Hi im new on here just read the post about alfie and id like to wish him all the best i know how you feel as my dog has to go in on th 18th of may for TPLO surgery as due to her breed and size this is the option that sounds the best for her.I think the hardest part will be after as before this we were walking everywhere together etc and this obviously wont be happening for a while now!! just wondered if any of your dogs have had this surgery could let me know what to expect after the op.The vet has been great but i think its always best to here from people who have actually looked after the dog after this surgery.any info appreciated.
cruciate ligament
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One of my Labs, Indie, ruptured the cruciate on her left knee, and it was repaired using the Tibio-Fabella technique. She required a second operation to repair a meniscus pad that had folded over as well unfortunately, but she is now sound and fairly fit, and loves her walks and training.
It is quite hard to keep them occupied once they start to feel better, I used to do little bits of training with Indie once she was able to potter, I'd get her to find things, or just train heelwork with her. I weaned her off the pain killers as soon as I feasibly could, I think masking pain they might feel if they overdo it can be a negative thing, rather than dosing them to the eyeballs where they can't feel if they're perhaps doing damage to the repair. It is really important to allow the repair to heal slowly, it's very difficult, but can't emphasise that enough.
Good luck and hope your girl's op goes smoothly.
It is quite hard to keep them occupied once they start to feel better, I used to do little bits of training with Indie once she was able to potter, I'd get her to find things, or just train heelwork with her. I weaned her off the pain killers as soon as I feasibly could, I think masking pain they might feel if they overdo it can be a negative thing, rather than dosing them to the eyeballs where they can't feel if they're perhaps doing damage to the repair. It is really important to allow the repair to heal slowly, it's very difficult, but can't emphasise that enough.
Good luck and hope your girl's op goes smoothly.
thanks for that ,shes a dogue cross american bulldog. How long do they need complete rest for as shes very active and has a strong pain threshold just dont want her to do anything stupid!!
thank you.
My big male chow had TPLO surgery last easter, he also had 60% of the meniscus removed... He's made a complete recovery, and I'm so glad I had it done now, he runs jumps and generally hoons about like a big pup without an ounce of pain or discomfort.
The surgery as I'm sure you've been told is pretty big... Benny was kept in for 2 nights for obs, then released to be cared for at home. He came out walking pretty well, his leg was heavily bandaged and there was a splint inside it for support, this was left on for another 3 days, then removed by a local vet.
Activity has to be minimal in the early days, and you're recomended to crate your dog, if you're not with them. Luckily I work frm home, so he was rarely in the crate. From day one we were told to only take him for pee and poo breaks, avoid stairs, and support his weight, we used a dog sling for this, but a rolled towel does the same thing, we did this for the first fornight, then our specialist told us we could let him walk on solid flat surfaces for at first a few mins, then building up to five, ten mins at a time about 4 or 5 weeks post op. He was never to be off lead, infact our specialist didn't recomend any off lead til 4 months post op min.
Benny's progress was pretty case book thankfully, he never had any wound probs, and has no problems with the metal work. He has the metal plates and also a metal lasso to restrain the movement of his knee cap.
With Benny everything seemed to move on really well till about week 5 or 6 when it plateaued out a bit, I got a bit despondent then, but at about week 12 he suddenly massively improved, and began to load bear properly, until this point, he would toe touch when he was stationery, even though he was walking fine.
I used ttouch and massage on him to help him relax through his recuperation, and to tell you the truth, the whole experience helped our bond grow and my understanding of his needs and my other dog for that matter become much stronger and clearer.
If you want any more help or info,please feel free to pm me
To be honest, you're going to be far more traumatised by the whole experience than your dog is, believe me I was
BTW, Benny doesn't have even trace of a lmp now
The surgery as I'm sure you've been told is pretty big... Benny was kept in for 2 nights for obs, then released to be cared for at home. He came out walking pretty well, his leg was heavily bandaged and there was a splint inside it for support, this was left on for another 3 days, then removed by a local vet.
Activity has to be minimal in the early days, and you're recomended to crate your dog, if you're not with them. Luckily I work frm home, so he was rarely in the crate. From day one we were told to only take him for pee and poo breaks, avoid stairs, and support his weight, we used a dog sling for this, but a rolled towel does the same thing, we did this for the first fornight, then our specialist told us we could let him walk on solid flat surfaces for at first a few mins, then building up to five, ten mins at a time about 4 or 5 weeks post op. He was never to be off lead, infact our specialist didn't recomend any off lead til 4 months post op min.
Benny's progress was pretty case book thankfully, he never had any wound probs, and has no problems with the metal work. He has the metal plates and also a metal lasso to restrain the movement of his knee cap.
With Benny everything seemed to move on really well till about week 5 or 6 when it plateaued out a bit, I got a bit despondent then, but at about week 12 he suddenly massively improved, and began to load bear properly, until this point, he would toe touch when he was stationery, even though he was walking fine.
I used ttouch and massage on him to help him relax through his recuperation, and to tell you the truth, the whole experience helped our bond grow and my understanding of his needs and my other dog for that matter become much stronger and clearer.
If you want any more help or info,please feel free to pm me
To be honest, you're going to be far more traumatised by the whole experience than your dog is, believe me I was BTW, Benny doesn't have even trace of a lmp now
thanks for that.So benny sounds great now hope this sorts my girl its so hard watching her hop about but hopefully soon to be sorted.My big male chow had TPLO surgery last easter, he also had 60% of the meniscus removed... He's made a complete recovery, and I'm so glad I had it done now, he runs jumps and generally hoons about like a big pup without an ounce of pain or discomfort.
The surgery as I'm sure you've been told is pretty big... Benny was kept in for 2 nights for obs, then released to be cared for at home. He came out walking pretty well, his leg was heavily bandaged and there was a splint inside it for support, this was left on for another 3 days, then removed by a local vet.
Activity has to be minimal in the early days, and you're recomended to crate your dog, if you're not with them. Luckily I work frm home, so he was rarely in the crate. From day one we were told to only take him for pee and poo breaks, avoid stairs, and support his weight, we used a dog sling for this, but a rolled towel does the same thing, we did this for the first fornight, then our specialist told us we could let him walk on solid flat surfaces for at first a few mins, then building up to five, ten mins at a time about 4 or 5 weeks post op. He was never to be off lead, infact our specialist didn't recomend any off lead til 4 months post op min.
Benny's progress was pretty case book thankfully, he never had any wound probs, and has no problems with the metal work. He has the metal plates and also a metal lasso to restrain the movement of his knee cap.
With Benny everything seemed to move on really well till about week 5 or 6 when it plateaued out a bit, I got a bit despondent then, but at about week 12 he suddenly massively improved, and began to load bear properly, until this point, he would toe touch when he was stationery, even though he was walking fine.
I used ttouch and massage on him to help him relax through his recuperation, and to tell you the truth, the whole experience helped our bond grow and my understanding of his needs and my other dog for that matter become much stronger and clearer.
If you want any more help or info,please feel free to pm me
BTW, Benny doesn't have even trace of a lmp now
I bet she will THe knack is not getting stressed about the whole thing yourself... If you're calm and confident with the whole situation, your dog will be too. Good pain relief, and lots of attention help too
FWIW, as benny got better, I used to play with Nina Ottison toys with him, to mentaly tier him out, that and some clicker training seemed to work. Benny's pretty high energy too, but in the initial stages they feel very subdued because, with the best will in the world they are in discomfort. My girl was great too, she recognised he wasn't his old self, and would come and sit with him, cleaning his face and licking his paws etc, normally she'd leg it rather than be seen sitting next to him hehehee
THe knack is not getting stressed about the whole thing yourself... If you're calm and confident with the whole situation, your dog will be too. Good pain relief, and lots of attention help too FWIW, as benny got better, I used to play with Nina Ottison toys with him, to mentaly tier him out, that and some clicker training seemed to work. Benny's pretty high energy too, but in the initial stages they feel very subdued because, with the best will in the world they are in discomfort. My girl was great too, she recognised he wasn't his old self, and would come and sit with him, cleaning his face and licking his paws etc, normally she'd leg it rather than be seen sitting next to him hehehee
:thumbup::thumbup: thanks all info appreciated.I bet she will
FWIW, as benny got better, I used to play with Nina Ottison toys with him, to mentaly tier him out, that and some clicker training seemed to work. Benny's pretty high energy too, but in the initial stages they feel very subdued because, with the best will in the world they are in discomfort. My girl was great too, she recognised he wasn't his old self, and would come and sit with him, cleaning his face and licking his paws etc, normally she'd leg it rather than be seen sitting next to him hehehee
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My older Lab Ben (the one wearing the scarf :lol did exactly the same, but we didn't have him operated on as the vet wanted to try the resting method first. That was last July, and now, 9 months on he's doing really well, can put his full weight on it and doesn't even appear to have arthritis in it
HOWEVER, the recovery was not without it's problems, and one of them was keeping him quiet, especially when he started feeling better and wanted to go out and couldn't. At one point, we had to carry him out into the garden to do his business and then carry him back in, but as he felt he could walk, this didn't go down well at all. When Sparky was due a walk there were issues too!
Obviously I can't advise on post-surgery care, but I can give you some tips for keeping her quiet and peaceful. If she is a big eater (Ben, being a lab, is ready for treats at any time of day), then either use the dry food you feed her as treats to distract her when she becomes too excited (remembering to take them out of her daily allowance as weight gain wouldn't be a good thing and she won't be getting her usual exercise) or, buy some low fat treats. You can play hiding games with her by getting down at her level and hiding the treats in treat toys (not balls, because if they roll away she may want to chase them) but hollow treat bones are good. Kongs would also be good, with kong paste to make the treats harder to get straight away.
If she's a fan of toys, again, try to play with her and distract her when you can, but get down at her level and prevent her putting weight on the limb by having to come to you.
In terms of knowing when she is ready, let yourself be guided by her but not to the extent that it gets silly - she'll know when it hurts, but you'll know when she's overdone it (if that makes sense). That sounds very cliche, but you know her and whether or not she's struggling.
Whilst she is resting, be sure to reassure her as much as you can - labs are like sponges in that they soak up as much affection and cuddles as they can get, but she may not be that way. Don't infringe on her personal space if you know she doesn't like it, but I found with Ben massaging his leg gently (very gently) and of course stroking his ears, head etc helped soothe him. Grooming may also be good. If she's an active dog, try basic training like sit/stay & heel work (when she's able to move about a little). Feel free to PM if you want to discuss further.
Hope all that helps and the op goes well xxx
did exactly the same, but we didn't have him operated on as the vet wanted to try the resting method first. That was last July, and now, 9 months on he's doing really well, can put his full weight on it and doesn't even appear to have arthritis in it HOWEVER, the recovery was not without it's problems, and one of them was keeping him quiet, especially when he started feeling better and wanted to go out and couldn't. At one point, we had to carry him out into the garden to do his business and then carry him back in, but as he felt he could walk, this didn't go down well at all. When Sparky was due a walk there were issues too
!Obviously I can't advise on post-surgery care, but I can give you some tips for keeping her quiet and peaceful. If she is a big eater (Ben, being a lab, is ready for treats at any time of day), then either use the dry food you feed her as treats to distract her when she becomes too excited (remembering to take them out of her daily allowance as weight gain wouldn't be a good thing and she won't be getting her usual exercise) or, buy some low fat treats. You can play hiding games with her by getting down at her level and hiding the treats in treat toys (not balls, because if they roll away she may want to chase them) but hollow treat bones are good. Kongs would also be good, with kong paste to make the treats harder to get straight away.
If she's a fan of toys, again, try to play with her and distract her when you can, but get down at her level and prevent her putting weight on the limb by having to come to you.
In terms of knowing when she is ready, let yourself be guided by her but not to the extent that it gets silly - she'll know when it hurts, but you'll know when she's overdone it (if that makes sense). That sounds very cliche, but you know her and whether or not she's struggling.
Whilst she is resting, be sure to reassure her as much as you can - labs are like sponges in that they soak up as much affection and cuddles as they can get, but she may not be that way. Don't infringe on her personal space if you know she doesn't like it, but I found with Ben massaging his leg gently (very gently) and of course stroking his ears, head etc helped soothe him. Grooming may also be good. If she's an active dog, try basic training like sit/stay & heel work (when she's able to move about a little). Feel free to PM if you want to discuss further.
Hope all that helps and the op goes well xxx
thanks,some good ideas there, 3 weeks to go so wont be long for her now bless her.My older Lab Ben (the one wearing the scarf :lol
HOWEVER, the recovery was not without it's problems, and one of them was keeping him quiet, especially when he started feeling better and wanted to go out and couldn't. At one point, we had to carry him out into the garden to do his business and then carry him back in, but as he felt he could walk, this didn't go down well at all. When Sparky was due a walk there were issues too
Obviously I can't advise on post-surgery care, but I can give you some tips for keeping her quiet and peaceful. If she is a big eater (Ben, being a lab, is ready for treats at any time of day), then either use the dry food you feed her as treats to distract her when she becomes too excited (remembering to take them out of her daily allowance as weight gain wouldn't be a good thing and she won't be getting her usual exercise) or, buy some low fat treats. You can play hiding games with her by getting down at her level and hiding the treats in treat toys (not balls, because if they roll away she may want to chase them) but hollow treat bones are good. Kongs would also be good, with kong paste to make the treats harder to get straight away.
If she's a fan of toys, again, try to play with her and distract her when you can, but get down at her level and prevent her putting weight on the limb by having to come to you.
In terms of knowing when she is ready, let yourself be guided by her but not to the extent that it gets silly - she'll know when it hurts, but you'll know when she's overdone it (if that makes sense). That sounds very cliche, but you know her and whether or not she's struggling.
Whilst she is resting, be sure to reassure her as much as you can - labs are like sponges in that they soak up as much affection and cuddles as they can get, but she may not be that way. Don't infringe on her personal space if you know she doesn't like it, but I found with Ben massaging his leg gently (very gently) and of course stroking his ears, head etc helped soothe him. Grooming may also be good. If she's an active dog, try basic training like sit/stay & heel work (when she's able to move about a little). Feel free to PM if you want to discuss further.
Hope all that helps and the op goes well xxx
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699 Posts
Hi There
My girl had TPLO surgery in November of last year. having read what has been said already is fab sound advice.
Only thing i would add is the importance of keeping your dog quiet and that rest time is so important. I found using a cage ok but that my girl was normally quite stiff when she came out. I decided to buy her a puppy pen and it was by far the best thing i bought for her during her recovery. Also helped seperate her from my other two dogs and restricted her doing things like jumping etc when i wasn't in the room to watch her.
This was her pen set up in my living room
![]()
I would also like to say try not to be too shocked when you get your dog back after the op. I was shocked at how much she was clipped and to be honest just over whelmed by it all.
These are pics taken the day i got my girl home
![]()
This was taken a few days after the bandage was taken off
![]()
and this was her at my work 4 days after the op not happy but walking and standing on it ok
![]()
Dogs are amazing and i have a new found respect for my girl after her operation.
I wish your dog the very best of luck for the op and hope it all goes well
My girl had TPLO surgery in November of last year. having read what has been said already is fab sound advice.
Only thing i would add is the importance of keeping your dog quiet and that rest time is so important. I found using a cage ok but that my girl was normally quite stiff when she came out. I decided to buy her a puppy pen and it was by far the best thing i bought for her during her recovery. Also helped seperate her from my other two dogs and restricted her doing things like jumping etc when i wasn't in the room to watch her.
This was her pen set up in my living room
I would also like to say try not to be too shocked when you get your dog back after the op. I was shocked at how much she was clipped and to be honest just over whelmed by it all.
These are pics taken the day i got my girl home
This was taken a few days after the bandage was taken off
and this was her at my work 4 days after the op not happy but walking and standing on it ok
Dogs are amazing and i have a new found respect for my girl after her operation.
I wish your dog the very best of luck for the op and hope it all goes well
G
Guest
·Thank you for your best wishes for Alfie.
A friend of mine had TPLO on his Goldie last year.
The recovery is much the same, which ever operation it is, the main difference is that after TPLO the dogs seem to weight bare faster and the initial restrictions of no exercise at all is slightly shorter. Other than that, it was the same
A friend of mine had TPLO on his Goldie last year.
The recovery is much the same, which ever operation it is, the main difference is that after TPLO the dogs seem to weight bare faster and the initial restrictions of no exercise at all is slightly shorter. Other than that, it was the same
thank you i think if i saw my dog initially clipped like that i would have been shocked,so thanks for the pics and i hope everythings going well,once again thanks.Hi There
My girl had TPLO surgery in November of last year. having read what has been said already is fab sound advice.
Only thing i would add is the importance of keeping your dog quiet and that rest time is so important. I found using a cage ok but that my girl was normally quite stiff when she came out. I decided to buy her a puppy pen and it was by far the best thing i bought for her during her recovery. Also helped seperate her from my other two dogs and restricted her doing things like jumping etc when i wasn't in the room to watch her.
This was her pen set up in my living room
![]()
I would also like to say try not to be too shocked when you get your dog back after the op. I was shocked at how much she was clipped and to be honest just over whelmed by it all.
These are pics taken the day i got my girl home
![]()
This was taken a few days after the bandage was taken off
![]()
and this was her at my work 4 days after the op not happy but walking and standing on it ok
![]()
Dogs are amazing and i have a new found respect for my girl after her operation.
I wish your dog the very best of luck for the op and hope it all goes well
i hope alfie is fine as iv"e since read that this is his second op? i do hope everything goes ok with him.
G
Guest
·It's not his second operation, he damaged the cruciate about 18 months ago and we used conservative management, as it was only a strain. He was fine, and we were up to 6-8 mile walks a day, but he had an accident in the snow and completely tore it
oh sorry my mistake,hope everything goes ok with him,sounds like he deserves it,give him another hug from me.It's not his second operation, he damaged the cruciate about 18 months ago and we used conservative management, as it was only a strain. He was fine, and we were up to 6-8 mile walks a day, but he had an accident in the snow and completely tore it
G
Guest
·Will do
Why does yours have to wait so long for the op?
Why does yours have to wait so long for the op?
G
Guest
·My friend only had to wait 5 days and when I made enquires at a different ortho vet in my area for Alfie, they said one week.
I must admit we have two excellent ortho vets very near me
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