Comments on: What Does TightRope Surgery Cost?

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

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:21:54 +0000

Our 4-year-old Mastiff, Maggie, was having trouble getting up and down and would stop and lie down on our walks. I suspected hip problems, but my vet said it was actually a knee issue and recommended surgery. Went for a second opinion to another vet who agreed, saying we might be able to get by with just one knee which was obviously worse than the other. Was $700 in so far for xrays, meds, diagnosis, etc, and we opted for the TPLO surgery which was done 2 weeks ago. (Surgery was $2850 in Orange County, CA). First couple of days of recovery were kind of hard…had to help Maggie outside and she wasn’t very happy, but by about day 3, she was walking around almost normally. I’ve allowed her to get on her favorite sofa which is just a little step up for her, as opposed to a jump. She’s not a very active dog, so keeping her quiet isn’t too hard. She seems to want to go for walks again, but will wait for the OK from the vet. Also, vet said she could afford to lose some weight which would also help her knees…So far, she’s down from 151 to 143 after about 2 months of dieting. Vet was very happy about that today, too. Surgeon said the ligament was completely ruptured, but that he didn’t think the other one was. He did, say, tho, that the other one would likely rupture as well. If/when it does, assuming Maggie is still relatively young, I’d probably go ahead and fix it, as well.

By: Jack M

Jack M — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:01:14 +0000

Hi, here is a website that should help you with your choice of tlpo tr or no surgery. I decided on the tight rope and my 114 rott is glad I did. just google … torn dog ligament is surgery really needed… btw tightrope surgery in columbus ne. is $1,500 and this includes a 5-6 hospital stay after the op. the vets name is jim kramer. good luck to everyone. hope this helps.

By: frank aremia

frank aremia — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:33:51 +0000

hello..i live in michigan and my dog is in need of surgery on her torn legiment..iam totally confused as to what procedure to do and the vast difference in costs which is unreal.
my dog is a mixed breed..lab ..shep..i think..12 year old 55 lbs…very active and can;t walk off our deck..always want to run after anything ..any help in the michigan area for affordable help? thanks