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Dog Question - TPLO Surgery
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I posted this in the Lavender Room, but thought I would see if anyone here had any thoughts on this.

Almost 6 weeks ago now, my yellow lab, Bella, had a TPLO surgery done on her left rear leg. She has been recovering very well, but I was hoping to get some information from people who have had this procedure done on their dogs. She didn't have a complete tear before the surgery, just about a 60% tear, so they said that is favorable for her recovery. She seemed to do quite well with her leg shortly after surgery. Now, almost 6 weeks post op, she seems to walk on it well, she occasionally walks a little funny or has kind of a skip in her step. Going up and down stairs, she seems to do ok, but is sometimes not very stable on that leg.

For those of you that have had a dog that has had a TPLO surgery done, just a few questions:
1 - How long was your dog's recovery?
2 - Did your dog make a complete recovery? And along these lines how did you increase the exercising and walking and at what point post-operatively?
3 - How did you keep them calm once they were starting to feel better? This is becoming the biggest problem with my lab...she doesn't understand being calm, but she is a great dog
4 - Did you do the physical therapy/underwater treadmill therapy with your dog? If so, how often did they need it and how long did it last?
5 - How's the dog doing now? Can they run around like they used to?

Thanks for any advice/guidance! This is our first dog that has ever had to have this done and it it kind of nerve racking.
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [tri2tri] [ In reply to ]
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My dog had the same injury but a different surgery to correct the tear. He had the surgery on Jan. 29. He is now getting around better than before the surgery, but we were told it may take up to a year for 100% recovery. He can run around like normal now. All we had to do was keep him quiet for 10 weeks. That was challeninging. We didn't take him outside unless on the leash. He didn't do stairs or long walks. That's about it.
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [tri2tri] [ In reply to ]
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oh my gosh. My dog just had TPLO 4weeks ago. I hate the long recovery time, he is ready to walk and play, and we have 4 more weeks. I'll be curious if anyone else replies. Good luck to your pup!
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [cstine] [ In reply to ]
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I hope your pup recovers well too! Our lab is ready to go bonkers, keeping a lab cooped up is not a good idea! The other day she was just dragging her bed around the area she was being kept in because she was so bored/annoyed with us. She has never done that before! We go back to the surgeon next week, so hopefully she'll be able to do some more activity.
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [tri2tri] [ In reply to ]
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My now 8 yo black lab had the TPLO surgery May 13 of last year. The ortho who did it gave me a sheet with specific things she could and couldn't do- for example she was confined to a room of the house except for feeding and bathroom trips outside, and those had to be with a sling. If I recall it was 10-12 weeks before she was allowed to do anything without the sling. The sling wasn't to support her, but rather to catch her if she slipped.

The PT she had was me doing ROM and massage on her knee/hip a couple times a day. She was on various anti-inflammatories/antibiotics for about 4 weeks. She was touch weight bearing after a day or so. I notice her gradually getting better as the time passed. At 10-12 weeks I was allowed to start walking with her around a block at a time- I basically let her choose how far she wanted to go. She was also not allowed to climb steps for 12 weeks. When she was released to climb steps I leashed her and took her to a series of 4 steps figuring we'd start slow- she trotted up them without any limb, and the same going down.

At about 8 weeks I had to go away for a week and had my pet sitter stay with her. When I got back I noticed a HUGE improvement- to the extent that I woke up the first night with her on the bed with me (she is never allowed on the bed). She seemed much more comfortable weight bearing and it got a bit harder to keep her calm- I would take her out in the yard on the sling and lie down in the grass with her a couple times a day, and I made it a point to take her out with the sling 6-10 times a day- even if it meant we just stood a few steps outside the door and looked around

At 12 weeks she had her final check up and was released to do what she was able to do. We walked/ran at her choice and by Nov we were doing 30-40 min jogs with no repercussions. There were a couple times she limped a little post long walks, but that was in Aug/Sept and I think we did a bit too much. She did a GREAT job of staying calm- I lay on the floor with her a lot and brushed her a lot. She also went to the Pilates studio where I moonlight a couple times a week, hung out in the office and got lots of attention so that probably helped keep her a bit calmer than she might have otherwise

Now- if you didn't know you wouldn't realize she had the surgery. No limping, runs/walks as before. I moved in Jan to a place with steeper stairs and she goes up and down them with no problem. The only difference is during the recovery she learned that reclining on the rear seat of my jeep was way better than being in the front with the leash attached to the seat belt. Now because of the angle of the door she gets lifted in and spends her time reclining. When I took her for a ride in my pickup in Feb I wasn't thinking- opened the passenger door and when I stepped aside she jumped up so hard she ended up in the drivers seat. I do feed her glucosamine/chondroitin (sp) and rice bran once a day with her food (from Labwell), but I was doing that before the surgery too.

Hope this helps
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [reutebh] [ In reply to ]
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Hi i am not real sure if this is an old post or not..
but my dog is 3 1/2 years old GS and she has to have this done on July 30th
I am sooo nervous ~ that she is not gonna be ok..

but she cannot run nor jump nor play ball now ~ all my hannah girl does is laydown..
it is so sad to see her like this...

but do you have to hold them while they go potty ~ cause my girl is 85 lbs,, i did by a harness for her..
i don't know i just have alot on my heart with all of this and i guess also nervous that i am not gonna take good enough care of her
so she heals properly... hannah has a total tear ~ they say but really won't know until they get in there! uggg

anyway thanks

Libra15
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [libra15] [ In reply to ]
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My lab has had TPLO on both knees and it is totally worth it. Definitely have to keep them "quiet" for the requisite 10 weeks and bring them back to running easily but totally worth it. They aren't the same when they can't run/play like they want to.....sort of like us? Just follow the post-op directions, use a leash when they go out, take them on short leashed walks a couple of times a day and it will all be worth it.
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [IMLT] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks kindly. I hope I don't hurt her. That's what makes me so nervous. Its always nice to hear from someone e who has actually been thru it ! Tbx big I am anxious for Hannah to be able to catch her football. That she loves doing.
Libra15[reply]
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [libra15] [ In reply to ]
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x2. My Rosie-dog, a 6 year old black labbie girl, had it when she was about 1.5 years old, both rear legs, and now she's tearing around the back yard with great abandon, playing "bah" with her two other labrador friends. Totally worth it. Keeping you in my thoughts.

~~ kate
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [libra15] [ In reply to ]
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My fiance's Bichon had it a couple of years ago. He's a total party animal now, I've tried to throw the ball until he's too tired to play fetch. I only achieved that goal one time.
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [libra15] [ In reply to ]
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My 150 lb mastiff had TPLO surgery in one leg, and then about 1.5 years later had TTA (tibial tuberosity advancement) surgery in the other. Both were to repair torn CCLs. The difference in recovery between the two procedures was like night and day. The TPLO recovery was very intense for 1 month, and he wasn't back to his normal level of activity for another month or two. He also visibly lost a lot of muscle tone due to keeping his play so restricted while recovering. The TTA surgery (same facility, same doc overseeing, but I believe a student doc did the actual procedure) was a breeze in comparison. He had only about 1 weekend of serious recovery and after 1 month he was back to normal activity.

Long-term effects: about 4 years after the second procedure - he has a visible knob in the TTA knee, which they said to expect, otherwise this leg is fine. His TPLO leg gives him a lot of arthritis issues, but to be expected in a 9yo 150 lb dog I suppose.

I recall asking about TTA at the time of the TPLO surgery, and the response was "he is not a good candidate for this procedure." I'm not sure if that is because it was a newer procedure at the time, or he really just wasn't a good candidate. But in hindsight, I think I should have at least checked around with docs to see if they reguarly did the TTA. It was <$1K more, and the ease of recovery IMO was well worth it.

In summary, both procedures greatly improved his quality of life, and I also think getting them done when they were necessary, instead of procrastinating, has helped contribute to his long life.

But to answer some of your questions...
I think the TPLO (and probably by now the TTA) procedure has been around awhile, so nothing to be nervous about, it's just like any other routine medical procedure.
Yes, you have to use a sling while they go potty. My doc suggested I buy an extra large beach towel to use as a sling to support my dog's back half. He ended up peeing all over the thing multiple times, so it was nice to be able to wash it. If your dog loves to run, I would recommend using a sling/leash combo, so you can keep her at a walk and provide support.
Your post seems very compassionate, I'm sure you will take great care of her, and in a couple months you'll be updating us with how awesome she's doing!
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Re: Dog Question - TPLO Surgery [libra15] [ In reply to ]
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See my post earlier in the thread (I think there are a couple threads in the Lavender Room on this too).

The update for my post is that there were no side effects and the dog lived until April of this year when I had to put her down due to Hemangiosarcoma. She was able to walk/jog w me 4-6 hours a week until about 2 weeks left, and she lived the last 22 months w a chocolate lab I got at 11 weeks old. Listen to your vet and all should go well.
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