As a pet owner, it's vital to maintain your pet's health by constantly monitoring their condition and scheduling regular checkups. However, as your pet ages, their body will inevitably wear down, causing their needs and abilities to change rapidly. For example, years of wear and tear can result in your dog's cranial crucial ligament (CCL) being weakened and prone to injury and rupture. In fact, a cruciate ligament rupture or tear is overwhelmingly common among pets of a certain age. As your dog ages When the ligament weakens or tears, the tibia (shin bone) sits forward ahead of the femur (thigh bone) when the CCL is torn or ruptured.
If your family pet is
suffering from a CCL rupture or tear, then it's essential to schedule an
appointment with a veterinary
orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible before irreversible joint damage
occurs. Dr. Evan Ware is the orthopedic surgeon At Laveen Veterinary Center and
after a thorough injury assessment, he may recommend your pet undergo treatment
of CCL rupture with tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery.
Fortunately, TPLO surgery
is one of the best-studied pet surgeries and has an extraordinarily high
success rate. Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with our
team and discover how we can help your dog or cat regain its mobility and
experience a longer and healthier existence.
What to Expect During TPLO Surgery
TPLO surgery aims to prevent the tibia from shifting forward too much during your pet's stride. The procedure will help stabilize the knee joint and reduce mechanical stress. There are four primary steps involved in TPLO surgery.
- Removing the torn ends of the CCL
- Making a semicircular cut at the top of the tibia
- Rotating the top of the tibia to reduce the tibial plateau slope
- Using a bone plate to give the tibia an opportunity to heal
By adjusting the angle or slope of the top of the tibia, your surgeon can help your dog regain full mobility and recover from a CCL tear or injury. TPLO surgery offers your pet many additional benefits, including:
- Decreasing muscle atrophy
- Speeding up the healing of the bone
- Reducing the risk of developing arthritis
While TPLO surgery has a high success rate, like any other type of orthopedic surgery, there are always certain risk factors involved. It's important to look for a veterinary orthopedic surgeon in Laveen, AZ, who is highly trained, has experience in the latest surgical techniques, and adheres to the highest standards of veterinary medicine.
At the Laveen Veterinary
Center, Dr. Evan Ware has extensive experience performing TPLO surgeries and
will give your pet his full attention throughout the entire procedure. Schedule
an initial appointment with him today by contacting our Laveen veterinary office.
TPLO Surgery Recovery
The recovery process for TPLO surgery is just as necessary as the procedure itself. To successfully heal from TPLO surgery, it's important to focus on both at-home care and physical rehabilitation. After your pet's surgery is completed, we'll go over all of the post-operative instructions before you return home.
When you're home, it's
super important that you restrict the movement of your dog for the first
several weeks. Too much activity can result in delayed healing, soft tissue
injury, and/or implant breakage. For the first 10-12 weeks, you should limit
your pet's activity to strict rest and short leash walks only.
The majority of dogs make a
full recovery between 4 months after the date of surgery. For more information
about the TPLO surgery recovery process, feel free to reach out to our
dedicated and professional team of Laveen veterinarians. We will provide you
with additional information about at-home care and incorporating post-operative
rehabilitation into your dog or cat's recovery plan. Call today to request an appointment
with our veterinary center and animal hospital located in Laveen, Arizona.
TPLO Surgery Cost
The cost of TPLO surgery for your pet can vary dramatically depending on your location, orthopedic surgeon, breed of dog and severity of the CCL tear or injury. In most cases, the total cost of TPLO surgery includes the following:
- Pre-surgery blood work
- Anesthesia
- Anesthesia monitoring
- Pain medication
- Surgery
- Post-surgical physical therapy
- At-home medications
At the Laveen Veterinary Center, we understand that many families are working with limited budgets and cannot afford to pay a sizeable surgical bill for their pets. We'll work with you and your family to ensure that any unexpected medical expenses for your pet are manageable through the CareCredit program. By completing an online application, you'll have the opportunity to split your payment into six monthly installments.
If you have additional
questions about the affordability of TPLO surgery, then please feel free to
send us a message. Our veterinary orthopedic surgical team will happily speak
with you and go over the cost of the procedure with you in full detail. Contact
us today to schedule an initial consultation with our experienced and
professional veterinary staff.
TPLO Case Report
As the primary veterinary orthopedic surgeon at the Laveen Veterinary Center, Dr. Evan Ware has helped many pets heal from a CCL tear or injury by performing TPLO surgery. The following is a TPLO case report for one of his surgical patients
Case Report:
“Nala” – 5 year old female Rottweiler Mix
History:
When Nala first came to the Laveen Veterinary Center, she had intermittent limping for a few weeks. More recently, she was dramatically limping on her right rear leg.
Examination Findings:
Right stifle (knee) instability on cranial drawer testing that was consistent with torn cranial cruciate ligament.
Diagnosis:
Ruptured Right Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL/ACL)
Treatment Plan:
Surgical stabilization of the stifle was recommended based on the patient's age, size, and lifestyle. For Nala, the TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) procedure was recommended and had the highest success rate to stabilize the knee joint, reduce pain, return her to normal activity, and also carries a low surgical complication rate.
Outcome:
Nala's TPLO surgery was excellent, and she was immediately bearing weight on her surgical leg upon recovery. Over the course of 8-10 weeks, she continued to improve, regaining her strength and mobility.
Here is a video of Nala four hours after her TPLO surgery.
Schedule Your Appointment With Our TPLO Surgical Team
Are you concerned that your pet is suffering from a CCL tear or injury? If so, don't hesitate to contact the Laveen Veterinary Center to schedule an appointment with veterinary orthopedic surgeon Dr. Evan Ware. He will answer your most pressing questions and conduct a thorough evaluation of your pet's physical condition.
In addition to veterinary orthopedic surgery, we offer a variety of other veterinary services, including the following:
- Medical care and diagnostic
- Cat and dog preventative care
- Senior pet care and geriatric medicine
- Dentistry and oral surgery
- Canine parvovirus treatment
- Pet Boarding
- And more!
If you are looking to extend the mobility and improve the well-being of your pet, then please give us a call at (602) 559-9600, or visit our website to make an appointment today. Serving Laveen and the South Phoenix area, we are committed to providing animal care and pride ourselves on treating our animal patients with love, care, and compassion.