TPLO surgery for dogs - advice / thoughts?
Discussion
My old dog (RIP) needed both his legs operated on and the result was very positive, a full recovery. He was 9 years old, very active and around 40kgs at the time. I used Anderson Moores vets and they were very professional.
But it was a big operation and both the operation and recovery put him under quite a bit of discomfort. If he had been an older small dog with a lazy lifestyle then maybe I would have gone down a different route. Where I am right now I see a lot of dogs that lead perfectly healthy lives without having a big operation.
What does your vet say?
But it was a big operation and both the operation and recovery put him under quite a bit of discomfort. If he had been an older small dog with a lazy lifestyle then maybe I would have gone down a different route. Where I am right now I see a lot of dogs that lead perfectly healthy lives without having a big operation.
What does your vet say?
Our 7yo JRT had bilateral (both legs) TPLO last year. It’s now transformed her life (and ours) but it was a big operation and a huge shock to the dog, including major restrictions to exercise & life in a pen or crate for months.
For a highly active 7yo it was definitely worth it. Terriers tend to live a long time so it may still be worth it at 11, but I’d want to look at all the alternatives at that age.
One thing: after one ligament has gone it’s apparently very common for the other to go not long after. If you do decide to go ahead it’s worth discussing with your vet whether to get both done at the same time. TPLO is not a process you, your dog or your wallet will want to go through twice and getting both done isn’t much more stress on the dog than getting just one done.
For a highly active 7yo it was definitely worth it. Terriers tend to live a long time so it may still be worth it at 11, but I’d want to look at all the alternatives at that age.
One thing: after one ligament has gone it’s apparently very common for the other to go not long after. If you do decide to go ahead it’s worth discussing with your vet whether to get both done at the same time. TPLO is not a process you, your dog or your wallet will want to go through twice and getting both done isn’t much more stress on the dog than getting just one done.
Edited by NoTreadLeft on Wednesday 22 July 09:30
My then ten year old very active Boxer//Springer cross snapped the ligament while running.
Leg was US .
Luckily at the time, a cat charity whose vets did public work to maintain funds, had a young Spanish vet willing to take it on at the weekend.
He actually did 3 that weekend.
A long process of recovery, difficult with an active dog, and you do need to spend a lot of that time with them to ensure the process helps.
Huge success, he got 4.5 more very active years.
The cost though varies wildly, I asked around several vets before chancing the young vet, quoted between 5 and 6.5k. Probably way more now, and subsequent medication costs are not included.
I got very lucky, 2.5k plus medication which they sold at pretty much cost price. With the timing too, these young vets use the charity places for experience, never stay long.
I would recommend having it done though, providing you can make time for months of aftercare.
Good luck.
Leg was US .
Luckily at the time, a cat charity whose vets did public work to maintain funds, had a young Spanish vet willing to take it on at the weekend.
He actually did 3 that weekend.
A long process of recovery, difficult with an active dog, and you do need to spend a lot of that time with them to ensure the process helps.
Huge success, he got 4.5 more very active years.
The cost though varies wildly, I asked around several vets before chancing the young vet, quoted between 5 and 6.5k. Probably way more now, and subsequent medication costs are not included.
I got very lucky, 2.5k plus medication which they sold at pretty much cost price. With the timing too, these young vets use the charity places for experience, never stay long.
I would recommend having it done though, providing you can make time for months of aftercare.
Good luck.
Thanks for the replies.
Vet’s advice is it needs doing and that having him on pain killers for the rest of his life isn’t an option. Scans showed there may be an issue with his patella as well (the vet has been muttering about that since he was a puppy) so they’ll fix that at the same time.
We spoke to the breeder we got him through and they had it done to one of their Cairns a few years ago and it worked (they used the same vet).
Apparently keeping him in our smallish laundry counts as crating an, based on speaking to a colleague who had his Beagle done recently (again, complete success), they are zonked on pain killers etc for the first week or so anyway so moving about isn’t a huge issue.
I’m aware the other leg could go…it better not!
He is booked in the week after next.
Vet’s advice is it needs doing and that having him on pain killers for the rest of his life isn’t an option. Scans showed there may be an issue with his patella as well (the vet has been muttering about that since he was a puppy) so they’ll fix that at the same time.
We spoke to the breeder we got him through and they had it done to one of their Cairns a few years ago and it worked (they used the same vet).
Apparently keeping him in our smallish laundry counts as crating an, based on speaking to a colleague who had his Beagle done recently (again, complete success), they are zonked on pain killers etc for the first week or so anyway so moving about isn’t a huge issue.
I’m aware the other leg could go…it better not!
He is booked in the week after next.
The actual surgery is usually successful but it's the recovery that's hard if your dog is an active boy. The laundry room sounds good, get some brain toys and snuggle mats for enrichment, hydrotherapy once at the right stage is excellent for building the muscle carefully again. Good luck 🤞
Jader1973 said:
Thanks for the replies.
Vet s advice is it needs doing and that having him on pain killers for the rest of his life isn t an option. Scans showed there may be an issue with his patella as well (the vet has been muttering about that since he was a puppy) so they ll fix that at the same time.
We spoke to the breeder we got him through and they had it done to one of their Cairns a few years ago and it worked (they used the same vet).
Apparently keeping him in our smallish laundry counts as crating an, based on speaking to a colleague who had his Beagle done recently (again, complete success), they are zonked on pain killers etc for the first week or so anyway so moving about isn t a huge issue.
I m aware the other leg could go it better not!
He is booked in the week after next.
My fella had no problem with his other leg, but getting it done quickly helped, a lot of strain on the other leg if its the only working one. Vet s advice is it needs doing and that having him on pain killers for the rest of his life isn t an option. Scans showed there may be an issue with his patella as well (the vet has been muttering about that since he was a puppy) so they ll fix that at the same time.
We spoke to the breeder we got him through and they had it done to one of their Cairns a few years ago and it worked (they used the same vet).
Apparently keeping him in our smallish laundry counts as crating an, based on speaking to a colleague who had his Beagle done recently (again, complete success), they are zonked on pain killers etc for the first week or so anyway so moving about isn t a huge issue.
I m aware the other leg could go it better not!
He is booked in the week after next.
He did have to be opened up again for a patella issue, ours and his fault, not resting enough.
After that rest was forced, and it ain't easy.
Good luck.
Did this on our Newfie many many years ago now. It took a good few weeks before she would walk adequately. But then (as is often the way we were told) her other one went. This was about 5 years later and she was up on her feet the day after surgery, such were the improvements to the technique.
I imagine by now they are even more improved BUT I will say follow the walking/exercise advise correctly. We had a stopwatch in the garden walking her round and round for the 3 minutes then the increases as set by vet. If they overdo it that can be quite bad we were told, it may be worse with a somewhat large mutt (she was 60kg)....
I imagine by now they are even more improved BUT I will say follow the walking/exercise advise correctly. We had a stopwatch in the garden walking her round and round for the 3 minutes then the increases as set by vet. If they overdo it that can be quite bad we were told, it may be worse with a somewhat large mutt (she was 60kg)....
Our Westie did one leg at 10 years old and the other one at nearly 12. Luckily there is a small animal hospital not too far from us and they are very good, although not cheap. In total we spent over £11k, with ongoing Yumove tablets and a monthly massage session on top. We had just downgraded his insurance before the first leg, so they covered the first set of xrays. They won't then cover anything for the other leg. He is still going strong at nearly 16, so it was definitely worth doing, as he still has a good quality of life.
Bilateral TPLO for our JRT was around £6k, so quite a bit cheaper than getting both legs done separately. One lot of anaesthetic, nursing, post-op care etc. Also the recovery was more “balanced” in that she couldn’t really favour one leg over the other: she needed to use both legs from day 1 (so no need for aqua therapy etc).
To be honest it wasn’t the cash that bothered us (we were insured). The recovery phase is a really big deal - she wasn’t allowed to go up stairs or jump on the sofa for 3 months, and it was 6 months before she could properly run around again. Even in our relatively young dog that’s a big chunk of her remaining life. Doing it twice would have been really hard on her and us.
To be honest it wasn’t the cash that bothered us (we were insured). The recovery phase is a really big deal - she wasn’t allowed to go up stairs or jump on the sofa for 3 months, and it was 6 months before she could properly run around again. Even in our relatively young dog that’s a big chunk of her remaining life. Doing it twice would have been really hard on her and us.
Jasandjules said:
Did this on our Newfie many many years ago now. It took a good few weeks before she would walk adequately. But then (as is often the way we were told) her other one went. This was about 5 years later and she was up on her feet the day after surgery, such were the improvements to the technique.
I imagine by now they are even more improved BUT I will say follow the walking/exercise advise correctly. We had a stopwatch in the garden walking her round and round for the 3 minutes then the increases as set by vet. If they overdo it that can be quite bad we were told, it may be worse with a somewhat large mutt (she was 60kg)....
s I imagine by now they are even more improved BUT I will say follow the walking/exercise advise correctly. We had a stopwatch in the garden walking her round and round for the 3 minutes then the increases as set by vet. If they overdo it that can be quite bad we were told, it may be worse with a somewhat large mutt (she was 60kg)....
Definitely follow the recovery programme, I didn't and he had to be knocked out and opened up again.
I have the repair, left intact after cremation, a metal hinge screwed to the bone, really doesn't look like 2.5k,s worth.
Spread that over the 4.5 years he got though, worth every penny.
Doesitdrive said:
Definitely follow the recovery programme, I didn't and he had to be knocked out and opened up again.
I have the repair, left intact after cremation, a metal hinge screwed to the bone, really doesn't look like 2.5k,s worth.
Spread that over the 4.5 years he got though, worth every penny.
We have the xrays from his op, and also some from when my wife broke her wrist, and I have to say, the animal hospital did a much better job than the NHS ! His has perfectly aligned screws and everything all very neat. Hers looks like a B&Q bracket, with screws at all angles and one not even in fully.
Agreed. Worth every penny !
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