TPLO

Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy. It is done to correct a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament in dogs. This procedure was developed by Dr. Slocum and any veterinarian performing it must be specially trained at the Slocum training center. The procedure is patented. It is also brilliant. We can get a 90% return to function of an injured knee as compared to 75% for other corrective knee procedures. The procedure changes the conformation of the knee so that stress is taken off of the knee when it is weight bearing. It involves prior exact measuring of angles in the knee, cutting of the top of the tibia, repositioning the top piece using a bone plate and screws to reattach it to the bottom piece. Of course every effort is used to make sure your pet is pain free after the surgery by using either injectable pain medications and/or a transdermal patch. Your pet will probably go home on oral pain relievers. Some of them are weight bearing on the injured leg that evening of the surgery. The first 6 weeks after the surgery, the pet is not allowed to walk up any stairs or jump onto any furniture. Your pet must be strictly confined so that the bone can heal in the proper position. After 6 to 8 weeks, radiographs are taken to make sure the healing is progressing. If the tibia is healing properly, Fido is then allowed 15 minute leash walks throughout the day as he can tolerate them. After 12 weeks post surgery, the leash walks can be gradually increased in duration. Swimming is a great physical therapy for these dogs. By 4 months, your dog should be allowed to run free (no rough play or quick turns) and by 6 months, he should be almost back to normal. We refer to the following Veterinary Hospitals for this procedure: Washington State University, VCA Veterinary Specialty Center, Canada West and Seattle Veterinary Specialists. Each hospital will have its own customized recovery period.