Just checking if anyone has had any luck. My vet recommended the TPLO, but I have an older boy and it really concerns me.
Also, found this vet claiming to do a version of tightrope. Id love to hear your thoughts on it
http://www.cvcpets.com/acl-knee-surgery.pml
I worked for one of the top orthopedic vets in the country for a long time. He never recommended lateral sutures or any other sort of tightrope ACL repairs for large dogs. They just had too many failures. We had another vet at the same clinic who disagreed and she did them all the time for owners. Guess what? They failed and ended up having to come back to the other vet for TPLO’s. He is actually doing a procedure called a CBLO now instead of the TPLO. I’m not a vet but I am an LVT. I would not have a lateral suture done on any of my pets unless they were a small guy. We anesthetized plenty of older dogs and cats. While there is always a risk with anesthesia as long as you make sure your vet is using the best anesthetic protocols, monitoring systems and has highly trained staff your older dog can do fine with anesthesia and should recover well!
I had a 70lb Bouvier that I did TTA on. I’d recommend checking into that (in addition to TPLO; TTA is a bit newer technology).
How old is “older” - and is the concern because of the anesthesia, or spending the $ on TPLO or TTA versus a less expensive surgery?
I had a TTA done on my “older” dog…I think he was around 10 when we had it done. All I can say is that he was in very little post-surgical pain, recovered very well, and ran hard on that leg for 4 more years. I would do it again in a heartbeat. (Or TPLO, depending on the dog and/or vet’s experience).
None of the surgeons I encountered recommended doing tightrope on a big dog. Our yellow lab had his second TPLO (second leg, not the same procedure done twice) at 11 and came through with flying colors.
My dog had TTA surgery two years ago. 95 lbs 7 yo yellow lab… He was in good weight, not overweight at all, in good shape. He recovered fairly easily, but you have to be willing to do all the PT they suggest! He is totally fine now, barely a limp when he comes out of cold water… silly lab!
The surgery itself cost $1450, but with all the pre op dx, tests and Metacam, I think it was close to $4K when we were done. All post op visits were free. Only had to pay for the xrays at 8 weeks post op.
I’d do it again… He was a good patient!! The surgeon travels to the different clinics and that is ALL he does… he was kind enough to remove a lipoma from my dog’s neck while he was under.
Very pleased with the surgeon’s work and my vet’s follow up.
Terrified that one day we may have to do leg no. 2 though… he does not show any sign…touching wood.
No boarded surgeon that I worked with would imagine doing a tightrope / lateral suture on a dog that big. It won’t hold. TPLO is more expensive upfront but is easier to remove in the future should infection become an issue.
[QUOTE=SarahKing;7846390]
No boarded surgeon that I worked with would imagine doing a tightrope / lateral suture on a dog that big. It won’t hold. TPLO is more expensive upfront but is easier to remove in the future should infection become an issue.[/QUOTE]
a friend had it done on a medium size dog and nope, did not hold…had to do it again… the stitches came undone too… it was a mess…
I would do the TTA again.
I had lateral suture done on a 40# pit bull cross and a 60# lab X and it worked extremely well for both of them. They were both very active dogs and never had any trouble. I did follow rehab instructions carefully and both dogs were very fit. I am not sure if it would work with larger dogs.
My cat had it at 16 yo. Age doesn’t necessarily hold you back, being very light compared to any dog, she was a good candidate.
My dog had the TPLO done, and he is older. He’s just under 50# and I was offered both options, but I didn’t have faith in the other procedure lasting. I envisioned him tearing off after an animal or chasing one of the other dogs and ruining the surgery.
thank you very much everyone!! I really appreciate your experiences on this one. I think we are going to do the TPLO.
For those who did it, how long was the recovery?
I have done 2 TPLOs on 2 dogs (4 total). I think full recovery to normal exercise was 3 months? (It could have been 2; my memory is failing.) That was when follow-up x-rays were taken to make sure that everything was healed.
Both dogs did great with their new knees and never looked back. It was very expensive but well worth it in the long term.
[QUOTE=bluedapple;7847397]
thank you very much everyone!! I really appreciate your experiences on this one. I think we are going to do the TPLO.
For those who did it, how long was the recovery?[/QUOTE]
If you have a vet with TTA experience, you may want to check into that as an alternative to TPLO. Both require about a 3 month layup while new bone is laid down but TTA is probably less overall impact to the tibia.
If you Google with TPLO along with TTA, you should be able to find descriptions of both and differences.
Well, I have a 95 lb bully mix that had the fishing line suture on BOTH stifles within 18 months of each other. He was young, a year and then just over 2 with second. He will be 10 next year and he has NO PROBLEMS what so ever with stifles. He does have elbow arthritis that can be an issue when he first gets going, but does not slow him down at all. So my vet who did the surgery has a different opinion on fishing line and big dogs.
I had it (tightrope) done on my dog in June 2012, he was 9 at the time and weighs just under 70#. The results weren’t exactly what I was hoping for - he has a slight limp and I worry when he’s off leash and trying to keep up with the 4 y/o running machine. Overall tho, I’m very happy and would do it again if I had to.
Total cost at that time (in Central Arkansas) was just over $1000 and that included follow-up care. Post-op recovery was 6-8 weeks IIRC.
I had the “fishing line” surgery done on a 65 lb GWP (and I got to be in the “operating” room and watch. It was awesome!) who went on to hunt hard for several years after that with no problems, although she did eventually tear the other one… she was 6 I think when the surgery was done.
We have done tightrope on larger dogs. Its more about the tibial angles rather than size of patient. Tplo is a very standard cruciate surgery and has a low failure rate. This surgery is probably the most common for medium to large dogs. Usually our patients go home the following day and follow a 12 week recovery plan (but most are fully functional by 3-10 days).
Tightrope is fairly recent and is very different than the old “Fishing line” surgery, don’t confuse the two.
TPLO is a scam. There isn’t a shred of solid evidence that it produces better results than even the old fishing line surgery and lots of evidence that it has a longer recovery time and more side effects than any other kind of CCL repair surgery. The vets love it because it makes them a lot of money- they push it on clients despite the lack of evidence.
None of the CCL repairs seem to produce outstanding results. I don’t know of a single dog that returned to 100% after any kind of treatment for CCL. Most of the really poor results were after TPLO surgery, but that’s just a personal experience. In the scientific studies, there’s no apparent difference in outcomes between TPLO surgery and “Fish line” repair. The few studies done find that tightrope tends to give better results than TPLO.
I love you guys for all of your help, but now I don’t know what to do. haha. I would much rather do the tightrope bc it has such an easier recovery and also they say if they blow one out they will probably blow out the other. The TPLO is $3500 and the tightrope is $1500
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