Advice Needed On Crutiate Ligament Surgery In Labrador

[BlkLabOwner]

Hi all, we have a 12 month old female black lab who has just injured her right hind cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). The vet has diagnosed a partial tear in the ligament and is recommending the Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) surgery.

Our lab is in fantastic condition weighing in at just under 23kg and developed a limp after chasing the ball at our local park.

I am after some information or advice on the following:

- TPLO surgery for a partial tear vs a complete rupture.

- Recovery and long term outlook for her considering her age and good physical condition.

- Time frames. Should we be getting the surgery done ASAP? Our vet has prescribed anti inflammatories and scheduled a follow-up appointment in two weeks to schedule x-rays and surgery. Should we act faster?

- Cost of surgery (not a factor but we need to be able to budget for it).

I know there are quite a few posts on this topic but was trying to get some advice specific to my dogs breed, age and weight. Obviously we want to give the dog the best chance of a full recovery and are trying to find out as much about this injury and consequent surgery as we can.

Thanks a lot.

Sam.

Edited November 12, 2008 by BlkLabOwner

[Kelly_Louise]

Hi there! I don't have a lab, but my red cattle dog blew both her cruciates. We opted for the tibial wedge osteotomy surgery, as it suited her needs/weight/age requirements better than the rest. Outlook - well she was 8 years old when she had her first surgery, and I have not had a single problem with either legs 3 years on. She actually has problems with her front legs now (arthritis), which gives her more grief than the operated legs ever will I think. I was frightened, but the results were everything I could have hoped for and more - she was like a puppy again. I was really pleased as it is alot for a dog to cope with, but all the hard work in her recovery was so worth the results we got, and continue to have. I would never allow her to do really full on jumping and strenuous exercise, although she could probably handle it (except for alot of jumping for balls etc), however I bet she could outrun any 10-11yo old dog she could find... for that matter, she could probably outrun younger dogs too. For larger dogs, personally I would recommend these types of surgery over the suture methods. This was also confirmed by our specialist who said the cheaper suture methods may not be as effective on larger/heavier dogs.

We were also made to wait before having surgery (they waited for Chloe's to rupture totally), however in our case, it was left a little too long (months). So work with your vet to determine the right time for surgery. Leaving it too long can do further damage than needs be (Chloe's meniscus were totally damaged and practically non existant and also had to be removed, and DJD had set in), however they usually do not jump right in straight away and do the surgery - rather monitor to see the severity, do x rays to make sure surgery is best etc.

Being an older girl, Chloe took a bit longer for her bones to heal after they were rodded and screwed together. But it was roughly about 4-5 months that we kept her fully confined for the first leg (it was slow to heal the break in the bone), and around the 3 month mark for the second leg which healed much quicker (probably because the other leg had healed completely by this time and could take the extra weight).

The hardest part was keeping her confined. I don't know how we would have coped with a younger dog! But it was tough for her, so we had to spend alot of time with her keeping her company and entertained, and lots of 'non active' things to do - I was also lucky to have someone at home with her that whole time. Also it was difficult to always keep an eye on anything she could potentially hurt herself on, trip over etc. Most are quite brave and will attempt to do way too much before they should.

Financially... well each of Chloe's leg surgeries cost approx $3500 each plus follow up xrays, meds and anything else needed in her recovery. There were cheaper options, but this is the surgery I felt most comfortable with after doing much research on the net.

If you have any specific questions you would like to ask, please feel free. I remember it being such a worrying time, so the more help and the more prepared you are, the better you will cope!!

Edited November 12, 2008 by Kelly_Louise