Anyone who has had a dog undergo TPLO- how was their recovery? Specifically, I’m looking at what you did for rehab and how long before they were off leash at all (for example, just to go to the bathroom but not all the time) and when they were able to Do All The Things (like play with another dog off leash)? Any specifics in terms of age, muscle atrophy, etc, that may be helpful are also appreciated. TIA!
The surgeon I worked for had them be pretty sedentary the first week after surgery. They were restricted to short leash walks to go out side to do their business and that was all. Starting the second week he had then take short leash walks multiple times a day making the time longer and longer every day. Owners could do things like make the dog change terrain (short grass to tall grass, stepping up short curbs etc to encourage movement). After the 14 day mark he would have them go to the canine rehab lady and she would get them set up in an underwater treadmill, do laser therapy, passive range of motion etc( He included 4 free sessions in the price of the TPLO surgery) At the 4 week mark the dog was allowed to move around the house freely but play, running, going up stairs unassisted, or jumping on beds/couches was strictly forbidden and the dog had to be supervised at all times. If they were alone at any time they were to be crated or left in a small bathroom or laundry room. At 8 weeks the dogs would come in for their final recheck rads. Usually 75% of the time the bone was healed and he would tell the owner they could start to slowly let their dog be a dog again by re-introducing fetch and playing with other dogs. He made sure to stress not to go balls to the wall the first day back. Most dogs were back to normal within the 8-12 week range. The owners that followed the directions well usually had no problems. It was always the ones that would bring the limping dog in 3 weeks after surgery and when you ask what happened they would reply “Well he was sleeping on the bed and went to jump off and now he is not walking as good as before” That is when you have to do an internal forehead slap and say to yourself what part of NO BED/COUCH did you not understand???
That timeline seems fast to me. We tell people on lead till the 8 week recheck because we had so many “fail” at the 5-6 week mark when somebody rang the doorbell and they took off running, or they slipped on the tile, or were on/off furniture. You would think that with as much as people are spending on the surgery they would do everything they could to guarantee success but dogs will find that 1 opportunity to do something stupid.
We say on leash with gradually increasing walking times for the first 8 weeks, then gradually increasing exercise over the next 4-8 weeks until back to full function. The other way I have seen TLPO recoveries go badly is that owners forget how much muscle wasting happened with them in a crate for 8 weeks and then let them off lead to play, almost always results in a soft tissue injury.
Also, keep in mind the calories pup is taking in, with restricted exercise goes restricted calories.
The dogs usually “feel great” and want to do everything possible by the end of week 2. But, mild activity with slowly increasing levels is recommended until the 8 week radiography recheck. By week 8, most dogs have the clear to go back to normal activity, trnlansitoming them back into it over a few weeks…however this range may be longer for older dogs or dogs that have a compromised cruciate on the other leg!
The most important thing to remember when you have a dog recovering from a TPLO surgery is that they have a broken bone that needs to heal. At UF, dogs were on strict cage rest for 4 weeks and only not in it for bathroom breaks on a leash. After 4 weeks, the dog could be outside under supervision on a leash in the house, but stressed no jumping on or off things etc and crate when unsupervised. At 8 weeks, the dog could start resuming its normal activities slowly. They could go to rehab during this time and have supervised exercise aka underwater treadmill once the sutures came out.
Thanks for the replies! I am a scientist, a former vet tech, and experienced with many broken bones on myself (I’m a total klutz :D) so I’ve read up a lot on the procedure and the recovery plans (I’m very compliant with exercises and she started aquatread therapy several weeks ago). What I’m looking for is real world observations about how the dog was doing at 8, 12, etc, weeks post-op-- how much atrophy (if any) did they have, were they using it completely (if not, which activities did they still favor the other leg), etc.
My dog is currently 8 weeks post-op and goes for this timepoint appt later today. She is a bit unique in that she tore it as a very young (~15 weeks) pup going all kamikaze up our deck stairs (saw it happen), but she couldn’t have the surgery until recently when she stopped growing. So, we had to deal with a brace and lots of time for compensation onto the other leg. I just am wondering how much is more normal recovery and how much is individual to her. I know each case is a bit different, so I want to hear as much of the spectrum as possible :). So anyone else, please chime in!
I haven’t seen many with residual muscle wasting. However sometimes their coat could be a factoring hiding it. We have done a few police dogs and all have gone back to full work upon recovery…so I would assume with proper rehab there should be no lasting effects if everything was smooth along the way!
My dog just had two TPLO surgeries done. She had one done day after Memorial Day and a week later tore the other CCL while squatting and straining to go to the bathroom. She is two weeks out on the second surgery and five weeks out on the first and is walking really really well.
My surgeon said strict crate rest/small room rest for 2 weeks with only potty breaks. then at 2-4 weeks, 5 min walks 3x/day. at 4-6 weeks she can be walked at 10 min walks 3-5x/day. After 6 weeks we could add small hills and up to 20 min 3 -5 x/day. Restricted house activity with no jumping etc could happen if all clear at 8 weeks and life as normal at 12 weeks.
During the increased walking periods he allows for sit/stands and some rehab work, but limited. Good luck and keep us posted!!!
We did bilateral TPLO on our wheaten terrier gosh…6 maybe 7 years ago? My parents oversaw rehab, which means rehab never happened. She was on leash for the first few weeks, and then they let her self regulate. It absolutely is not what I would recommend or would have personally done, but it wasn’t my call to make. All of these years later she is 100% sound, hauls around the back yard, comfortably goes on long walks, wrestles with my dog, jumps on furniture, etc.
We joke that other joints may fail but her bionic back legs will be good forever.
My lab had TTA surgery (similar to TPLO) 2 years ago in August… we followed the instructions the surgeon gave, very limited exercise at first, then walks on leash, figure 8s. We did not have stairs for him to practice though but it took a long time before he was allowed off leash again. Xrays at 8 weeks indicated he needed more on leash time… He never seemed in pain so was not on pain meds for long.
My BO’s dog had TTA surgery in January and was kept pretty quiet all winter. Always on the leash for month. Now he is back to his usual self and does not have a limp! They also the instructions to a T (same surgeon - different clinic. The surgeon travels and only does TTA surgeries).
