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Permalink Reply by Ellen Andersen on May 19, 2011 at 4:40pm

My Annie had a TPLO a bit less than a year ago.   The results have been wonderful.  She healed really quickly and the hardest part was keeping her from running around!  She was putting weight on the leg the next day.  She was under house arrest for several weeks and no stairs.  After that short walks, then longer walks and so on.  She really did well and hasn't had a problem since.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on May 19, 2011 at 5:10pm

My dog had a TPLO, it really is an amazing surgery. He walked out of the hospital using all four legs with no limp. The hard part is the recovery. You have to keep them really confined, leash only to go outside to go potty, no stairs, no dog doors etc. My dog was 150 pounds so TPLO was the only option BUT I've also had a dog we did the other ACL surgery on and she never fully recovered so I think I'd choose a TPLO over any other surgery in the future. Get lots of interactive toys for Maggie to play with. I slept on the floor the first week so my dog wouldn't try to jump on my bed, and then slept in the guest room for the next 4 weeks bc my room was upstairs. Honestly all of the rules seem VERY strict and he broke through the baby gates a time or two and ended upstairs or on the bed, he also went out the dog door but he recovered 100% with no complications. No arthritic problems after he aged or anything, it was like it never happened. He was a mellow dog so easier to keep down, with a corgi if you are having trouble I would honestly think seriously about sedation. Seems to keep them from getting depressed if all they want to do is sleep. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on May 19, 2011 at 5:13pm

as a p.s. if you have a sensitive stomach be ready, the surgery site was not pretty, lots of blood, oozing, and bruising for the first couple of days. Just be ready for it, I didn't know what to expect and was a bit shocked because they didn't bandage anything to let the incision drain so looked like something out of a horror film. Again though, my dog was HUGE so he had to have an extra large plate and several screws, a corgi leg may look different.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Guthrie on May 19, 2011 at 7:00pm

That is interesting.  My parents' weimeraner had the TPLO done and her leg was kept very tightly wrapped.  Here's the thing: she ended up getting an infectionn, re-breaking the leg, getting ANOTHER infection, and it eventually killed her.  Now I can't help but wonder if would have been better if her leg had not been wrapped.  At any rate, the same surgeon will not be doing Maggie's surgery.

 

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on May 19, 2011 at 5:42pm

It really all depends.  Seanna had the extra-capsular procedure done last March, and is doing great.  She is a fairly active corgi--does agility, chases the cats, plays ball.  She is on the smaller size.  I looked in to all options, and decided on the one my vet recommended for her size and activity level.  The general consensus is that the TPLO is the "gold standard" of fixing a tear, but you can get by just as easily with the extra-capsular procedure, or the tight-rope procedure.  It's really an option of cost.  Any procedure you choose will not keep arthritis from setting in.  They will still have arthritis, and limp when they overdo it.  Seanna's leg is very stable, and she still has arthritis, (even though we kept her very quiet and had surgery two weeks after the tear), and still limps if she goes "all out".  We simply give her previcoxx and dasaquin, and the next day she is great. 

Now, we also adopted a corgi rescue from a puppy mill that tore his ACL sometime before we got him (we think 6-9 months before).  We opted to NOT do surgery with him since the tear was so old.  He is full of bad arthritis in that knee, and limps more frequently than Seanna does, but is still VERY active and leads a good life. He also gets the same meds when he limps. We chose conservative management with him, and he is doing great.  He also is a small corgi (20#). 

So it is really how much you want to spend, and how much you are willing to do the physical therpay afterwards.  I took both to hydrotherpay after and saw a vet that specialized in physical therapy.  With any of the methods, it is essential to keep the dog with restrictions for the recommended time (no jumping, running, stairs, etc)--Seanna's was 8 weeks.  We bought her a puppy pen, and it worked well.  And with the surgeries, there is always the risk of infection, bone fractures post surgery, and death.  I really feel surgery is the way to go, but feel maybe the TPLO procedure is more complicated than it's worth.  I love my vet, and he feels pretty much the same way.  Others here have done it, and have had great success.  There are also members that have done the extracapsular, conservative management, and the tightrope.  Whatever you choose, you really have the same outcome.  Some just heal faster and have faster results than the others.  Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on May 20, 2011 at 1:56pm

Is there any news on what the other vet said?

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Guthrie on May 20, 2011 at 5:37pm

We just got back.  The other vet would recommend either the TPLO or the TTA based on x-rays (angle of the bones).  I feel much more comfortable about both of these surgeries after talking to him and after reading the positive stories here.  Maggie is so active and young that the "traditional" surgeries may not hold up so well over time.  The doc said her other knee is also showing signs of swelling and soreness, so the sooner she can put weight on the injured side the better.

So next Tuesday Maggie will have either the TPLO or the TTA.  I'll keep you posted on how she does.  No activity for her for awhile, I'm afraid.

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