[lennie]

Okay, my worst fears were realized....my 10 year old has tore his CCL. I have searched here on the subject and have noticed that most of you who have been through this have gone the TPLO route albeit with much younger dogs. My dogs competition career has been over for awhile, but we were hoping for a couple more years in the hunting arena.

I have not made up my mind yet, but would like to hear from some of you who may have chosen the "conventional surgery" and what your results have been? The surgeon I have consulted does an "over the top" procedure using the dogs own harvested tissue/ligament.

I do have a TPLO certified Surgeon in the area, and there is always Cornell. I think if he was younger and still competing, I would do the TPLO in a heartbeat, but older and the fact that it is so invasive have me worried.

Any opinions on not doing TPLO?

 

[Greg Seddon]

Extracapsular Technique
http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/cruciatelrt.htm

TPLO
http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm

 

[Misty Marsh]

It would be helpful to know more about the dog? Weight, actvity level, etc.., but with that said I'd like to have an idea about the tibial platuea angle before making a decision.

 

[spaightlabs]

we had the 'old/conventional' surgery done on a VERY active dog 18 - 20 years ago - he lived an active addtional 8 years post surgery. He did develop arthritis as he progressed in age, but you'll see that with TPLO too...

 

[lennie]

Dog weighs 78lbs, He is moderately active, meaning he walks/runs anywhere from a mile to three miles a day. He does not actively compete anymore, he was hunted upland 8-9 outings this fall, Duck hunts 5-6 times a season. When the other dogs train, he gets a double or triple mark at the end of the session.

He is our number one upland hunting dog, he is in good shape for a 10 yr old.

 

[EdA]

Dog weighs 78lbs

He is our number one upland hunting dog, he is in good shape for a 10 yr old.

TPLO :!:

 

[NateB]

Dog weighs 78lbs

He is our number one upland hunting dog, he is in good shape for a 10 yr old.

TPLO :!:

I second that!!!!!!If you are going to have surgery done then do the best.

 

[Misty Marsh]

I'd agree! TPLO is likely your best choice for this dog!

 

[Gene]

Thanks for the replies from the good vets here on RTF. I'm making the same decision right now on a 9 year old with a partial tear. Same activity level as the one mentioned above. It was partially torn about 2 months ago and I've limited her activity since then. One vet said wait until it tears and another said do it now. I had an appt. scheduled with a vet in Alabama and had to change the appt. Do the vets recommend doing TPLO before the complete tear? I will be rescheduling soon and do TPLO. I was hoping there was a surgery easier for a dog to get over considering her age and future- she is retired ft'er. Also rehab will be tough with no rehab facility nearby. For me the decision on a young dog is easy but on a retired dog for me it is tougher because I hate for them to suffer through surgery and rehab. Maybe it is not as bad as it seems.

Gene

 

[EdA]

Do the vets recommend doing TPLO before the complete tear?

definitely, before more damage occurs, the potential for meniscal (cartilage) tears and degenerative joint disease can affect the long term success of the surgery, partial tears eventually become complete tears, repair it sooner rather than later

 

[carolp]

Gene wrote:

...rehab will be tough with no rehab facility.

You can do the rehab on your own, the recovery process is no different between the two types of surgery, traditional or TPLO. Lots of walking on leash, and if you have access to water, now would be a good time for the surgery. You will have the summer for swimming rehab.

My dog had only a partial tear, had a TPLO, but she is younger than your dog. I probably would not do one on my 12 year old, but she is arthritic and a couch potato.

Carol

 

[rmellaw]

The rehab time and healing time on a TPLO is much shorter than a conventional repair.

 

[Misty Marsh]

Time to fuction is shorter, but rehab is equally as important. Lot's of walks, range of motion excersise, and swim, swim, swim, for muscel tone and range of motion without the impact.

 

[lennie]

Thanks for the opinion from Dr Ed and Dr. Nate.

I have found a surgeon at Cornell Univ. who does the procedure and I am trying to schedule a consultation there. I am lucky to have that facility so near to me. we also spoke with a friend who had the surgery done there this fall on his corso? (Big dog over 100lbs) and he said it was working out okay.

I know the rehab is importent and while there is no water available in NY at the moment, there are a couple of rehab facilities in Rochester that I may be able to avail myself of.

Gene, Good luck to you too...I hope we both have excellent results.

 

[Granddaddy]

Gene wrote:

...rehab will be tough with no rehab facility.

You can do the rehab on your own, the recovery process is no different between the two types of surgery, traditional or TPLO. Lots of walking on leash, and if you have access to water, now would be a good time for the surgery. You will have the summer for swimming rehab.

My dog had only a partial tear, had a TPLO, but she is younger than your dog. I probably would not do one on my 12 year old, but she is arthritic and a couch potato.

Carol

And Carol has done a great rehab job. Her BLF is a rocketship retrieving - even after the TPLO. I'm sure she would be non-stop energy apart from Carol's excellent OB work.