Comments on: What Does TightRope Surgery Cost?

By: Connie

Connie — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:28:19 +0000

Hey Mary Ann. Wow. it’s been awhile since I wrote this post. Update after the second surgery. Mattie’s orthopedist told me that he did not think the tightrope procedure would hold because of Mattie’s size and athleticism, but it was the only thing we could do until her knee healed back in place. Yes, 6 weeks later, it failed. However, by this time, the knee was in place and we were able to continue with the TPLO procedure that he felt she should have had in the first place. Can you imagine how awful it was for me financially and emotionally to have to consider putting her through a 3rd surgery? It wasn’t really an option. It was a must do and deal with it situation. The ortho was awesome and I had complete trust in him. He performed the TPLO (Aug. 09) and we were back to the beginning with healing and rehab. The great thing about TPLO is that they can bear weight initially. No using a towel to hold up the leg. It is reportedly a longer healing time, but I felt it was easier, by far because she was able to bear weight and I was ecstatic to observe her as she put more weight on it gradually. So, those initial 5-10 min. walks were easier. To help her heal, I did those short walks several times a day. As much as they’d let me. But it eased her frustration by getting her out of the house and crate. After the healing process was over, the ortho told me that it would take something catastrophic (car accident, etc.) for that procedure to fail. Especially due to her size, I would never waste $ on another procedure again. TPLO is expensive, but trying the procedure that cost less than $1000, ended up costing me over $8,000 in the end. Not to mention Mattie’s agony, increased arthritis and my emotional turmoil. I am so angry at the first vet for ‘ruining her.’ Today, 2 yrs. later, she is 7 and hiking all over the CO mountains. She has hiked up to 13 miles, but I try to keep it under 8. The arthritis still gets to her and it breaks my heart.

If you can find someone to do TPLO at a more reasonable cost within a few hours driving distance, I’d make the drive. I drove 2 hours for checkups and surgery. I’d do it again if I had to. So worth it. Good luck with your decision.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:27:26 +0000

My 140 pound bull mastiff had both
Knees done with the tightrope,The two
Surgeries were about 10 months apart.
I live in the Pittsburgh area, I drove to clarion
Animal hospital to have Dr. Mehta do the
Procedure. He did a great job on both
Knees, I know a lot of vets will tell you
That tr won’t work for big dogs… They are
Wrong, dr Mehta is amazing and only
Charged under 2000.00 total..including
Rockys rechecks…rocky has really bad
Genes… He was a puppy mill puppy from
Petland store, (no I did not buy a puppy in
A petstore , I rescued him from the people
That purchased him) he has put on some
Weight since his last surgery but the tightrope
Is holding up perfectly. Just make sure your dr
Knows how to do the tr properly… If you are
Anywhere in the Pittsburgh area, do yourself
And your dog a favor and go to clarion animal
Hospital and ask for Dr Mehta

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:12:12 +0000

I am in the same boat, I have a 100# lab and can not afford the TPLO (4000.+ in my area) and am opting for the tightrope but am very concerned that his is too big for it. I have surgery scheduled for Sept 1st and have a call into the Dr. Who would think this decision would be so difficult!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:35:44 +0000

Maggie’s recovering very nicely from her second TPLO. 6-week xrays look great and we’ve started our walks again. Seems much happier and not limping at all… just a little gimpy when she first gets up, kinda like me. A lilttle over 6 grand for the 2 surgeries (Orange County, CA) but money well spent. Great to see our dog acting like a puppy again.

By: Dpepperluvr

Dpepperluvr — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:58:24 +0000

Hi Lisa,

If you contact the surgeon who invented the surgery, James Cook at cookjl@missouri.edu, he will send you a list of vets who have been trained using the tightrope procedure in your area. He was very personable and got back to me the next day.

My dog, Franny, is doing amazing! It will be 8 weeks tomorrow and we have officially let her roam free. She is one happy camper!!!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:34:09 +0000

Does anyone know a vet in the pittsburgh area that does tightrope ccl? I will travel far, but I want that procedure, not to be mistaken by the vets that are using fishing line, that is not good for large breed dogs and I have a bull mastiff. thanks for any info.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:59:05 +0000

Well…Maggie recovered very nicely from her TPLO…was feeling REALLY good, I guess, so she decided to blow out the other knee a couple of days ago…Not putting any weight on that leg now. So, she’s got an appointment for ANOTHER TPLO. This one should be a little less, costly, though….don’t need the pre-op Xrays, and I’ve already got the collar and sling. Not looking forward to another recovery, BUT will be very happy when she has four good wheels.

By: Dpepperluvr

Dpepperluvr — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:09:38 +0000

My dog, Franny, had the tightrope procedure 3 1/2 weeks ago and is doing great! She is an 8 year old 47 lb. lab mix and very active. I did a lot of research and found the tightrope procedure was the least invasive and geared toward active dogs. So far, so good. We had the procedure done in Northridge, CA at Porter Pet Hospital by a travelling surgeon, Jack Henry. He was referred to us by the originator of the surgery as well as the hospital. We paid $2400 for the surgery, $840 for the hospital, anesthesia,etc., and about $500 for x-rays and such. So, overall, it was close to $4000. Franny’s spirits are great! She has been using her leg since about the 2nd week after the surgery. She can only go outside on a leash – no running or playing around for about 4 more weeks. I will keep you posted more about her recovery as she continues to heal. We are very pleased at this point!

By: slharbi

slharbi — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:48:25 +0000

Ok So I want to make sure everyone understands what others are saying.

For dogs that are larger breeds the TPLO is better because a TR is likely to tear again.

We came to thsi conclusion also and I don’t want to take a chance on having to have surgery again. Not worth the money or time.

By: marsha

marsha — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:25:48 +0000

My dog is a border collie mix, 32 pounds and has a ruptured ACL. I’ve been told by one doctor that they do the standard operation for $3500 and another the TR, for $2600. Can anyone tell me if my dog, because of his size, would be a candidate for TR surgery? It seems like all the dogs referred to above are over 50lbs. Thanks