Duke, age 5, 110-lb, Black Lab tore his ACL in January of this year. Tried conservative management, but seemed to have frequent relapses.
Took to UofFL small animal hospital, and they wanted to do TPLO. My local Vet then suggested doing a TTA. I decided to try CM a little longer and told him so. Finally, went back to the Vet and said I didn’t think CM was going to do the trick whereupon he said he thought there was enough fibre left to do the traditional imbrication procedure. I went ahead with it and the initial progress seemed very slow…
Now, it’s been almost 8 weeks post op, and Duke has made a huge leap in progress in the last week or so. Starting swimming therapy with him tomorrow. Would love to compare notes with any other Lab owners who have had same procedure done, and hear success/failure stories. I have had Duke on Glucosamine/Chonrdoitin since his surgery.
Duke is doing very well, then. YAY! I don’t have a Lab, I have Rotties. 😉 I also did not do the extracapsular imbrication, I did the TTO. 🙂
Yet, I am willing to share Physical Therapy notes! Your Duke, and my Raven and Ststson are VERY FORTUNATE to have PT available to them. More centers are cropping up, but it is not available in many parts of the country
My two have both beeen working the underwater treadmill. One is at 8 weeks (like Duke) post op, the other at 17 weeks. We do daily therapy walks twice a day. One dog for 15 minutes, the other for 30-45 with on lead trotting included. I do deep tissue massage daily, and they remain on pain management.
Can you share what you’re doing? I am always curious regarding treatment modalities and care plans.
Hi! I’m trying to get more information on the best procedure for our yellow lab Cassie. Same story, she tore her ACL back in October. The vet did x-rays, put her on glucosamine and we hoped it would repair. Since she was still limping, we took her back around mid-February, and he recommended the TPLO procedure. We did lots of research on it, and sounds like it’s got a good outcome half the time, and the other half, not so much. We’re now looking at the extra-capsular surgery, but we’ve been told that because she’s 77 lbs., her outcome probably wouldn’t be as good as if she were 30 lbs. It was very encouraging to hear that Duke is doing great, and he’s a much larger dog than Cassie. Give him a huge hug for us, as we’re big lab lovers! Any advice you have for us re: this procedure would be great, as well as any suggestions on how to help our dog through the recovery period.
We hope Duke continues to do good for a long time!
Jody Sheetz
I have a 5 year old black lab that had TTA done in October 2012. Next month is her 6 month check up. The surgery is the easy part. The recovery is very very long and difficult to watch at times. Dont let anyone sugar coat it. This is major surgery. You know how labs are they want it yesterday. Her walks were gradually increased and she NEVER was off leash and she will not be until next months visit and approval from her surgeon. I followed my surgeons instructions with no deviation. No jumping on the bed or couch and rides in the car are with a permanent fixture, a ramp. (I have an SUV).
She was doing great until this week. Her other knee seems to be irrated as she is limping. I knew this was a high probability as of her size and compensation of the leg that was operated on and she had a very small tear going into surgery. Other than that I have a great surgeon and am pleased with the results. You must be patient.
I’m glad to hear some positive results. My 7 month old lab has ruptured her ACL. Our vet wanted to do a TTA but unfortunately her growths plates are still open so we can’t do this for another 5 months. We are having the extra-capsular repair tomorrow, which will hopefully work until she is able to have the TTA.
What was the recovery time frame like for Duke or any other dogs having the extra-capsular repair?
My Sheba, 2yr bull mastiff 75lb came home yesterday after having the TTA surgery on her back left leg for an ACL tear. Last March she went through the same surgery on her back right. The recovery period in March wasn’t too bad. We caged her and only let her out to feed and go potty for the first 2 weeks. After her stitches closed up and she started toe touching we started her therapy with short walks, no running and always on a leash. This last surgery she appears to be in more pain. Only stops whining when I pet her. She won’t go in cage so I’ve been seeing on the couch with her. I think she has developed Separation Anxiety from me.
our surgeon told us that full recovery on her right leg would take up to a year. Her left ACL was torn before we rescued her and worsened due to her putting more weight on it during her recovery from her right knee.
We’re not expecting full recovery until next summer.