favioring. Big choice to make
What did you do? My 11 year old Pitbull has this I don’t know what to do either.
My brother two things you should do my dog had this don’t walk your dog anywhere where the ground is not solid no snow or beaches second thing invest in a Photonic health light and keep your dog in quarantine until she is better ask for a point page where to use the light on your dog I did this for my dog and he was back to normal in a couple of month so tried walking him on the beach maybe five min and his leg started bothering him again so now I knew for sure that’s what caused it but stop walking him on the beach and it never came back also gave him some treats for ligaments I’m glad I never did the surgery and these vets wanted me to do both legs and nothing was even wrong with the other leg so when you walk your dog or let him her play in the snow the leg stretches past it’s point it should and that’s what causes the leg to bother your dog the light is amazing a lil expensive but a lot cheaper than that surgery well I hope your dog gets better and God bless
Where did you get the light?
Week 1 no leash week 4 leash... So u didn't do the required post surgery instructions and now your mad. What was the point of spending all that money to get the surgery if you weren't going to follow the instructions after.
What exactly is a meniscus release? I know that menisci are cartilaginous pads in the knee joint. They help absorb weight and shock in the knee joint. What does it mean to "release" the meniscus? I'm really sorry you're having these issues. I can sympathize because my dog is now 6 years old. We used to walk at least 3 miles a day. On special occasions we climbed FIVE flights of stairs! He was very frisky and energetic. But this whole experience has taught me a couple things: 1) It's possible that I just overexercised my dog, and now that he's six years old the amount of time spent outside will have to be less, and 2) These surgeries are a major pain in the ass! It's not just the cost of the surgery, but the recovery period is SO difficult. They told me that for six weeks my dog has to be under a strict activity restriction. It's impossible! I can't keep my dog locked up in his crate all day long! Even with Trazodone (a sedative) my dog still wants to go outside and walk and play, especially in the mornings and in the evenings after dinner. I try my best to keep him calm the rest of the day, but I can't keep him under lock and key 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Besides, he won't poop unless he walks at least a couple blocks. Fortunately, he's been walking OK since TPLO, but occasionally I do see some limping. (Then again, I saw something similar even before surgery! So it's hard to say for sure right now just how much or how little the surgery has really helped him.)
I don't think TPLO will make any dog young again. As dogs get older, we have to make allowances and give them shorter walks and a little less exercise. My dog and me used to walk forever! Super long walks, running through the autumn leaves, and chasing squirrels in the park. We can still do some of that once in a while, but he's a middle-aged dog now. Not a puppy anymore. So I'm gonna have to scale back on the amount of physical activity that he gets. The same could be true of your dog? I don't know.
You CAN keep them locked in their crate and a person WILL keep them locked in their crate if the A) really love their dog and B) don't have that kind of money to spend on fixes for human screw ups.
I had a lateral suture repair on a little yorkie. Followed all the instructions and 8 weeks later the vet said it needs to be redone. I wish I had never ever had the surgery to begin with and would have treated with conservative measures. Understanding the whole reason for surgery, it boils down to the body forming scar tissue which will stabilize the joint and he would have done better without the surgery because the swelling, pain and apparent early breakage of the suture material puts him in worse shape. He's walking better than your dog and honestly I've totally ruled out any surgeries for ligament damage. Perhaps meniscus repair if it was torn. I personally know how painful that is and surgery to remove the torn flap was the best thing I could have done.
Meniscal injury should be on the top of the list. Also it looks like your dog is experiencing what we call a pivot shift. It is not yet certain why this happens but its not something that has to do with the surgery itself but one of the possible complications that happens to less than 5 percent of dogs that undergo TPLO. No surgery is perfect, but TPLO is the best choice yet for dogs that has CCL rupture.
Fortunately pivot shift is a very uncommon issue. A late meniscal tear is the most likely explanation if they didn’t go back to check the meniscus at the time of plate removal. Meniscal release is damaging a healthy structure, but ignoring the signs of a likely late meniscal tear isn’t good…. Unfortunately this far down the road osteoarthritis may well be a big part of the issue, which tends to be accelerated when a late meniscal tear is missed.
My dog's TPLO didnt go well either. The vet even admitted it at few months follow up. Im right with ya. it IS heartbreaking. Its changed his life now.
I feel the same way about TPLO. My dog had two of them. One was very successful, one was not. She had a semi-lame leg for the last five years of her life... My current dog recently tore a knee ligament. I decided to do the "fishing line"/Suture fix instead of the TPLO. If this doesn't work, I will do the TPLO. Once the TPLO is done, there is no going back. It's such an invasive surgery. I know it's the gold standard today, but since I will be extremely diligent on the rehab, TPLO was not the right choice for us.
How much does your dog weigh, out of curiosity?
Thanks for sharing. I opted not to do the TPLO in favor of the Tightrope procedure. We are almost 7 days post op and she’s starting to put weight in that leg again but she’s a big girl so I’m taking it very slow.
I'm VERY interested in hearing your experience and wondering what type and size dog you have. Thanks!
Brad Herder she’s a Presa Canario- Cane Corso mix and 128lbs. Today she started putting a little weight on it when we went potty but her doctor doesn’t want her doing anything other than a potty break until next week which will at 14 days. Afterwards she will be allowed short walks that will get longer as time goes. I wish I had the camera and editing skills you have so l could post our experience. I don’t think she will be going to camp anymore but the one thing that was similar to your pup is the way it started. She would limp the next after camp then she would get better. One day she took off running and jumped on the bed and yelped and she’s been limping ever since 🤦🏽♂️
what is the tightrope procedure? I have a almost year &1/2 old Bernadoodle with both knees messed up! You all are saying sugery for like around $2500... the quote I got includes sedative and everything but the total is basically $4200-$4300 !!!!! UGH I don't know what to do?
Janell Bucha that sounds like the TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy). The tightrope procedure is cheaper and from the research I’ve done gets the same results but with less chance of infection and complications. They don’t like to do it for larger dogs but my girl is 125lbs and so far she’s doing fine, l just have to keep her from jumping and running. She’s about 15 days out from surgery and she’s putting that leg down again. I didn’t have the $4000+ for the TPLO surgery.
@@musclemania30 where is your dog at in recovery right now? I have a 10 year old lab mix who is 55# and still very active. I am leaning towards the tightrope procedure, which my general practice vet will do. Specialist is saying TPLO. My biggest worry is she tears the fake ligament, but tplo risks are obviously there as well.
My heart goes out to this dog. I had the same thing. My GSD went from running around with some limp to totally suffering after her surgery that involved removing damaged tendons (vet recommended) and replacing it with some type of rope thing. Well, right after the dog started developing degenerative disease that is eating her knee joint. So, basically, we went from natural state after surgery to literally injuring a dog again, but on much bigger scale. I want to die for doing this to her, I feel so incredibly bad. She was always limping after the surgery and barely walking at this point. I'm looking for a way to help her. In no way, I am interested in doing anything that may be worthless or make it worse again. Chances are low that I can help her with such horrible medicine these days. Thank you so much for posting.
I know how bad you feel. It hurts me every day to see my dog limping. But - Please don't blame yourself - you did what should have been the best and unfortunately there are no guarantees.
So that was a particular vet or just bad luck? So people should consult several vets before doing something drastic as TPLO? Surely, after bone removal and subsequent plate removal, dog is expected to be somewhat disabled due to these circumstances. As for a Russian prices look ridiculous and I suspect that there is no medical insurance for dogs.
I'm guessing just bad luck. We only talked with our regular vet who just referred us to the specialist who recommended that surgery. I do wonder what other vets would recommend. Medical insurance is something you can buy for a dog in the USA but we never purchased it. Certainly should have. :-(
recover is slow .. leash at all times physical therapy. it's up to the owner to take the time for the dog
This is mostly just an uneducated guy, who did all the wrong things at home, complaining.
You know its not magic.
We just had DOUBLE tplo surgery done on our much older and larger pitbull mix.
It's daunting, she cannot move on her own.
Do the at home rehab, take care of your animal.
No leash hopping around snow?
Hiking?
180 spinning jumps?
Dude, what do you expect?
My Labradoodle had TPLO surgery 2 weeks ago and she’s not lowered her leg once. My vet didn’t talk to me about a sling, cold/heat therapy, I’ve not been shown any proper physio. I’m so upset something is wrong. They want to take X-rays but have said it’s likely everything is ok but we want to take X-rays anyway ($500!!). I can’t help but think the surgery has been performed incorrectly!! Watching this video scares the hell out of me.
You really need to have minimal to no movement except going to the toilet for the first three to four weeks . Even then we would support my dogs back section while she went . Not sure why you were expecting any different . It takes time to heal . Anyways i hope your dog is better now
My dog was unfortunately confined to a crate for pretty much a month after surgery and it SUCKED for her and for us but now she is limping on the Other leg . So looks like the other leg needs doing too . Yes another 3-4 k
MY dog, a whippet, broke his left ACL too, 11KG, 10 years old. I was so struggled to whether give him a surgery on his leg, I thought i needed to provide him my best, and the vet suggested us to do it, so we did it. 4 weeks later he is still not walking, and then he broke the other leg's ACL, after that he can't move both his hind legs, and I mean paralyzed kind, he can't even get up. I regretted so much, because he was walking a little with that broken leg before the surgery, i can't help to think that if we didn't do the surgery, he wouldn't have to put so much weight on the good leg, which might not lead his the good leg's injury. we are now at 2 months and we need to put him on a wheel chair and do therapy. So guys, I really don't suggest surgery if your dog is in similar case (not too heavy and not too young). just do therapy and let them heal, he might not be able to run too quickly afterwards, but hey, if he's over 10, u won't expect him to either. Save yourself 6 grands, and don't cut him open. (also need to mention my dog is allergic to meloxicam medicine，which we found out the second day after the surgery, when he poops out a BIG pool of bright red bloody diarrhea).
Did anyone ever check her menisci?
I think you as a pet owner could’ve don’t so much better during the recovery process. After all the time invested in her, I just hope she is doing great 💕
Thanks for the video Brad. I am in the same boat as you. My dog was injury in December 2020, operated in January and the leg has never come down. They say he caught an infection from the material the plate was made out of. The infection has eaten away at the bone so much the pin is barely holding on. He is going back in to have everything remove. He is also 9 years old. I cant believe the cost of everything but if i leave the plate in the infection will kill him or the plate will bust out of the skin. We both just had no luck I also wish i knew more and went to someone who only did surgeries.
Oh man - that's terrible. I have a friend who's dog's leg had to be amputated after many surgeries following a failed TPLO. So sad. Hope your luck and dog get better. :-(
I regret deeply doing this tplo. They did not tell me about rehab and physiotherapy. I was not aware of 3 months recovery. My dog is very active, jumps and runs, pulls very hard during walks. He’s really worse than before surgery. Now, the vets told me the other leg may need surgery also because the weight is now entirely on the other hind leg! It’s a very expensive surgery and I have not been able to get an appointment for him to see a physiotherapist. The wait list is too long. Don’t do this to your dog. It’s wrong.
😭 my dog just got her other leg done 😭😭😭😭
My dog is currently going through the same thing. Had cruciate op over a year ago. Had to rest for 5 months due to reaction to the plates also. This year they had to remove the plates due to her still been lame. She has eve had hydrotherapy but still 4 months on she can't handle a 20 min walk with out her leg hurting her and having to hold it up. Her right leg also goes out to the side. She is having a 2nd opinion with a different specialist beginning of December as its heartbreaking watching her like it
We had tge TPLO on our 150lb 5yr old Newfoundland with same poor results. We then found he has cancer in the same bones in which they did the tplo. We were assured by the surgeon that there was no connection between tplo and the cancer other than he thinks the cancer was looming and may have caused the cruciate tear. I will never ever do a tplo again on one of my dogs. Its great to see Aspen is at least alive and able to get around but I am sorry y'all had to go through this. Our boy Tua is not using his leg at all and now has a grapefruit sized tumor on his back right where the surgery occurred. He gets around well on 3 legs but tge vets solution is to amputate, which is a non starter for us. We unfortunately have come to terms that, Tua will not be with us much longer. I wish the best and sorry you all had to deal with all of this. Prelayers for Aspen.🙏🙏🙏
Almost 10 years ago I went through the same thing. My dog blow his knee, we got the surgery, the a year or so later he lost that leg to cancer. I thought I was crazy for thinking that we’re related. But now I’m pretty sure they were. more and more studies about coming out about how the bone trauma from the surgery triggers cancer.
I’m in AVL about to have a CCL repair on my 8 month 75 lb retriever. Who did your dogs surgery?? 😳
AVL is Asheville? Ours was done in VT. We went to a vet on 191 in Asheville who couldn't find anything wrong with our dog's surgery but who does do a meniscus release (which I think ours should have had). While we were there a big black lab out of control who had a TPLO done a week after ours wasn't limping or favoring his/her leg at all. The name of that doctor was Brett Wood @ REACH Vets. Looks like he's left and the business might be Medvet now. Looks like he's in Hickory, NC now: www.hickoryregional.com/veterinary-referral-hospital-of-hickory-welcomes-dr-brett-wood-2/ I am sure my vet in VT has many successful outcomes but I didn't get one, however, I really liked Brett and personally saw a very successful outcome from one of his surgeries so maybe it's worth a trip to Hickory? or just try Medvet.
@@MTBIKEXC I work at a vet where Dr wood does surgeries. He sort of blew me off. I elected to with Dr Guevara at Med Vet who has a plan to do a CBLO on our puppy rather than waiting for the growth plates to close in 2 more months. Sorry your dog had to suffer.
@@MTBIKEXC Dr Wood does surgery in asheville. He travels around a lot. In know he works out of Skyland Animal Hospital occasionally. He will be there next week. May be worth calling his office. He charges about $3600 I think.
@@bryanr2885 I dunno. I can't recommend anything to you but I'd feel better going to someone who was always there rather than someone traveling around. Really sorry to hear your dog needs this. :-(
I’m in Asheville and having a hard time with my dog. He’s not recovering well from the TPLO surgery and my heart is broken
Thank you for your video. I’m dealing with the same thing my dog is very lame in his leg but some days acts normal. I’ve gone to several consults and they are pushing this TPLO surgery and I am trying to find any alternatives or reviews.
good afternoon. Write more about what kind of dog you have and how much it weighs.
this is my instagram,I will be able to give advice @vet_belarus
Please can you update? I’m in same situation, really don’t know what to do for the best
dont' do it
Your dog looks a lot better than mine. I’m in the 7th week after tplo and he still don’t walk, he barely touch the floor and he is like a disable dog. He got a terrible instability. He will need a knee brace. It is very sad to see him. I shouldn’t have performed such a terrible surgery on him. He should have wear a brace since the start, I didn’t know that. Now I regret a lot 😞
Did you follow all recovery instructions EXACTLY?
You should keep the dog in small area and no walks for first two weeks. Then only 5 min walk on short leash for next 4 weeks. I’m currently in week 2. From the footage it looks like the dog was walking a bit too much from the start
Thanks for sharing buddy. Know that you are a great dad for Aspen and you made the best decision in the given circumstances. She was just dealt a bad hand like my 7 years old(Maddie) mix lab. I know she would not have gotten the kind of love, care and attention she is getting from you in most other homes- she is lucky to have you. Maddie has the same CCL issue and I am thinking not to do the surgery and using braces instead, even on the good leg for support since she is favoring it. Still researching all the options though.
Thanks. If you find out anything and could post it here or message me, I'd love to hear what you learn. Thanks!
They are not supposed to walk without a harness on the leg for 6 weeks following TPLO! And then after 6 weeks you are supposed to start light leash walking. And you're not supposed to start any PT until then either. Who is your surgeon and where did you get your post surgery/recovery information from?
You do not do a meniscal release unless there is a tear. This is an atypical recovery and something is wrong. There is either a meniscal tear that has been missed, or the diagnosis was wrong! Additionally, the post op home care would have been against medical advice, walking uncontrolled without a leash in the snow I would be so upset!
The post op care on this poor dog was so poorly managed that im not surprised at all with her progress, and lack of progress. 😢