My 1-yr old rottweiler, Rosie, suffered a right broken leg in May 2010. In Nov. 2010, she had TPLO surgery in an Orthopedic Hospital to repair the CCL and correct the angles in her leg.

Two weeks post-op, she developed severe swelling in her leg & abdomen, and a fever. I took her to my local Vet, & they sent me to the Orthopedic Hospital. Rosie was put on Clavamox, & they took a culture of ooze coming from her recent suture site. Several days later, she was switched to Zeniquin – to treat a Staph infection. She stayed on Zeniquin for 2 weeks.

Six weeks post-op, Rosie broke the top 3 screws of her TPLO brace while pulling on her leash in 2″ of fresh snow.

The next day, we returned to the Orthopedic Hospital. They stabilized her leg, and the following day, on Dec. 29th, a TPLO repair was performed. She received 3 new screws; an external fixator; and her leg was injected with antibiotics. Zeniquin was continued for 6 more weeks. Another culture was taken.

Seven weeks later, on Feb. 15th, 2011, Rosie’s external fixator was removed because the upper rod was loose. Another culture was taken.

In late March, 2011, Rosie received another injection in her leg (around the bones/plate/ & screws), of antibiotics. It was decided that the plate & screws will have to be removed after her bones have healed.

I bought an Exogen 4000+ Bone Healing Ultrasound system, and gave her 80+ daily (20 minute) treatments.

On April 14th, Rosie was started on Avelox, for 4 weeks.

She was taking Carafate for her ulcer, which healed quickly. Rosie put on weight, & started using her leg again! Rosie’s xrays showed good bone growth – for the 1st time since Dec. 2010.

April 27th, Rosie returned to the Orth. Hosp. for xrays & evaluation. Excellent bone growth; building more muscle. Scheduled to return back to Orth. Hosp. in early June for more xrays. Hoping to get the hardware removed!

Rosie will get more antibiotic injected around her bones, when the hardware is removed. Another culture will be taken. I’m sure she will need more oral antibiotics. At some later date, Rosie will need arthroscopic bi-lateral surgery on her elbows to remove bone chips due to dysplasia. We will keep our fingers crossed for her future.

Currently, Rosie is happy; eating well; playing; & using her leg very well. She has built a lot of muscle. Rosie will be 2 years old on July 4th, 2011.

To summarize, we almost lost Rosie due to infections & medications. We considered amputation of her rt. hind leg; and even euthanasia. It was a very dark 6 months. Of course, Rosie was, (and is), taking 6+ Tramadol daily for pain. Thousands of pills/hours of care ’round the clock.

My previous rottie had 2-TPLO surgeries with no complications. He had 6 more years of running & playing.

UPDATE ON ROSIE

This is a follow-up on my rottweiler, Rosie’s story, following TPLO surgery in Nov. 2010. Rosie will turn 2 year’s old on July 4th, 2011.

On June 15th, Rosie had the plate & 6 screws from her TPLO surgery/ & revision, removed due to contamination from staph. The original top (3) broken screws were left inside the bone. They were entirely encased in solid bone.

Purulent material was removed from the joint capsule; and slime was debrided off the bones. R-gel antibiotic was infused around the entire area. Rosie was kept in a hard cast for 2+ weeks.

After culture results came back, Rosie continued a 6 + 1/2 week course of Avelox.

We are keeping our fingers crossed! Rosie is doing very well now. Will keep updating.

UPDATE

Rosie is now getting aquatherapy! She finished her antibiotics, (Avelox), and is rapidly growing muscle!

I’d like to give credit to (VOSM), Vetetinary Orthopedic Sports Medicine Group, Annapolis Junction, MD. Dr. Sherman Canapp is Rosie’s surgeon, and Dr. Scott Christopher helped us every step of the way. They saved Rosie’s leg, and her life.

TPLO Surgery Complications & Staph Infection – Rosie is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

My Schutzhund competition dog had tplo surgery 6 months ago. His recovery was very slow. I did plenty of low impact therapy from month one, then put him back on Rimadyl when the surgeon advised that he should be able do everything he did prior to surgery. After some hard training work, he developed a large swelling over the joint, and a small fistula began to drain.

I am resigned that my dog can no longer do the work to compete in the sport. Had I know the outcome, I would have opted for extra capsular repair.

Think twice about Tplo. When it works, I hear good things, but when it goes bad……it goes very, very bad.

Tplo Complications in Dogs – Hammer is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Complications and risks associated with tibial tuberosity advancement surgery:

• Swelling around incision site – happens in about half of all dogs
• Dirrhea, nausea or loss of appetite during post operative recovery
• Incisional dehiscence – spontaneous separation of the incision site
• Severed long digital extensor tendon
• Tibial crest failure – this most often requires re-operation as the stability of the implant is compromised
• Patellar luxations – dislocation of the knee cap; this can range from moderate to severe
• Implant rejection and/or infection
• Meniscal pain and post-op tearing of the meniscus

TTA Repair Complications is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Complications and risks associated with traditional repair techniques for cranial cruciate ligament surgery are as follows:

• Adverse reactions to anesthesia including nausea, vomiting, fatigue and in rare cases – death.
• Infection of the surgical site.
• Seroma – a build up of fluid at the surgical site which must be drained (aspirated).
• Allergic reaction to sutures or medications used.
• Allergic reaction to leader line, making re-operation for removal necessary.
• Patellar luxation – knee cap dislocation.
• Entrapment of the peroneal nerve – which can lead to paralysis and/or loss of the limb.
• Blow out of stifle joint, tearing of leader line. This requires surgical intervention and a TPLO is often used for repair.
• Tearing of mensicus.

Extracapsular CCL Repair Complications is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information

Possible complications associated with Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO):

• Anesthetic death (very rare)
• Poor healing of the bone and/or breakage of plates and screws
• Straining of patellar ligament
• Fracture of tibial crest
• Blow-out fracture of the tibial plateau (requires re-operation)
• Loosening of screws and shifting of tibial slope
• Shifting of bones
• Arthritis
• Tearing of meniscus
• Allergic reaction to sutures
• Seroma formation
• Bleeding or bruising of the surgical site
• Implant failure
• Deep infections of the bone, joint or implant
• Angular/Torsional limb deformity

TPLO Complications is a post from: Dog Knee and Leg Injury, Canine Cruciate Ligament Recovery, TPLO Surgery, CCL Injury Diagnosis, Dog Knee Brace Information