Double TPLO Recovery – Limping/Lameness – Loki

Double TPLO Surgery

Our now 12 year old Brittany, Loki, has had both knees fixed with TPLO surgery. His first surgery was 18 months ago and the second about 1 year ago. Recovery went well in both cases, though he managed to break his fibula both times. In both cases, though, the fibula healed without any troubles.

After the second surgery, he began dragging his toenails occasionally on both sides. We didn’t worry about it as the recovery was going well and we weren’t aware that it could be a symptom of other problems.

Things were going well until about 6 months after the second surgery. He seemed to be back to about 80%, running and playing near to his normal hyperactive self.

At about 6 months, he developed a limp and more proprioceptive deficiencies. He drags his toenails occasionally on both sides and knuckles as well. The side of his second surgery is a little worse than the other side.

Our surgeon wasn’t able to examine Loki, since we have moved to Panama, but we sent him some x-rays and he felt they looked good with no arthritis or complications.

These symptoms have increased and decreased over time, but never gone away. The surgeon said that TPLO can’t cause proprioceptive problems, but I wanted to find out if anyone else has had similar experiences. Perhaps pain and weakness associated with the surgery can cause these symptoms?

Thanks for any input!

53 thoughts on “Double TPLO Recovery – Limping/Lameness – Loki

  1. I have a dog that just went through a double TPLO and he does this as well, but only on one side. Usually if they are dragging the toes, it is one of two things, muscle weakness or nerve damage. To check for nerve damage, when the dog is standing, pick up their back foot just enough to turn it so the pads are up and the tops of the toes press against the ground. As soon as you let go, the dog should immediately pick the foot up and put the pads back down. If there is a delay, or if the dog stays knuckled over on that back foot, it usually means a nerve issue. (You can probably You Tube a video on how to do this.)
    I would think that because of the large amount of cutting in the TPLOs, it’s possible that nerves could be nicked. Nerves take an average of 6 mos-1 year to heal if they are damaged, so if you are past that time, you may have something permanent or maybe even a different problem unrelated to surgery.
    The other thing I would be worried about if he’s dragging on both sides is a disc in the back. That can cause coordination problems, and makes more sense if the dragging is on both back feet instead of just one. I would also get him tested for all the tick-borne diseases. Lyme’s and anaplasmosis can cause similar symptoms, and have a cheap and easy cure (run of doxycycline antibiotics).
    Have you tried Rimadyl or any other anti-inflammatories? Do they help?
    My boy is only a few weeks off restrictions, so I am not worried about nerve damage just yet…he’s still weak enough that he falls over sometimes because he just doesn’t have the muscle back to hold himself up, so I will watch and not panic yet, but I feel for you guys.
    If you KNOW something is wrong, don’t give up….you live with your dog, you are the only one who is liable to pick up on the really subtle symptoms that he is not at 100%. The vet has stopped questioning me when I tell them there is a problem…I tend to see Domino’s issues about two and half weeks before they become bad enough for the vet to diagnose. They are good at hiding their pain!

  2. Hurley is a 12 1/2 yo, 90lb boxer/lab mix. We are 10 days postop from his TPLO surgery done by a Neurosurgeon with excellent credentials. Brief history..having full back end failure, knuckling both hind legs, loss of muscle mass in hind qtrs-from January 2014. dx’d with hind end ataxia & proprioceptive deficits – X-rays showed evidence of spondylosis at L7 – S1, (at base of spine) with possible compression on the spinal cord & nerves. To try and avoid surgery on the spine, the Dr. wanted him to try the water treadmill & laser therapy. Hurley has been doing physical therapy since april2014 with excellent progress…he has gone from 1 min up to 20 mins on the treadmill – he still has his good and bad days. All in all the dr is very pleased with his improvement in a 3 month time..
    3 weeks ago think it was the bear that was passing thru the area at the time and Hurley tried to run thru the yard….he came in limping, ACL tear – just had surgery…back end is very weak again-the good leg very weak, starting with the knuckling off & on, the surgical leg fully knuckled until a few days ago…has been getting better. Sutures to be removed this week and will be starting minimal physical therapy (water treadmill & laser therapy) 8/31/2014. Postop visit & X-ray’s mid September & status/eval for PT. He does also have liver compromise so anti inflammatories such as rimadyl are minimal dosing and will only be on it for short period – it does help tremendously tramadol is at a maximum dosage 🙁
    Thank you for allowing me to share!! Tammi & Hurley

  3. My Rottie mix rosie will be having tplo surgery on June 29. Any advice and/or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanx! Rose & rosie

  4. My lab just had surgery and boy its very ruff!!! lol We had to biuld ramps everywhere for her to go out and make her buisness she was in alot of pain and the collor they put on kept her up all nite for days. I did not gwet much sleeep its very hard to hold them down. Keepin mind that once they feekbetter they will try to run etc always keep himor her on a leash. We are going back on froday for an xray! Shw came home woth a pain patch also her stay was two days at hospital, Where are you having it done??

    1. Hi Connie, we’re taking her to Dr. Crouse in Arden (by Asheville, western NC) He came highly recommended and my husband and I really liked him whn we went for the consult. And yes from all I’ve read it’s a tough recovery. Where did you go to get your labs done??

  5. My dog just had double TPLO surgery and even though I knew it was going to be tough, I didn’t realize HOW tough. However! Despite a few nights of no sleep, and constant worry about how she is doing, listening to her first nights of whimpers of a little pain, her lack of wanting to eat or even go outside or do her business (yes, she lasted 4 DAYS with NOTHING and held it in! even after eating more…), we are finally at 2 weeks to the point where she is walking around and is sleeping through the night and she is eating and wanting to pretend this never happened…she tolerates her cone really well…she is a headstrong Pitbull mix and I thought there was no way she’d tolerate the cone, but she’s cool with it (as long as it’s see-through it is good)….she wants to go outside and just walk around and lie in the sun….I think one thing I did not prepare for was the hardwood floor issue in our house…even if we have area rugs..when she gets to the hardwood part she slips and can’t get up…..make sure you have rugs! at least! so I went and bought some cheap outside rugs and taped them down and she is moving through the house better… I WOULD RECOMMEND this surgery despite the complete TOUGH road which really was the first two weeks….we are getting sutures out tomorrow. I have resolved myself to a couple (or more?) of months with limitations for her, and that is a tough adjustment not only for her but for me! but her walking, her gait, is better than when she went into surgery…

    1. We just had bilateral surgery done on our Pit Bull. She is sort of non-plussed by the whole thing. The hardest part is keeping her from doing what she normally does. She likes to lay in the sun and we put a big foam mattress cover on the floor and are sleeping with her. She also has a crate, so if we have visitors or when we eat, she goes in the crate so she isn’t circling around us. I bought a few new chew toys, have been doing the kong with peanut butter. She has licked the wound a bit but isn’t wearing a cone as she stops when we tell her to. Ours wanted alternative foods the first few days so I made a scrambled egg, a pancake for her and bought some canned dog food that she likes, also rice and cottage cheese. I’m sorry your dog seemed to be in some pain. Ours didn’t seem to be, but we did give the pain meds about every 8 hours. Last night a neighbor’s teenager got home late and she got up and ran over to the gate and was barking, so I put her in her crate. That is the hardest part…anticipating when she’ll try to do something she’s not supposed to. She also jumped up on the couch when I wasn’t looking. Yikes!

  6. We are week 2 of a double tta surgery, things are going very well, first few night’s were rough but been pretty easy since then. Eating and going the bathroom have been spot on, probably toughest part is keeping him confined to a pen.Im glad i did both together instead of a long rehab to only do it again. I can really see the difference in his facial expressions he was in quite a bit of pain now that i can see the difference in the way he is acting, i knew he was hurting but wasn’t sure how much, he is a pitbull so hard to gauge pain sometimes.

  7. Our girl Maya (7 yr. old boxer/terrier mix) is 4 weeks out from double TPLO. She fully tore both ACL, meniscus and dislocated her right kneecap which required more extensive surgery on the right leg.
    She’s taken to crate living surprisingly well (she was a terror in a crate as a puppy and hasn’t been in one since she was 1 1/2) and will go in willingly. Surprisingly, she never needed the cone as she left the surgical sites alone. Her poor fur still hasn’t grown back though, so she’s still pretty short haired on the back end.
    The first few weeks, she really needed the sling to help get her up and with walking, as she really didn’t trust herself. This was, especially helpful when she went to the bathroom as you could help support her. She’s walking around very well now. We are up to a full trip around the block with no struggle and will continue to slowly tack on more time/distance but still trying to stay on as flat of ground as we can.
    The toughest part for her is going from sitting to standing and vice versa. She does this using only her upper body, so she lifts the back legs up before sitting as well as when she goes to stand (like some sort of gymnast move, LOL). This causes her to be somewhat unbalanced.
    We are committed to keeping her crated for the full 8-10 weeks except for bathroom breaks and walks and on a leash anytime she’s out of the crate. She’s always been very high energy, crazy running around, patrolling the house, etc. so the hardest part is the sad puppy dog eyes wanting to be out doing what she loves. But, we know that even when she “thinks” she’s better, we have to stay strong and keep her confined so that she can fully heal. I would hate to have to go through this again.
    Good luck to those of you that will be going through this and hopes for a strong recovery for your fur babies!

  8. My lab mix had TPLO surgery almost 1 year ago. Interesting on the large range of pricing! It was definitely tough at first, especially hearing her whimper and look around so lost the first couple of days. She refused to wear the cone so she slept with us and we woke up to her every movement making sure she wasn’t licking her seutured area. Once she was able to walk on her own we gated off part of our patio so that she could enjoy the outdoors instead of being cooped up. At first we sat out there with her just petting her, making sure she didn’t jump up for any reason! Then we bought a bike trailer so she could come with us on walks! She was a VERY active dog so I didn’t think she would like it but I think she realized it was that or stay home and she quickly took to riding with a big ol smile! Didn’t take us long to open it up completely so she didn’t feel cooped up in it! She went through PT for a while and seemed to be recovering quite well! The only struggles I noticed was her going from lying down to standing up so I finally took her back in to see if this is normal. 3 weeks on anti inflammatories and last night she did something causing her to start limping and favoring that leg :(. I am waiting to see how it is after a couple days rest but will follow up with dr regardless. Any ideas what this can be? I was told they cannot tear it again.

    1. Sherri this sounds very similar to what we are experiencing with our border collie/lab mix 6 months post TPLO. Did you find answers to the cause of Roxi’s limping and favoring? Our Bailey does limp after a good play or run but recently she isn’t putting as much weight on the post-surgical leg. She’s not completely lame but she does favor it and it’s noticeable she’s not putting as much weight as she was after healing. I have seen her slip or the leg seem to give out but she does fine with 2-4 mile walks. Strange.

      1. Christie,
        When I took her back to see the surgeon he didn’t seem to be too concerned – they did another X-ray but not all views as I didn’t want to put her under again, I just wanted to make sure none of the screws had come loose. The X-rays had shown an increase in arthritis but I still don’t think that is it. I took her to her regular dr and while grabbing at the knee she whimpered a bit and the dr seemed to think something may be wrong with her miniscus (which is what I thought all along). Unfortunately I had heard there isn’t a whole lot they can do for that so I contemplated taking her in to see the surgeon again … I didn’t want her to go through another surgery only to get more arthritis. She is fine if we just go on leash walks but we enjoy more off leash activities. She will favor it after running around but usually fine the next day… she always gets up slow from a lying down position unless she sees a squirrel in the backyard ? I have continued to give her her vitamins and tramadol after off leash activities but I am going to take her in to the dr again. I will keep you posted on what they say… hopefully your pup is ok!
        Sherri

        1. hi, I’m a little late to this conversation, but I have a large Newfy who had TPLO surgery. We are now 18 weeks after surgery. He was doing great, no lameness, no favoring, no limping, but just yesterday I noticed late in the evening he was limping and slow to get up. I let him be for the night, but gave him a rymadal before going to bed. When I go up the next morning he was even worse. Very slow to get up and really lame on the surgical leg to the point where he is putting no weight on it. I called the vet and we have an appointment for Monday. Was told to keep him quiet and give him the rymadal, but its like he’s getting worse and is worse that prior to the surgery or even after the surgery. Any advice would be nice.

          1. There may be some artritis setting in. My dog is on Rimadyl for the rest of her life along with cosiquin. If I do not give her both she can no get up well at all. With the meds she is perfect. She is now Turning 11. I have a yellow lab. I also feed her metobolic mobility food. And it works wonders. Hope she lives to 18. My Lexi had both knees done. Good luck

          2. Hi Denise! My dog had the same trouble after TPLO surgery. He had an infection which I assume is what’s going on with yours. After several different types of antibiotics he got better and was using it no problem. He kept licking the site several months after surgery and had to have the plate removed. It was discovered he still had an infection behind the plate and is now on more antibiotics he is currently 7 months post op and just yesterday was running and tore his other leg. I am so fearful of this surgery now because of the complications the first time. I am trying conservative management first. He is not using his leg at all. Good luck with yours. I hope the vet appointment goes well and he is cleared up in no time.

        2. Sherri and everyone else too!!!

          I just did a search and found this site. My now 7 year old lab, Max, had TPLO surgery 4 years ago. I have been fearful that he would tear his other leg, but has not as far as I know. He has had some limping issues and the vet said it was arthritis in his elbow. One surgeon wanted to do athroscopic surgery and i decided to do PT and meds.

          However, the last couple of weeks he acts like he has pain on the leg that was operated on the TPLO operation. He won’t lay on that side and he is very unsteady when he gets up. His leg moves in weird ways when I try to see his range of motion and he sits like the leg is a chicken wing. ( I know it sounds weird, but that is the best way to describe it.). I’m wondering if anyone has had any experience with a TPLO plate coming unscrewed or breaking? or it may be another issue, like hip???

          thanks for the great posts. Always helpful to hear from the people and not the vendors!!

          1. Denise Runde, I am having same issue with “chicken leg”, but this has been pretty much from the beginning of recovery to date (7 mos post-op). Besides favoring the leg, she has been limping, some days worse than others, and the last two months I’ve had her on Tramadol which seems to help, but these last few days she’s starting to not want to put weight on it and will even hold it up.
            Time for a trip back to the Surgeon. I was really hoping this surgery would get her back to normal, was so energetic before….and hoping this isn’t her new normal, as it seems to have thrown her right into her “senior” years before her time!

          2. We had a screw back out on the TPLO that kept causing infection to tunnel into the wound bc it kept reopening. Finally after removing the screw, no more issues. I could feel the screw head, but you could only see it protruding on certain x-ray angles. I’m glad I kept pushing the Dr bc they kept saying everything was fine. Trust your instincts.

      2. Yes my golden 6 Mos after tplo. Stiff legged. Runs wLksabout 2 miles plays freesbee at her request then limps. Foot she still won’t put flat? Drives m e nuts??

        1. This exactly what my 8 year golden does. And it drives me nuts. Did you find this is normal? I took her odd rymadyl she just on supplements. WNt to get blood test for liver etc. I bet if I per her back on this would stop.

  9. Are you hoisting him up and not letting him walk on the leg when he goes outside or walks in the house? I would use a towel or sheet and have him not walk on it at all. I also put a thin mattress on the floor and slept with my dog so he wouldn’t go up any steps or go onto the couch. Have you had your dog on physical therapy? I guess just keep him really quiet until you can get an x ray and see what’s going on. Good luck!

  10. Interesting to read, my dog, a Scottie, had TLPO surgery 4 years ago, he’s on Rantidine, Onisor and Tramdol. ? He went to the groomers and he’s now limping and a marked degree of lameness in the leg he was operated on! Seems groomer may have forgotten his hip dysplasia and harnessed him.. he’s only 6 years old, but so worried. Really thinking maybe I should have him put to sleep ? Vet thinks he may have strained it, but he keeps wanting me to rub it..and pants even with the extremely shorts walks he’s having. I’d be grateful for opinions.

    1. I would give him some rest, rub it if he wants you to and maybe do some physical therapy. Swimming is excellent for them. Bubba is doing better. We give him the rymadal twice a day, shortened his walks and he is doing so much better. He’s panting too on the shorter walks but it’s hot out and he’s a big dog but at least we are still getting exercise. I would not resort to putting the dog down. There are alternatives and arthritis can flame up from time to time. Just give it some time and keep in mind when sending your dog out to the groomers to remind them they need breaks in between. I have yet to send Bubba to a groomer because no one will take care of your dog like you do. Keep us posted.

      1. Thank you so much. ? Love him so much. It’s not hot here in uk ..do remind groomer usually but-foolishly thought, as he’s been going to the same one since he was 4 months old ( he’s now 6 years old ) she’d remember. Have heat pads for him but worry about his quality of life. He’s no longer playing. He’s having short walks, then sleeping. I wish I could groom him myself, but can’t ? Thank you Denise, I’ll certainly keep you up to date. ?

  11. My dog had double TPLO surgery and yes on occasion she strains it and limps. But then she gets back to normal! Don’t put the little sweetie asleep for a strain that will go away!!!

    1. Thanks Laurin, just so worried about his quality of life. Don’t want him to suffer because I’m putting me first, not wanting to let him go, whilst he’s suffering. ❤️?

    2. Laurin,

      What kind of dog do you have? I have a 2 year old pit that is 11 weeks post-op his second TPLO (bilateral). He has finally been more energetic and acting like himself. We are supposed to go to the surgeon on Monday to get released but this week I have been noticing him limping. We have been going on 2.5 mile walks every day and he’s been fine! We took off the last three days though when I have noticed the limping. It has suddenly gotten a lot colder. Do you ever notice the weather effect your dog? Have you noticed the limping to always come and go?

  12. I’m sorry about your dog’s dragging toes…
    It sounds like Degenerative Myopathy. the test to see if that is what
    it is…. turn the dogs hind foot over onto the hairy side and put it down.
    If the dog turns it over immediately it is not DM, it the dog just leaves
    their foot upside down, it probably is.. sorry. it’s not treatable. the
    dog will continue to get worse but is not in any pain from this. you
    might have to put booties on the back feet if the dragging starts to
    make the foot bleed.

  13. Hi,
    I realize this is a really old post, but i could really use some guidance. You mentioned your dog managed to fracture her fibula both times – what was the recovery like in that case. My 4 yr old golden just went through her second tplo and its day 5 post op. We were just infomed that she seems to have fractured her fibula even though she has been in a crate or supervised since her surgery. Im worried about how this affects her recovery. She currently has a splint on that leg to help heal the fracture. Any advise would be appreciated.

    1. While it sounds bad, this is usually a minor postop complication that can be managed without additional surgery and doesn’t tend to cause the pup additional pain beyond that associated with the standard surgical procedure. I know you’re worried now, but since this response is 1 month late I bet your pup is doing fairly well now on the operated leg, no??

      1. Thanks

        But no, the associated problems from the hip dysplasia, which caused the cruicate ligament injury and failure of operation, has meant that I’ve had to have my beloved Bertie put to sleep, kindness for him…he was only six years old, heart break for me. He was on so many pain relief meds, anti inflammatory etc etc, other issues kept arising due to how he was having to walk. Vet was excellent, but agreed with me in the end. Broken hearted. Can never have another dog due to my circumstances, disabled. Lost my loyal devoted, companion, guard and friend.

        https://youtu.be/TQtCuYd5Cy0

      2. Thanks

        But unfortunately no, the associated problems from the hip dysplasia, which caused the cruicate ligament injury and failure of operation, has meant that I’ve had to have my beloved Bertie put to sleep, kindness for him…he was only six years old, heart break for me. He was on so many pain relief meds, anti inflammatory etc etc, other issues kept arising due to how he was having to walk. Vet was excellent, but agreed with me in the end. Broken hearted. Can never have another dog due to my circumstances, disabled. Lost my loyal devoted, companion, guard and friend.

        https://youtu.be/TQtCuYd5Cy0

  14. Thank you but sadly no, the associated problems from the hip dysplasia, which caused the cruicate ligament injury and failure of operation, has meant that I’ve had to have my beloved Bertie put to sleep, kindness for him…he was only six years old, heart break for me. He was on so many pain relief meds, anti inflammatory etc etc, other issues kept arising due to how he was having to walk. Vet was excellent, but agreed with me in the end. Broken hearted. Can never have another dog due to my circumstances, disabled. Lost my loyal devoted, companion, guard and friend

    https://youtu.be/cn0Ktfl9PuE

  15. This has been a helpful thread. My 5 y.o. OEB had bilateral PTLO 2 and 1 year ago. Almost a full year after second surgery, her original leg is lame 60% of the time. She was lifting it a lot to move around. Few months after that, her second leg went after chasing a stupid squirrel outside and now she cant move.
    We tried some PT and laser, but with limited results. Very expensive here…$150 per session which is absurd.
    Now what? We are scared that this will be more or less permanent. Will be heading over to the vet in a few days to check it out…
    Bottom line – after PTLO do NOT let your dogs run and jump too much even if they can. After a year or so, they will try, but their legs are not the same. Controlled walks is the only way to protect them along with some controlled exercises.
    We messed up and now she has 2 lame back legs and we are devastated.

    1. I am very interested in reading all the posts about double TPLOs going back six years. My 75 – 4 year old mix – had to have one knee done in March 2018 and then six weeks later the other knee had to be done. I had already started PT with the first one and continued with the second one through August 2018. By August I thought she had totally recovered. Then March 2019 I noticed she shifting her weight to her back right leg – which was the first one done. The PT vet said that she had lost 3 inches of muscle in the 7 months since I stopped PT on that left leg. I did more PT for two months but did not notice an improvement. And you are right it is expensive. So I don’t know what to do now and have started using the ramp into the car again etc to limit her jumping. The key appears to be to develop the muscles by going in a straight line and not twisting around. Not sure how to do that without more PT. But I am worried she will start limping on that leg again.

      1. There is so much info on the internet when you start looking up dog ACL surgery I thought this would be a good place to post my experience with what I had to go through with my 5 year English Springer over the past year.
        So…out hiking with the dog on a snowy day and noticed he slipped on some ice. He came back to me holding his right leg up. I rested him for a few days but didn’t see any improvement so took him to the Vets… and yes you guessed it..complete tear of ACL. Don’t wasted you time on leg braces… they fall off and don’t fix the issue. I scheduled TPLO surgery on March 25th. Surgery went great. Rehab is not easy… trying to keep a 4 year old stringer confined to a small room was a challenge. I put a mattress on the floor and slept with him for a week to make sure he was ok… he is my baby 🙂 I followed all rehab provided by the surgeon and noticed improvements week by week. 8 week check up was good. After 16 weeks I got the all clear. I did have a few scaring moments during rehab like watching him jump over the back of the chair landing on slippery hard wood floor.. So jumping ahead to February, nearly a year later. Came back from a business trip and immediately took my pup for a walk. Within 5 minutes he takes off after a deer. Straight run to the deer and a straight run back…. but came back limping. My surgeon told me that it’s normal to see him limp after exercise so rest for a couple of days. Rest didn’t help so xrays. Surgeon said the tear has healed well so we should remove the plate… so another surgery scheduled. Surgery went well with the plate removal but the plate had 1 bent screw and 2 loose screws…. now the rehab. Followed rehab and noticed after about 6 weeks in he was limping on the other leg… You guessed it another ACL (Partial tear) No idea how this happened as he was on leash walking only. So basically a year exactly he had to get another ACL surgery. I’m am 16 weeks in and he has been doing great. He is off the leash now and ruining around. I do notice he tends to still favor the leg that had the plate removed but I believe this is pretty normal. I will be keeping an eye on it but as you can imagine i’m a little paranoid given what he has already gone through. I noticed he sits more on our walks which my be an indication that the plate is bothering him. I notice also that when he gets up after sitting for a bit he doesn’t lift his new ACL surgery leg fully but he does keep the full weight off it. As he stretches and walks a little it seems to get better. I am hoping he is just getting used to the new plate in his leg. I had my hip replaced 5 years ago (at 43 🙁 and get a little stiff now and again so maybe similar to my pup. Anyway.. some advice I have after all of this.
        1. Get pet insurance if you don’t have it. I’m about 10K in to this but Healthy Paws paid 80 % of everything… they were great.
        2. Don’t waste you money on leg braces. It’s just a band aid and not a permanent fix if you want to see your dog back to running again.
        3. follow the rehab. It’s a lot of work but you have to do it. I laid down carpets so he wouldn’t slip… Put pillows on the chairs etc so he wouldn’t jump up… although he jumped over them on a few occasions 🙂
        4. Research your surgeon. even although I had a plate failure on the first surgery which is very rare, look for a surgeon that performs the TPLO surgery with a good success rate.

        I hope this info helps someone and you get your pup back to somewhat normal life. Beckham turns 5 tomorrow..

        1. I’m a little surprised that you let your dog off leash after all the time & $$ spent on getting her better. Please, don’t take offense. May I also suggest looking into laser therapy. All the best

          1. Hi… just to be clear as it might not have been on my post but at no point was Becks off the leash prior to the 16 week recovery for either surgery. The surgeon gave me the all clear at the 16 week mark (after xrays) to let him off… Typically if one ACL goes the other will follow down the road.

            After another checkup with the surgeon at 18 weeks he was very happy with the recovery and everything is looking good… he also lost 3 pounds which is also great news. Packed on a few extra after the second surgery. We are taking longer walks now so he will keep working on the weight. He needs to lose another 5..

    2. I hope everyone on this thread reads your post! I’m not a vet and am only going by most of the posts I’ve read on here. I truly believe most dogs don’t get back to 100% after tearing their knees and wish ppl would do conservative management even after having surgery! I don’t think you messed up at all! I didn’t have surgery on our girl, only did CM but I had great results w/doing the laser surgery. Although, yes, it’s a bit expensive-$150 for 6 sessions. I wish you and your baby all the best

  16. This thread has been useful .. My 4year Rottweiler has had a bilateral tplo about a year apart and seemed to be recovering fine after the second one but with increased exercise seems to become lame. She is fine during exercise but if she uses leg going up or down hills or with a sudden stop or twist she is lame for about a week after.
    I have cut back her exercise to leashed walks which we both do not prefer as we are used to long hikes and mountain climbs.
    Surgeon said she should be back to normal exercise after tplo recovery but that is not what we are experiencing 3 months post op.
    She seems to recover and then slip back again with off leash exercise.
    I am going to bring her back to vet if it continues this way.
    Has anyone had good luck with physiotherapy? She is so playful and I’m tired of restricting her fun!

  17. We did laser therapy and slowly worked her back into physical exercise. She also had a therapy with a warm water pool where she walked on a tread mill. I would give your dog some time before going full on off leash, as your dog won’t know its limitations and will just do what they usually do. Ease back into activities that don’t strain or tax your dog’s legs. They will get there, but it does take time.

  18. Thanks for these posts. My lab had his first TPLO surgery in 2018 after hurting himself playing in our backyard. It broke my heart seeing him unable to put his leg down. Now, we are one week after his second TPLO. We have been extremely careful since the first surgery and wish he didn’t have to go through this again. I think the hardest part right now is making sure our very active dog doesn’t do things he loves (like running around the yard and jumping onto the couch to sit in between my husband and I). I am not sure he understands why he has limitations, and I worry he thinks he’s done something bad and that’s why he can’t do certain things. For everyone that is new to this, make sure you take the time to care for yourself, as well as your baby, because it can take a toll on doggy parents too.

  19. My dog had TPLO surgery a few years ago now and then had MMP on his other leg about 3 months ago. I was hoping to see an improvement by now and be able to let him off the lead a bit, but sadly just by letting him off lead even for 5 mins proves to be too much for him. It’s heartbreaking especially when you see him limping again after all the hard work you put following surgery. I have read the posts today in the hope I would find something promising but I am assuming like most after all surgery my dog may never be able to run as free as he once used to. I have tried laser, PT, Hydro and drugs and still at a bit of a loss what to do as hate seeing him limp.

  20. Our dog had TPLO on both legs about 6 years ago. Every now and then, she will limp. We have a pain killer and anti inflamatory and even if she takes it for 1 pill, she’s back to herself the next day. We give her glucosamine daily (I get it from Trader Joes and just add it to her food.).

  21. My girl had her TPLO surgery 17 months ago, she had grade 1 patellar luxation due to a complication with the surgery but that was controlled by hydrotherapy from 12 weeks post op – present, all movement and everything was fine with no issues.
    This morning she has gone for a nap, woken up and is lame on the operated leg, only allowing her toes to touch the floor.
    I have her booked into the vets this afternoon, i am hoping she has only strained a muscle or something simple. I am unsure of what other issues it could be with being 17 months post op.

    1. Hi Natalie I’m so sorry to hear about your dog. I have gone through a similar experience with my spaniel and he is often lame following his surgery in October last year. However, the vet has recently given him an injection called Librela which I have to say has been brilliant!!! My dog is currently having hydro every 2 weeks now but so far he has had no lameness since he was given this injection.

  22. Positive energy. These pups strain and pull these ligaments. Arthritis sets in. I’m thinking about you two. Got my girl on dasaquin advance prescription chews snd,1 rymadyl. She’s a pup again at 9.

  23. I have never had a dog after a TPLO do that. I think you should call your vet. A foot knuckling is a sign of a spine issue – he can’t feel his foot. Maybe he has a pinched nerve from the surgery?

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