My 2-year-old American Shepherd had TPLO surgery on a back leg 6 weeks ago (following a ruptured cruciate ligament).
The operation was supposed to stop him from limping, but that's not been the case.
Before the surgery, he only limped when trotting (but not when walking or running).
Now, he's barely putting any weight on the leg at all when trotting. The vet said the X-rays were perfect and the bone is almost fully healed. He seemed surprised that my dog is still limping when he trots. He even mentioned that we might need to operate again to remove the metal plate.
I'm at my wits' end. Can anyone help?
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Hi everyone, my dog had TPLO surgery on the 27th of June. She’s already had her first follow-up X-ray and the vet told me that it was all healing well and everything was in place, but for the last few days she just hasn't seemed herself. When I touch the incision, I’m sure I can feel the screw right at the bottom, and she whines when I press there. I’ve called my vet and she told me not to worry as it’s normal, but I’ve got a bad feeling about it. Especially as she had her other leg done last year and I never felt a screw or anything like that then...
My dog is 3 years old now and he’s still got that limp in his back right leg when he trots. However, he doesn’t have any arthritis at the moment; he walks normally and can run at full tilt. So, his quality of life hasn’t got any worse, it’s just stayed the same as it was after the TPLO. I’ve had a long chat with my vet about it. I did wonder if the limp was actually down to a luxating patella rather than his cruciate ligaments degenerating; a luxating patella was actually picked up on the X-ray. But I’ll never know for sure. Anyway, he hasn’t got any ligament problems in his other three legs.
In any case, following the vet’s advice, I’m not going to have him operated on for the patella because it’s a complicated surgery and the results are far from guaranteed. On the other hand, on the advice of the osteopath, I massage his operated thigh when he’s been running a lot or if he’s skipping more on that back right leg, and I give him a supplement to help prevent any potential arthritis.
I don’t want to put him through any more pain when his quality of life is still decent.
Hi there,
My dog had a second op five days ago to remove the plate and screws from his TPLO surgery. The surgeon checked his meniscus and it turns out it’s actually fine.
At the moment, my dog is still limping when he trots. The surgeon is stumped as to why. I’m at a total loss and don’t know who else to turn to.
Hi @Tina, I’m bumping this thread because I’m in the exact same boat as you.
My two-year-old Beagle has a persistent limp despite the TPLO and loads of rehab sessions (hydrotherapy, laser, acupuncture, etc.). He’s having his plate and screws removed soon. I was just wondering how your pup is doing now? Is the limp still there? Did removing the hardware help him at all?
All the best.
I know a dog who had an operation and they ended up having to remove the plate because she was still limping. She doesn’t limp at all now.
After only five days, I wouldn’t panic just yet. The second op was very recent, so the wound might be pulling a bit...
There’s also the psychological side of things; your dog might just need some time to learn how to use their leg normally again.
My dog had another operation 5 days ago to remove the plate and screws from his TPLO surgery. The surgeon checked his meniscus, which turned out to be perfectly fine after all.
The problem is, he is still limping whenever he trots. The vet is stumped and doesn't understand why.
I’m completely stuck now and have no idea who to turn to next for help.
Hi everyone,
And thanks a lot for your message, your insight and your advice.
I’m going to call my vet to get their opinion and will probably book my dog in for a few hydrotherapy sessions. I’ll post an update on here to let you know how he’s getting on.
The TPLO surgery was incredibly expensive (around £1,475!) and with at least 5 hydrotherapy sessions at about £300 to factor in, my bank balance is well and truly blown. Apparently, a tear leading to a full cruciate ligament rupture is a very common issue. I’ve been told it’s congenital and that my dog has a 60% chance of the same thing happening to his other back leg, so another TPLO might be necessary in the future.
Fellow pet lovers, a word of advice: get some good pet insurance from the very first day you get your dog and check that this is covered, as it’s often a standard exclusion. Otherwise, any insurance you take out later probably won’t cover it as it'll be a pre-existing condition (which is the situation I'm in).
Thanks again to @pro véto junior.
Generally, TPLO surgery has a very high success rate (the limp disappears in about 95% of cases). In some rare instances, the lameness can persist.
However, at 6 weeks post-op, I think it’s still a bit early to tell if the limp is here to stay or will clear up. Like your vet said, the bone is nearly knitted back together, but it’s not fully healed at the 6-week mark. Recovery takes at least 6 to 8 weeks, and it usually takes between 8 and 12 weeks for the bone to heal completely.
Try to avoid putting any real strain on the knee (jumping, running, etc.) for a few more weeks, and keep a close eye on how the limp progresses.
As your vet mentioned, in some cases, it can be worth having the plate removed if it seems to be bothering them.
Also, if the recovery is on the slower side, you could look into rehab sessions (like hydrotherapy, for instance).
Don’t hesitate to chat through any concerns with your vet if you need to.
