Hi All,
Following on from my previous post about my dog with his suspect cruciate, hes been on rest for 2 weeks, taken on a lead walk and his leg is in the air again.
We was referred for a ct scan at kentdale in kendal and they have done a drawer test and there is no need for a ct his cruciate is fully snapped.
I dont have £3200 to spend on him, nor could I justify it however pet plan should cover it (in a despute at the moment).
I was hoping for peoples experiences with having TPLO done?
Hes about 8 1/2 years old Springer, still a lunatic and very difficult to rest!
I'm just after peoples thoughts and experiences as to whether or not it's fair to put him through it, and the likelihood of him having a normal life after.
I understand there is a good chance of problems with the other leg but I'll have to cross that bridge further on!
Many thanks
Rm
TPLO - experiences and thoughts
Forum rules
There is no substitute to visiting your Vet - he has the knowledge and experience and can see/feel/smell your dog and advise accordingly. Please apply your own judgement and common sense to any advice given. What works for one dog might not work for another. If you are in any doubt please visit your Vet! General Forum Rules
There is no substitute to visiting your Vet - he has the knowledge and experience and can see/feel/smell your dog and advise accordingly. Please apply your own judgement and common sense to any advice given. What works for one dog might not work for another. If you are in any doubt please visit your Vet! General Forum Rules
Re: TPLO - experiences and thoughts
Hi, sorry to hear about your dog.
Essentially you have four options:
No operation, very restricted exercise and pain relief when required
A 'fishing string' operation which is about £1000 and generally successful for smaller and less active dogs - the ligament is replaced with a cord. I would not recommend this for a Springer though.
A TPLO - a surgical reshaping of the tibia - an operation with a very good success rate. About £3000 plus aftercare
A TTA - newer and different reshaping of the tibia to stabilise the cruciate deficient stifle joint. About £3200 plus aftercare.
With each of the ops, there is the risk of a deep infection and if the dog gets one, it is about another £1000 for tests and medication to clear it up - it is also extremely wearing on the owner's nerves and emotions. Very carefully controlled exercise and pain relief are needed during recovery, about three months before fully fit again. The dogs I have had with the ops (TPLO and TTA) have coped very well with being crated but you do need to give them a lot of attention and mental stimulation where possible. You also need to cut down food intake by about a third when on very restricted exercise. In fact, if you can get the dog to lose weight, that helps reduce the strain on the other rear leg (and yes a second op is on the cards in the future).
It doesn't seem to affect the outcome of the op if the dog has to wait for surgery, one of mine went lame and was diagnosed early December but could only get a consultant appointment im mid-January but she went on the make a full recovery. If you don't have the money at the moment but your insurance should cover the majority of the costs once your dispute is over, then I think it is discussing the first no operation option with your vet and awaiting the outcome of the dispute before you take things further.
Best of luck!
Essentially you have four options:
No operation, very restricted exercise and pain relief when required
A 'fishing string' operation which is about £1000 and generally successful for smaller and less active dogs - the ligament is replaced with a cord. I would not recommend this for a Springer though.
A TPLO - a surgical reshaping of the tibia - an operation with a very good success rate. About £3000 plus aftercare
A TTA - newer and different reshaping of the tibia to stabilise the cruciate deficient stifle joint. About £3200 plus aftercare.
With each of the ops, there is the risk of a deep infection and if the dog gets one, it is about another £1000 for tests and medication to clear it up - it is also extremely wearing on the owner's nerves and emotions. Very carefully controlled exercise and pain relief are needed during recovery, about three months before fully fit again. The dogs I have had with the ops (TPLO and TTA) have coped very well with being crated but you do need to give them a lot of attention and mental stimulation where possible. You also need to cut down food intake by about a third when on very restricted exercise. In fact, if you can get the dog to lose weight, that helps reduce the strain on the other rear leg (and yes a second op is on the cards in the future).
It doesn't seem to affect the outcome of the op if the dog has to wait for surgery, one of mine went lame and was diagnosed early December but could only get a consultant appointment im mid-January but she went on the make a full recovery. If you don't have the money at the moment but your insurance should cover the majority of the costs once your dispute is over, then I think it is discussing the first no operation option with your vet and awaiting the outcome of the dispute before you take things further.
Best of luck!
Re: TPLO - experiences and thoughts
Hi Sgurr,Sgurr wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:45 pm Hi, sorry to hear about your dog.
Essentially you have four options:
No operation, very restricted exercise and pain relief when required
A 'fishing string' operation which is about £1000 and generally successful for smaller and less active dogs - the ligament is replaced with a cord. I would not recommend this for a Springer though.
A TPLO - a surgical reshaping of the tibia - an operation with a very good success rate. About £3000 plus aftercare
A TTA - newer and different reshaping of the tibia to stabilise the cruciate deficient stifle joint. About £3200 plus aftercare.
With each of the ops, there is the risk of a deep infection and if the dog gets one, it is about another £1000 for tests and medication to clear it up - it is also extremely wearing on the owner's nerves and emotions. Very carefully controlled exercise and pain relief are needed during recovery, about three months before fully fit again. The dogs I have had with the ops (TPLO and TTA) have coped very well with being crated but you do need to give them a lot of attention and mental stimulation where possible. You also need to cut down food intake by about a third when on very restricted exercise. In fact, if you can get the dog to lose weight, that helps reduce the strain on the other rear leg (and yes a second op is on the cards in the future).
It doesn't seem to affect the outcome of the op if the dog has to wait for surgery, one of mine went lame and was diagnosed early December but could only get a consultant appointment im mid-January but she went on the make a full recovery. If you don't have the money at the moment but your insurance should cover the majority of the costs once your dispute is over, then I think it is discussing the first no operation option with your vet and awaiting the outcome of the dispute before you take things further.
Best of luck!
Thanks for the response, at this stage I am happy to accept that either way retirement and becoming a none working pet is the likely outcome - did your dogs keep workkng after the op?
I asked about the other leg going and the vet said that the chances are it will but this would be the same with or without the surgery as either way the dog is shifting more strain on to the other leg, does that sound about right?
Many thanks
Rm
Re: TPLO - experiences and thoughts
The girls were eight and nine so they were retired, but active pets with me. Fortunately, my kennel partner Donald who works the dogs had got his team of youngsters up to strength.
My vet explained that there are two sorts of cruciate ruptures - the rabbit hole and the gradual onset. The rabbit hole is simply the dog running full pelt and a back leg goes down the hole or gets caught in some way and the dog is still going forward and the shock ruptures the ligament. With this being so sudden, the other leg has not been compromised. The gradual onset is a slow weakening of the ligament with age and the dog begins to favour that leg, putting a strain on the other leg, where the ligament is also aging - vet told me this is the most common situation when the second leg also goes.
I've noticed with my girls that once the post op swelling has gone down and the pain control is effective, then the dog began to favour the non-operated on leg. A friend of mine who at one point in his career used to train The Queen's horse for Trooping The Colour told me this was a very common occurence when a horse went lame - you got the lame leg right again and then the horse would begin to favour the leg that had been taking the strain.
Again, hoping you get a good outcome for your dog.
My vet explained that there are two sorts of cruciate ruptures - the rabbit hole and the gradual onset. The rabbit hole is simply the dog running full pelt and a back leg goes down the hole or gets caught in some way and the dog is still going forward and the shock ruptures the ligament. With this being so sudden, the other leg has not been compromised. The gradual onset is a slow weakening of the ligament with age and the dog begins to favour that leg, putting a strain on the other leg, where the ligament is also aging - vet told me this is the most common situation when the second leg also goes.
I've noticed with my girls that once the post op swelling has gone down and the pain control is effective, then the dog began to favour the non-operated on leg. A friend of mine who at one point in his career used to train The Queen's horse for Trooping The Colour told me this was a very common occurence when a horse went lame - you got the lame leg right again and then the horse would begin to favour the leg that had been taking the strain.
Again, hoping you get a good outcome for your dog.