Pet TPLO

During the first eight weeks, we are completely relying on the implants (plate and screws) to stabilize the surgery site. It takes a minimum of eight weeks for bones to heal and good scar tissue to form. This process can take longer in geriatric pets or those with other systemic health conditions.

• Your pet should be confined to a kennel or small room until radiographs show good bone healing.
• Any running (inside or outside), jumping on or off furniture, or playing could lead to severe complications.

• If a bandage or wound dressing was placed, a recheck may need to be scheduled to have this removed
• Your pet should be evaluated 10-14 days post-operatively to evaluate the healing of the incision. if skin sutures were placed, they will need to be removed at this time. Please schedule this appointment with your veterinarian.
• If lameness occurs or your pet fails to improve, X-rays may need to be taken to verify proper implant position and evidence of healing.
• At approximately eight weeks following surgery X-rays will need to be taken by your veterinarian to verify complete bone healing before returning to normal activity. The implants are designed to stay in for life. However, if pain, infection, or irritation occurs we can easily remove these implants.

There are multiple reasons why a patient may not want to bear weight on a limb following surgery. If your pet is not bearing weight within 2 weeks of surgery or develops an acute onset of lameness any time after surgery, please contact your veterinarian. Below are some of the more common reasons why a pet may limp following surgery.

• “Overdid it”– As with people, it is not uncommon for pets to “overdo it” leading to an acute onset of lameness. Sometimes during the post-operative recovery patients may be more active than is recommended (jump down from a sofa, chase the cat, etc.) or even just take a funny step, leading to a lameness of varying severity. If your pet develops a lameness during the recovery period, please contact your veterinarian so that we can determine if your pet needs to be evaluated to ensure there is not a serious injury.
• Infection– Approximately 5-7% of all patients undergoing a TPLO will develop a surgical site infection. Some infections may clear up after a short course of antibiotics. In approximately 3% of all TPLO cases, an infection may occur associated with the plate and screws. Patients may show signs of lameness or pain, swelling/redness at the surgery site, and discharge. In these cases, patients are placed on antibiotics until the bone is healed (based on x-rays) and the bone plate can be removed.
• Implant-associated pain– Until the bone has healed, we are completely relying on the bone plate to stabilize the surgical site. In situations where a pet is allowed excessive high impact activity, the bone plate or screws can bend or break. Thankfully, this is a very rare complication (<1%). If this occurs, the surgical site may be unstable which in many instances may require further surgery. In other rare instances, patients may simply be uncomfortable with the presence of the plate. In these cases, removal of the plate after the bone has healed will typically resolve the lameness.
• Meniscal tear– Approximately 30-40% of all dogs undergoing surgery for a torn ACL will have a concurrent meniscal injury. In those cases, the torn portion of the meniscus will be removed at the time of surgery. However, approximately 5% of dogs with an intact meniscus at the time of surgery will develop a meniscal tear at some point in the future. When this occurs, patients may become acutely lame. In some cases, these patients may need a second surgery to remove the torn portion of the meniscus.