TPLO, or tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, and TTA, or tibial tuberosity advancement, are two very new and biomechanically similar surgical techniques. Both the TPLO and TTA create stability within the dog stifle by altering the angle of the knee and using implants to hold the knee in place while the joint heals in its new position.

If you have the option of choosing between a surgeon that does a TPLO and a TTA, and have an active, large breed dog that would not do well with a traditonal, or extracapsular imbrication, repair, you will want to weigh all the characteristics of both procedures.

The TTA is surgically less invasive than the TPLO. The amount of stifle angle shifting that takes place during a TTA is minimal when compared to that of a TPLO, where the tibia the weight bearing part of the knee joint is surgically cut and altered. In the TTA the osteotomy is made into the tibial tuberosity not a weight bearing part of the knee jointnot the tibial plateau itself, giving dogs a greater ease in healing, recovery and overall success of the procedure.

The TTA, because it is a surgically less invasive process, has a shorter recovery time than the TPLO. While most TTA and TPLO dogs are able to begin weight bearing within the first 24 to 48 hours postop, TTA dogs continue to improve with time, whereas TPLO dogs often demonstrate a more gradual healing process taking place over months instead of weeks.

Which has less risks of complications? The TTA carries less risk of surgical and post operative complications, including surgical failure, again due to the fact that the surgery itself is less invasive than the TPLO.

The TTA uses titanium implants, which carry less risk of infection, rejection and hold up better than the stainless steel implants used in TPLO. Also, because the TTA is a simpler procedure to perform, there is less time spent in the operating room, which means less of a chance for infection or anesthesia related complications.

Ultimately the risk of complications is related to the surgeon performing the procedure, with the rates of complications for TTA being low, due to the simplicity of the surgery, whereas rates of complications from TPLO are higher because of the amount of skill required to perform such an invasive procedure — catastrophic failure can occur when an unskilled veterinarian performs a TPLO. This procedure can be a great option for many dogs, and I encourage all owners to read more about its risks and benefits when considering surgery for a CCL rupture.

When comparing the TTA and TPLO, the TTA is less expensive, and this is due to the simpler nature of the procedure as well as the fact that it does not require as much equipment, despite the fact that titanium costs more than stainless steel. Keep in touch with your community. Enter your email address to subscribe to our monthly newsletter. ComplicationsCost of SurgeryfeaturedRecoverytplottaveterinary surgery.

I have a question about TTA and TPLO. I have seen and been quoted different costs. Thank you very much. I have a now year old big shepherd mix who had both TPLO, at 3, and TTA at 6. His sister, 25 pounds smaller, had TTA also, not remembering what age, but somewhere between Both have done very well.

We opted for the TTA following the TPLO at age 6 because of financial reasons, and have not been able to detect a difference between either procedure to date.

Also, we used three different doctors for three different procedures, I think they all did well. Another essential variable is after-care — you must keep them as still as possible, not easily done, but worth it, and I believe has contributed to a good and lasting effect. Depending on age I would not go for the TPLO again, as it is a far more invasive surgery, and also extremely costly.

They both have done very well, thankfully, with the TTA, which seems to have been an easier operation for all. We were very mindful with after care not easy with two dogs and two kids, but definitely doable. We have tried to keep their weight down, keep exercise to enough but not overly strenuous, and give them lots of love.

I have a10 month old rottie that we just found out has both back legs acl tears, we are getting all the info we need to see which is best for our girl, tta has been suggested since she is still so young so should have great outcome with healing. I have two twelve-year old shepherd mixes, litter mates, with four knee surgeries between them two each. We have had all three surgeries, all successful to date starting at the age of three and as recent as two years ago.

Being that they have all been successful, I think the variables are cost, invasiveness, and after-care, which I think is possibly the most important factor. Any trusted vet will help you based on factors of cost, age, invasiveness, and availability of options. All work but have different risk factors, also to be weighed. My Akita was 3 and about 85 lbs when she slipped in our concrete floor and blew her knee out.

We took her to the vet and opted not to cut the bone and do a steel plate but to do the tight rope. Most Akita do not cage well so we put carpet in our living room, multiple baby gates and blocked the couch off. We leashed her every time she went out. We never confined her to a cage only a small area in the living room. Well after a few months she blew it out again.

The 2nd surgery the Vet put a tight rope on both sides of her leg. We again confined her and leash walked her. We did this for several months and we even got a twin mattress and we took turns sleeping with Her in the living room. I spent hours on the Internet every night researching until I was exhausted. I came up with this 1. Depends on the dogs age and health 2. I find that most dogs going thru the surgery are mid size dogs, not big like mine 3. Depends on vet 4.

Depends on how good the aftercare is 4. Also depends on how soon you take them home after surgery… Leave them at vet a few extra days so they are monitored and on pain meds 5. Depends if u keep them calm when u get home and no guests Our dog was not allowed off leash for 6 months. Now she can go out without it but we still freak out when she runs…. Always the possibility of her blowing it out. She is 6 yrs old now and back to 90 lbs. Wood floors, tile and concrete is not good for recovery or aftercare, keep that in mind.

We went above and beyond because we had the means. With any surgery you can expect to come home, using a sling or towel at first. Ice will deminish swelling and pain. You start out with short frequent walks, and gradually increase the length and duration of the walk. Cold laser Tx can be done at either the vet or the PT. It takes a good six months to rehab. My 64lb 2 yr. Her name is Blue.

Different estimates are common and are related to a number of different factors including:. This has to do with the fact that smaller dogs require less anesthesia, medication, sutures and equipment. How much is pet health insurance hah. Hi; I have a 4. She had the TPLO on the one side last August, and just last week the TTA on the other side. The TPLO side was a result of stress from the original tear on opposite side at 9 months. FOr over two years she used the [yet to be done] TPLO side too much… thereby instead of doing one surgery early on, we were forced to do two, with the worse side having surgery first.

Had I done the original surgery when she was younger I might have avoided the second ACL tear. I was hoping limited movement, stress ont he leg, providing Chondrotin supplements, etc. The second tear was far worse than the original, she had no muscle mass on that side and hence was done first.

She had become some what of an artist hiding how she was hurting since the hurt must have beenn familiar to the one at 9 months. You do get what you pay for, whether your own Dr [who may have graduated bottom of the class at med school, worthwhile to investigate before you sign up to let him open you up] or pay more for someone who is highly skilled and graduated top of the class. Research is recommended; go with someone who only does orthopedic surgery.

I know she had healed and healed well. So, the TPLO was first, and was successful? Is that what you are implying with that last last sentence? It depends a bit on the size of the dog. Larger breeds generally seem to do better with the TPLO of the two you mentioned.

Y-e-a-r-s and years ago… I had the TTA done on my then 11 year old Cocker Spaniel. He did very well. He was rambunctiously active and happy all of his 17 years.

It combines the best aspects of both the TPLO and the TTA, and is less invasive. Just so there is no confusion, none of my dogs had the TPLO. My friend, however, did have the TPLO on her Rottie boy. It took some time but he was able to earn a few agility titles after. I have read your web page and would like to share some info on the subject of cost comparing tta and tplo.

I have spent the last year learning about this problem and the procedures to correct it. My very large breed dog has partially ruptured her cruciate ligament in both legs. She had the TPLO done on both legs a few years ago and We have a 4 year old female Irish Wolfhound x Great Dane who we opted to have the TTA done after putting it off for nearly two years after MUCH research. At first, we figured that her stiffness was due to her arthritis and over use after we adopted another dog two years ago but quickly realised in April that it was not the case anymore.

She is five weeks post surgery with her left knee scheduled for next week. Immediately after her first surgery, she was trying to run — proving that the level of pain prior to the surgery was immense!

It only reassured us that we made the right decision and it is wonderful to see her full of life again — although it is a challenge to keep her on all four feet…even when she is on a lead!! Oh yeah…and be sure you are ready for the emotional roller coaster you will go on with seeing your dog in a crate for SIX long weeks!!

Something we had no idea would have such a huge impact on us. Do your homework, check out websites and ask other people for tips PRIOR to making this huge decision. You get what you pay for and NOT all surgeons are capable of doing this procedure. If you are serious about having it done, investing the money and time then I recommend you see a surgeon who specialises in TTA procedures. The vet told me this afternoon that Jack, my shihtzu needs the surgery done.

She is ringing me back tomorrow to tell me the price and talk about it. I live in Victoria, Australia and I was wondering how do I find out what vet is experienced in the TTA method of surgery or any of the other surgeries.

My dog is 10yrs old and not overweight. He was very good for his age. Most people thought he was a puppy because he was so playful and active…. My dog Lola tore her ACL at age 7 still acting like a puppy now at age 9 and not overweight. I just posted on the website all my details — but we went with pain medication the first few weeks, plus Rimadyl and Glucosamine and within 4 months Lola was her old self.

We took her to a holistic medicine vet who did chiropractic adjustment and she is again just like new. My neighbor across the street had a 9 yr. I know vets believe they are offering the best option, but there is a lot of research saying the surgeries are not the be all and end all. A friend whose dog had TPLO at age 2 had arthritis set in very quickly — he has never really been completely well since.

Best wishes what ever you decide. Thank you very much for your quick reply. Im taking Jack to the city for a 2nd opinion as soon as I can get an appt.

His leg seemed good after no walking on Thurs, Fri and most of Sat then on Sat he hurt it again so Ive been carrying him everywhere since and it seems to be better again. The vet has given me no pain medication or anything nor told me to do anything at all about confining Jack or stopping him from walking found out about that on the internet.

She gave me antibiotic cream for his paw because it has a mild infection in it and he keeps licking it but thats it. She only said about the crate and restrictive movement if he has surgery. Are you implying that a chiropractor healed the torn ligament? Is your dog getting less exercise? The Chiropractor did not heal the torn ligament. What we do know is after a couple years with no issues Lola started limping and we thought she might have torn it again.

When we went to the vet who practices traditional and alternative medicine he said that it did not appear to be torn nor was it arthritis. He said continue the Glucosamine.

He did an adjustment on her spine and she walked out of his office without a limp. She is 10 years old now and still jumps and spins like a puppy, bounces around like a bucking bronco when she is excited, easily walks 2 miles a day around our neighborhood besides chasing birds in her yard.

I think it does help that she has never been overweight…the vet said that has worked in her favor. I have heard people swear by the surgery and people who would not do it again given the choice. I still believe in taking a wait and see approach…we have no regrets and 5 great years since her injury! If you have not had this done yet, you may want to reconsider. My vet just told me about a study of a group of dogs weighing less than 20 lbs with torn cruciate ligaments.

Half had the surgery, half did not. After 6 months, no difference was observed in the 2 groups. My dog had the surgery today, because he weights lbs.! My dog a 55lb Chow mix started favoring his left rear leg about 3 weeks ago. Our Vet examined him and recommended surgery which he said he can perform.

He is recomending TTA. It seems like other people have waited months or years How do I know my Vet will do a good job? He told me he has done TTA 10 times. Linda, My own feeling is decide quickly between surgery and conservative management.

Once decided, if surgery is chosen, move as quickly as your circumstances allow. The muscles atrophy significantly from the actual surgery. Sometimes, there may be reasons for waiting, as folks have mentioned.

Full recovery may take a bit more work and time but can certainly be achieved. To give you an idea: I see a significant difference between Stetson and Raven. Their individual injury and subsequent surgery are 9 weeks apart, one knee each. While Rae was recovering, Stetson was busy with agility… 9 weeks worth of building muscles. He was in better shape, physically, before his injury.

He lost so much less muscle volume in those first 4 weeks when they are so limited. Her recovery is moving along nicely. But, I am certain his will be the easier of the two. Linda- Do NOT let a surgeon who has only performed a surgery 10 times operate on your dog. Go to the closest University Vet School and have the procedure done. I had top notch care last week on my 65 lb. My surgeon has done the procedure close to times in the past year. This is not simple surgery. Make sure you have someone who knows what they are doing.

I have been reading about a new procedure called Tightrope CCL. Does anyone have any opinions on this or know of any surgeons who are performing it yet? Hi Edward — You can find some info on Tightrope CCL Repair here — http: The surgery is still undergoing clinical trials, and the only surgeons performing it are involved in the trial.

The results so far look very promising though, and we should be hearing more and more about the procedure as the months go on. If you can help me, please email me. Hello, My nine year old mut had a TPLO several years when six, and she has been active with zero setbacks. Two weeks ago she began limping on her TTA leg. Now we are being told it is either arthritis or a meniscus tear. It is advised she have exploritory surgery. Thank you for your concideration, Lorna FYI: Then she gets the other knee done 8 weeks later.

I think that I have coverded every aspect as far as researching the surgerys TTA, Tightrope, and TPLO. But did anyone have any problems with there dogs depression after sitting in a crate for 4 months or did there dogs temperment change. Was wondering how your dog was doing. My girl has injured her back leg and we will be seeing the vet tomorrow. If needed we will be going to U of P also.

Would be interested in your experience there. Her litter mate sister Sammy Jo will not understand why she cannot play. You love your dog. It hurts and I remember that bewildered, what am I going to do feeling. Did your vet have any suggestions for where to go for the surgery?

Mine does the TTO and the TTA. But he did mention nearby Cornell University and Colonial that do the TPLO. Talk to your vet. In the end I decided on my own vet at Chenango Animal Hospital and the TTO, which he has had great success over the past years.

Results are comparable to the TPLO. Dogs are quick studies. Generally, the second dog will gather her friend is in pain and unable to play. If not, crate or baracade the injured dog Mine seemed very concerned and compassionate toward Raven. They tread sofly when nearby. Sammy Jo will figure it out, and become a good nurse.

Grip wrap gel ice packs to the leg times a day the first few days to keep the swelling down. You will know what to do when the time comes, Holly. The heart in your throat feeling goes away once your dog is home.

Do you know which surgery you prefer? Sometimes it depends on availability. Cost is a consideration. And I like to think post operative PT is important. Total recovery time is close to the same, tho the TPLO may be a slightly longer. This is equivalent of a surgically broken leg.

You will need a sling for getting in and out of the car. Or, your vet may have one you can borrow. With or without PT, recovery is slow and methodical. I am advised to keep the dog on lead even for bathroom breaks. Who knows but a squirrel may entice my dog to run before she is ready. At 12 weeks she has just been approved for on lead trotting. My boy, at 4 weeks, would like nothing better than to wrestle with the girls.

It will be a much more difficult task to keep him from risking injury than her. But I have to do it. You will be fine… just use your love for your dog to guide you. It will become a managable routine. My 4 year old German Shepherd had TTA surgery 5 months ago. He was crated for about 6 weeks the he was allowed to roam a small room during the day while I was at work. Yes, there was a temperment change in him during the time that we crated him. I spoke to the surgeon and asked if he could spend some quiet time with me in the living room on the floor.

He had to be tethered to my side. His leg healed perfectly! Unfortunately, he just tore the other knee and we are headed down the road for surgery 2 in a month. Our English Mastiff was 8 in June when we has the TTA done. Just this week it happened and another surgery is needed. We were debating on the TPLO because we were told it was cheaper? After reading up on both I think we need to stick to the TTA. It was amazing how this lb dog walked the day after surgery.

Dont get me wrong, its a tough stressfull time for all, especially the first few weeks. I have a Lab-girl, 1,5 years old and she tore her right CCL in October For the first 3 weeks she was held on a traditional repair with confinement and anti-inflammatory medication.

Now almost 6 weeks has passed from the surgery. We are still keeping her in a crate during night and while we are at work. It was almost 4 weeks after surgery and the doctor said looking at the x-ray picture that the bone was healed. The doctor said there is no harm in her the dog taking the stairs on her own we live on a second floor and she has been doing that ever since after 4 weeks post-op. Also we are taking min walks twice a day. It will soon be 6 weeks post-op and I totally agree with the previous Bryan: I would like to add a little common sense and experience to this topic.

There is no surgical procedure or medical procedure that is always successful. Conservative treatment should always be the first option for the majority of medical issues, not surgery.

If a conservative treatment fails, you still have a surgical option. If surgery fails you may have a lame dog for life. Yes it might not always work or your dog may not get used to it, etc.

Use your common sense, get the brace first. My 65lb very active boxer mix has torn her Cranial Cruciate Ligament. Surgery is recommended, however very expensive. Has anyone opted to have their dog put to sleep because of this injury? Ur dog can still be happy with a bad leg until you save up for proper management. My husband is in the military and we dont make very much money but we are saving up for surgery and my dog is still a happy pup. My 7 yr old mixed breed female sml, fine boned G.

Shepherd X was recently diagnosed with a cruciate tear. Some report good wearing tolerance and great success over the long term — others report that the brace was intolerable, and excessively complicated to use. My dog Lothar is a lb. Given his size, age, and condition, his vet is amazed to see what he does.

The surgery really did save his life. He was tethered to a stake for 3 months after the first knee, then 3 months after the second.

He tore his stake out of the ground numerous times. It was 7 months of as much inactivity as he would put up with. It worked for us! After reading the above posts and doing some online research, i have opted for the TTA surgery to fix my dogs ruptured cruciate ligament.

How much pain are they in following the surgery? I also do not want to crate her. I do not know if you choosing which procedure TTA vs TPLO is such a good idea. Factors as age, weight, and the shape and size of the tibia are all important factors in maing a decision. The surgeon I selected is a specialist who does both procedures, and I left the decision up to him same cost. TTA is relatively new, so make sure your surgeon is experienced in TTA. This is day one of his recovery. When I picked him up, he was already putting some weight on that leg very little.

He did not seem to be in pain, due to the fact the vet had placed a fentanyl patch on his back. This is an opiate, good for about 3 days so they say. Please ask your vet about the 4 hour ride. Maybe some kind of tranquilizer can keep him quiet for that time. Also, he will have an elizabethian collar to wear like a lampshade to prevent chewing on the cast. If you can keep a close watch on him, it can be removed, but dont leave him alone or in another room than you are in.

Same goes for the cage. If you cannot watch him, as in leaving the house, he must be in the crate. They get used to it fairly quickly. And yes, no stairs or climbing allowed. I did not get a definitive answer from the vet for how long. It depends on many factors. I am going to lift him onto my bed myself. He is there now, sound asleep.

Again, you have to watch him closely. It could result in serious injury if he were to jump off the bed in the middle of the night. I will return to this websites with updates for anyone who might be interested. Can someone advise on the comparison between traditional extracapsular and TTA? We have a 6-yr.

The cost is prohibitive for us at this stage, so we are considering the extracapsular repair. It was the best decision I have ever made. It has only been 2 weeks and my dog is already taking 3 20 minute walks every day. The first two days she was in much pain, the first night especially, but just as with in humans, pain medication, rest and food, and love had her on the mend fairly quickly.

After the first four days, she was taking 2 10 minute walks and 1 quick walk. As Ted mentions above the dog was given a pain patch and oral pain meds. I gradually took her off the oral pain medication and by day four was not giving her any pain medication at all. If the knee is throbbing — they will let you know by crying, pacing or panting. In short — if you can afford do it. Feeding them is key as well. Soft food or warm rice with chicken works well and help them recover quicker and gain strength.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of good, experienced vet surgeons in Northern California or Southern Oregon that do these procedures? We live in Eureka, Ca and are willing to drive a few hours- as really that is our only option.

Steve Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center is a highly recommended Orthopedic Surgeon in Medford, Oregon. Today I found out our Black Lab has to have a TPLO on his right leg. He had his left leg done in and we were told at that time that it is quite common that his other leg will also need to be done.

We also have a female Black Lab his litter mate and she had a TPLO on her left leg in Our surgeries have been done at the University of MN Vet Clinic and our results have been awesome. You would never know that either of them had a TPLO and they are able to run again.

The University was doing a study on why this is happening so often in dogs. In the lab breed they thought was it because they were trying to breed labs with good hips that they in turn created bad knees.

Another thought was all of the dog parks. In our case I think it is the breed. If you can afford it I would recommend finding a good surgeon and doing the TPLO. I would check out your local University and hopefully the have a vet school. Good Luck and I hope we get the same result with our third surgery as we have with the other two surgeries.

My dog Duke recently suffered a cruciate ligament injury to his leg while running out in the field. I looked up the web site and did some research on the brace. I found many positive stories from people who used the brace so I elected to try it. I felt that it made more sense to try this before surgery.

I received the brace promptly within 3 days and fit my dog with it. Within the same day a dog who had not put weight on his limb was putting full weight on it. At first he figited and looked funny walking but after a while he seemed to like it. We went through the entire treatment program recommended by woundwear and returned to my vet. I continued to use the brace for another 2 months just when Duke was playing outside. It has been 8 months since his injury and he is a happy dog full of life.

The brace took a little time to get used to applying properly but it was worth it. Spatt was very helpful in providing helping me get the best fit for my dog. I can honestly say this brace from WoundWear saved me from thousands in surgery bills and saved Duke from pain and potential problems from surgery. Thank you WoundWear for giving Duke another chance at a good quality life. My granddog Moto is a 14 month old pitbull. When he was almost one year old he had a Triple Pelvic Osteotomy TPO for hip dysplasia.

Now just a few months later he suffered a CCL Rupture in this leg. Does anyone know if this is associated with the TPO procedure? His other hip is severely dysplastic, plus the increased likelihood of the other CCL rupturing. It is so sad to see this incredibly sweet dog try to walk and to think of another painful surgery followed by at least 2 others. Anyone have any suggestions? Have you found a surgeon and had the procedure done yet?

My dog just had TPLO a few weeks ago. So far, so good — the problem is to keep him from being as active as he now wants to be! The surgeon was Dr. But maybe your regular vet could get in contact with him. The bruising and swelling the first three days was unbelievable but remarkably after the 5th day there was barely any. She really enjoyed a warm compress 3 times a day on the leg.

She is confined to a small room with a rug to make sure that she does not slip. She had the traditional surgery on November 18th and after 6 long hard months of taking it easy the line snapped and here we are.

If anyone has a large breed dog I would suggest going right to a TPLO or a TTA and not waisting time. The vet said that the right knee will only make it another 6 months tops becuase of all the stress on the leg. Our 30 lbs beagle had TTA surgery 8 weeks ago and now needs to go in for the second leg. We have been very happy with the results from the TTA. We just moved to Dallas and it looks like they push the TPLO here, even though our last vet thought the TTA was superior to the TPLO due to being less invasive and a quicker recovery time it also cost us less money than the TPLO.

She was bearing weight on the leg with the TTA within a few days of the surgery. Our vet had her on pain meds, anti-inflammatories, etc for one cause for stock market crash in 1929 two weeks post-op.

The main concern with the TTA is that we had to keep her crated for 8 weeks. Our vet let us have her on a leash sitting still in the living room with us in the evenings when we were home. And now I have been given the choice of TPLO vs. Thank you so much for any feedback or advice you have! TTA surgery is kisah sukses pemain forex to be the same price or less expensive than TPLO.

If you want TTA, i would look at other vets. We have a 8 year old female pitbull mix.

She recently had a limp and we found she had a CCL tear and damage to the meniscus. She had TTA the specialist said her bone structure would determine whether they did a TTA or TPLO and the TTA was suitable and has done well. This is the fifth day. I keep her laying down and with me and she seems to be doing great. Love her dearly and hope this give her more good years with us.

HI Lisa, My 2 year old boxer had the tta surgery done on june 16th. He started to limp a bit, but the doc said this flyers trade options happening because I recently increased his walking to 20 minutes. I also hear some popping around the joint. Whe I picked up up I was money exchange indian rupees at how good he was doing.

Then suddenly over the weekend he bagn to swell up really bad and his incision started to drain. This morning it was all over my sheets that I put in his bed.

I paniced and and took him to the Vet immediately. No infection but I was told he should not have swelled up this much. Has anyone experienced this? Otherwise, he is doing great as far as being a good patient and staying quiet which is normally very hard for him to do. I think all the drigs he is on is also helping with that. This has been his third leg operated on. We had to do his elbows at 9 months for Fragmented Corinoid Process which made him arthritic before the age of one.

Poor guy has been through hell. When I picked up up I was shocked at how good he was doing. She has always been a VERY active dog and even with the pain she is in is still smiling and sweet as can be. We have no income at this point, my husbands retirement went away with the market crash as did many peoples.

Our Vet and a surgeon who specializes in the TPLO recommend the TPLO and the Surgeon says her Meniscus are also torn.

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We love her dearly and hate to see her suffer. Hi all, I must do this. Earlier, Andy advised Linda not to go for surgery with her own vet that have done only 10 TTAs, and rather go for the closest university vet school. Well I must say, although I agree in general that specialists suppose to have more experience, they also gain so much popularity. Well my friends, it is the resident surgeon that is getting the experience and possibly have done less tan 10 TTAs this is the very nature of specialist center and do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Your very own vet that have done only 10 TTas is normally and hopefully the one vet that you know and trust. He or she usually know your pet better than any one else.

Please do not let the perception of excellence full you. In many cases a specialist center is a very busy place and will never be able to give that same care, attention and love as your vet can.

I you tell how do you put a child up for adoption in fable 3 vet for example that the number of surgeries is important to you as an indicator for success, than that vet will refer you to someone who have done may more. Beside, the fact that one have done more, dose stock market ticker etrade simulator app always mean it is better.

The fact remain you can do the research that complication rates are similar with specialist and non-specialist veterinary surgeons. The perception is that if it happen to a specialist, than it could not be avoided. My deer friends, I feel that this is mostly about professional integrity. If your vet has one, and you ask all the questions he or she will send you how much money does an xray technician make a year the right way, that would be best to your pet.

This way one may avoid situation like putting off surgeries for two years and letting the arthritis develop and worsening the prognosis. We tend to do so much research on issues that we have no idea about, thinking that we are getting more educated, instead we are just directed to a path, which is driven by perception only.

One of the most important service that a vet should give a client is advice. Why not using that service. I agree with your vet that an osteotomy technique TPLO, TTA, TTO for her cruciate disease is probably the binary one touch options way to go about. The reason for this is due to the fact that both her knees are affected and swift recovery is desired. It is not to say that other, less expensive surgery could not be performed with similar long term prognosis.

Due to the fact that she has meniscal injury as well, she will benefit from surgery and conservative management with medication is not likely to give good results. I feel that given her breed and expected weight if she is overweight this smartboard counting money games be corrected with no delay she will benefit from lateral suture surgery.

This will be way cheaper, and will give similar long term results. The osteotomy surgeries tend to give better results short term, but recent data show that long term, the results are not differ much. Hi, I have a 3 yrs old border collie mix who has been diagnosed with TCL right back knee 6 months ago.

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Thank you for you advice. Hi, Does anyone know of an orthopedic surgeon in the Schaumburg, Illinois area who does TPLO or TTA?

My 6 yr old 90lb Lab hurt his right knee and the vet said he tore his ACL. Is there really any one great surgery? Averill Blue Pearl in Northbrook who performed a successful surgery on my 6 year old chocolate Lab in August My 10 year old GSP just had TPLO surgery last week. Once he started to feel better around day 4 post op it was very difficult to keep him quiet.

In other words, it is so difficult to keep him quiet. I think, if this were to happen to another of my dogs I would not do the repair.

Instead I would use anti-inflammatories and keep him as pain free and comfortable as possible. I am not sure about surgeons in your area as I am a veterinary surgeon, practicing in the United Kingdom. It is quite interesting to note that there are some differences in the way we look at things here in the UK.

I have noted I may be wrong but this was my impression that most how to make money as a scriptwriter you are kind of left alone, to decide what is the best thing to do and feel at times, overwhelmed with all the different opinions, options and suggestions.

I am not sure what is the primexm forex broker the regular vet plays, and how much advice they give and how they are involved in the decision process.

From my experience, there is not one right answer to all the cases and it is important to understand that each case stock premarket hours its own issues and may be a candidate to different procedure or to conservative management. It is also important to realize that two different vets may have different idea as what would be the best to the hedge fund forex trading dog.

I have been practicing for more than 10 years now, performing almost all the cruciate surgery techniques including most of the osteotomies; TTA, TPLO, TTO, TWO, lateral stabilization, carbon wire, and the recently described Tight Rope technique.

This is not to try and say how great I am but rather to illustrate that should there was one surgical technique that was fantastic, than we would not have so many different ways to try and fix this complex problem.

The reasons for this is complex and I will leave them for later. One can see that in order to make the right decision for the right dog and the right circumstances we need more than just information and research and specialists. I truly believe that trust and relationship with your regular vet is the safest and best way to go about, or at least to start with.

This is the person that suppose to know you, know your loved dog, the circumstances at home related to your dog and even the financial situation when need be. In most cases and hopefully this person has the best interest for you and your dog as you are there to come back after the surgery in case of referral and to stay for preventative health care and care as needed. Here comes the possible difference here in the UK. If your regular vet dose not have this relationship with you, than tell them that this is what you wish for.

This is what you demand as a client. If there is no room to cater for this, look for one that will. I see it again and again. This is the one aspect that pay off more often than not. We should be more than just Doctors that fix things. We should be Doctors that care about what we try to fix.

If we can prevent problems all together than great but we only human after all. Selma has a genuine concern about the students at the specialist. The simplest way bollinger bands deviation strategy limit this concern is to book a consultation with the recommended surgeon preferably by your regular vet or professional person that you trust and raise these stock market simulator wall street journal, and anyone making money on squidoo demand that he or she is the person to conduct the surgery.

Karen is concerned about the post operative convalescence, especially with the stairs at home. Well, one can use an abdominal support or belt, that will carry most of the weight and limit strain on the affected leg during recovery.

Joan also has concerns about the post op period, particularly with these large and should you buy zynga stock GSPs, that are well known to be handful even when painful.

Well these dogs do not tend to do very great without surgery, and they tend to develop muscle wastage and weak leg. Some also develop hip or back problems, and together it is not a great combination.

There are many ways to deal with this problem again, you have noted that I said many ways for the same problem ; confining to a crate to prevent jumping and running, consider larger implants that will be less likely to break, consider different type of surgery, abdominal support when out and so on.

I suspect that in your case a crate would be the best idea and an abdominal support while your are out with him. I hoped this would be a little insight to this vast condition.

I saw this site and felt obligated to respond to some of the queries. The longer ago the better. Need to make a decision with forex volumes traded the next week.

Want to do the right thing for my very active boxer boy! I have an 18 lb Jack Russell who needs CCL surgery. I am download bop money makes the world go round about keeping him crated for the 2 month recovery period.

Does anyone have suggestions about how to keep him from getting extremely depressed? He is very active and used to wandering around the two story house so lots of stairs, beds and chairs to pulte homes stock market on, etc.

But in order to keep him from running, jumping, and climbing, we will have to keep him crated. My 4 YO, 75 lb German Shorthair has ACl tears in both knees. What do you think? Hi Jerry, Like your Ortho vet, I would consider simultaneous bilatral Monster profitable for binary options. I would consider several issues.

My husband and I have an almost 3 year old mastive mix who is about 90 lbs and very high energy. Our Vet is almost trade stocks virtual money he has a damaged anterior crucia how much money does an xray technician make a year in left hind leg. She gave us some names. Does anyone know of specialists who do the TR or fishingline surgeries in Chester County or Lanster County Pennsylvania?

Her x-rays show some arthritis, but less than anticipated for her age. Her leg also has a clicking sound when you try to move it suspected miniscis damage. She was never strategy for binary options in canada taxable active as other labs I see.

She is very sweet and has always preferred socializing with people at the picnic bench to the dogs in the park. She is stockier lab build but trim and otherwise healthy for her age. My vet fii invest in indian stock market brings in a contracted surgeon from the area for this who performs extracapsular repairs. He estimated that this surgeon had performed in his office.

He said he would have her do the surgery on his own dog if needed. My vet is very trusted, established and experienced. Calling other foreign exchange market definitions and characteristics and specialty vets in the Chicago area, they say they mostly prefer the TPLO maybe because they are teaching schools and specialty fx trading jobs dubai. Acknowledging all surgery has risks, is it reasonable to be optimistic on an extracapsular repair for this type of dog?

Joan posted September 30th about her GSP. We have a 7 year old, very hyper GSP with a torn cruciate ligament and have been agonizing over what to do. Joan if you are still reading this website, I would like to know how things are going 4 months later.

My email is lisarobinb hotmail. My 8 year old, mixed breed, 45 lb. No cast, but a 8 week recuperation period.

What letters apply to this surgery? Missy, my 45 lb. Real estate earnest money agreement form blow outs were one month apart. She had tightrope CCL surgeries. The winter weather made the recoveries tough-no hair on the back part of her body, lots of snow and cold weather.

Plus I got sent out of town on business and she had to go to doggy day care during the day. Missy is never on a leash so she was heartbroken when she had to wear one every day through April. However, no complications with surgeries at all. By June, she was swimming in the Meramac River it was hot and I figured that it was great therapy ; By August, she was once again chasing squirrels and wrestling with her younger sister; and by October, had chased and caught a rabbit.

Still active and thriving at 10 years old! Both tightrope implant surgeries were performed by Dr. Why would anybody want any other type?

Janet posted 14th Jan 10, Given your dog has good weight for her breed and considering her age, I would say that Extra-capsular repair would be indicated and probably a good choice. There are several methods for Extra-capsular repair and I am not sure which one is intended for your dog. One of the major issue I would look at when choosing type of surgery, is looking at the rate of healing and potential complications. Using this analysis I would be less inclined to to TPLO for an older dog.

It is not to say that your dog can not have TPLO, but if your vet the Doctor that examined your dog and knows her feels she is a candidate for Extra-capsular repair than I would consider this as a god way to go about.

We just went thru a bilateral extracapsular stabilization on my 14 month old pit bull. She is doing great so far. We are 10 days post op and she is bearing weight, walking, full extension and partial flexion this is cheap calling options to india we are working on.

My dogs surgery was approx with radiographs and all. If anyone has any questions I would be more than happy to help out. I am in NY and would highly recommend Dr Tim Robinson, he was excellent before and thus far after the surgery. She will be starting her rehab Thursday with the center also. My pit who is 15months old needs both legs repaired and I am looking at a 9, dollar price tag…why was yours so much cheaper I am looking at doing a TPLO followed with physical therapy-is that what you did.

That is really expensive. I live in northern Florida. Not sure if location makes that much of a difference but it may make some. And we went to the best specialist in the area. Needing both knees done, that must make it nearly impossible for him to walk. Of course, there was follow up. Have you looked around? Is this the expert that your regular vet recommended?

If you have it, great! Janna remember there are conservative treatments like Woundwears A TRAC brace. See the comments under knee bracing and look at China for instance who I believe had both legs involved.

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It is always worth trying this kind of approach before putting your dog thru surgery and work home transcription jobs the expense.

Go on Woundwears web site and see all the make of emarketing fast online lots cash of happy dogs and forex envy power long owners. Obviously, they are afraid of Woundwears success! Have you ever hear of Ortho Pets?

Had wonderful success with Woundwears ATRAC ACL Brace. Woundwears has a rigid and semi rigid rod set which is used to both stabilize and later rehab the leg. Since exercise is difficult, that probably means cutting back on treats and chow for some of our best friends. Please listen to your vet. Would you listen to strangers on a board if how much money do ballroom dancers make Pediatrician said surgery and we said something different?

And then I did research, read a lot of articles, talked to several specialist in and out of my area. For us not getting a permanent fix, i.

Down the road, arthritis is going to be issue, too. Good to hear your dog is doing well after the surgery. My dog Pixie had the same problem, rupture of right knee ligament, I waited for 10 months doing the conservative managamentshe was fine but now she started to limp more often and I am looking for a fx trading jobs dubai that performs the Tight rope surgery in NY.

Could you give Dr Tim Robinson location info and if possible phone number.? She now needs one done on her R capalaba central trading hours australia day. Our Vet recommended this traveling surgeon who has done a few hundred to TTA. Which was not given as on opiton forex citibank first time around.

He says either option is okay but due to dogs wt and age she is 85 lbs is opting more for the TPLO. I amm leaning more towards the TAA. How do i know which way to go? I posted a comment a couple of days ago on my girl Kendra.

She injured her front leg and the day before going to the specialists, tore both hind ligaments. She is a 3yr old, lb. One Specialist recommended TPLO; one leg at a time. We went to Cornell University yesterday for a second opinion.

I would do the same for myself, so I felt she deserved it also. We have had great success with highly specialized issues in the past. They perform all four procedures, hence, we felt they would be objective on the best solution for her. They have recommended, because she has bilateral tears…and a bad front leg, that we do bileateral TTA. She will then stay there for days post op.

This ends up cheaper than TPLO…. It takes dukascopy forex data download of us to hold her up and walk her and this is incredibly difficult at her weight. I worry that she will sustain further mock stock trading game by waiting with conservative management in the dead of winter.

Her surgery was supposed to be today, but she has been bumped to tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we called a 3rd Vet, Dr. Rene van Ee Kenmore, NY…near Buffalo. He has been doing extracapsulation fishing wire style surgery for years. How to set up a money changer business in the philippines comes highly recommended.

He performed this surgery on our friends lb. Mastiff about ten years ago. He had a second surgery done a few years later.

Our friends took extra precautions with lead walking for 6 months. Their Mastiff, due to his weight, had to put some weight on the leg post op and he still fully recovered. This procedure may have been more difficult for Kendra as she is having trouble putting weight on 3 legs. We are also looking into the option of having her stay a few extra days for a longer period of rehab.

Kendra had bilateral TTA this past Friday. It turns out that both knees had near complete tears. There was no meniscus damage, thankfully. We visited Saturday evening and as we sat in the waiting room, we saw her being gurneyed outside. We watched through the windows as they unloaded her and two people sling walked her. I more appeared that she was walking them. She could actually walk better than prior surgery, this, one day after surgery.

I am cooking her food and trying different things she may like for now. On Monday, we went to drop off more citigroup stock exchange symbol food and they said she was good enough to take home.

We were a bit shocked, but after the dragons den student stock trader hour one way trips…we were taking her with us. As she still has pain in the one front leg from arthritis, it takes two to walk her. I am applying heat to the edema 3x per day and meds 2x per day.

I am massaging her muscles a couple of times per day also. I am going to look into something i hate you homework poem the front leg…she needs to be able to help herself more with that leg for now, eventually, she will be able to rely more on her hind legs.

She will be walked min per day, for 2 or 3x per day for a few weeks, then we are strongly considering taking her for the 10 day physical therapy plan at Cornell. Our surgical cost for both legs, was the price of one TPLO.

From what I have seen thus far, I have made the right choice. One wound is ready for the bandage to come off already. More to follow, the work begins. I just read your email and am so thankful you wrote it. The vet here in Chicago recommended TPLO, but I will now check into the TTA. How is Kendra doing now?

Tiffany, Our dog Chip, a 5 year old, 80 lb German Shorthair Pointer, had bilateral TTA a little over a year ago at Cornell University Veternary Hospital. He was having trouble in both knees before the surgery. Now one year later he is like a new puppy. Usually after a good run we give him a buffered aspirin and that does the trick. We left Chip off the employee stock options tax calculator a little sooner that we should have and he slipped on ice and that was a setback for him.

Anyway we cheap fishnet stockings very happy with the results and so is Chip! Good luck with Moby! Hi, I have a mix icap foreign exchange broker jobs dog Blaze he is 2. I was just told he needs to have tplo surgery in both put option maximum profit legs.

I know what everyone is going through and I hope for the best for all of you. I know the surgery is expensive but hes a part of my family and he has a long life left with us and I want him to be without pain. I hope i m doing the right thing by getting the surgery. My beagle is going to be 11 in July and is only 32 lbs and has a partial tear on his back 1974 stock market low knee.

The other reason is the pain pills rimadyl are supposedly not good for long term use liver prompt binary options with a minimum deposit 20. I have a 19 mo. His left front leg was amputated at 3 mo. Found him with trade turkish stocks foot cut off above the first knuckle at 6 weeks.

Now he has blown out his back aclso is on two legs, but uses the left for some balance. He is very active and the vet said he could blow out the operation before it heals. He has been through so much in his short life. He is not leashed trained and the vet said I would have to take him out to go to the bathroom on a leash and at least a month to heal. Anybody know what I should do???

My just 3 yr. The surgeon would not advocate one operation over the other but said she was a perfect candidate for the TTA. I am retired, have little money but the success rate is higher then that of either the MRIT or the TPLO. I will keep you posted. You can email me with suggestions for recovery or questions. NAncy For older dogs the lateral or MRIT surgery is suggested, but if the boone angle is good the TTA surgery is suggested. My 4yr old American Stafford shire just tore her cranial cruciate earnest money contract alaska in her back knee.

Her back 60 seconds binary options strategy forum pro signals comes up to my knees and the vet weighed about 75lbs yesterday and said shes made of pure solid muscle, well was until the other day. She loves to run through our horse pastures and wrestles rough with my dad and their Bull Mastiff Rotti.

Not too sure what would be the best choice for her. She loves going on multiple day long hikes and is VERY athletic. Does anyone have any advise for me? The DR were using we have been with for over 20yrs with all of my parents Champion German Shepherd show dogs so we find him to be extremely reliable and helpful. Its either TPLO or TTA, he said those would be best for a dog with her muscle mass, size, and age.

I just worry after any operation, she may have to slow down a bit more then she or I will like and she will get really depressed. For anyone that has had the operation with an athletic, active dog, what differences binary one touch options changes took place and how was your dog affected in the long run?

Hey Devan I feel the stress and pain that you are going thru right now. I have a 7yr make money with inscription 4.3 Lab.

There are some things you NEED to think hard about. Know Buddy is 7rs old with no more problems with the rt rear knee but his left knee seems to be hurt the same that is NOT what Buddy and I needed at all.

I will be taking him in Monday and will be looking hard at not going with the TPLO proceedure this time instead the TTA is what i will go with. I think the recovery time with the TPLO is to long and it puts alot of stress on the other knee. After all of this is done I think buddys activites will be even more restricted. Only time and alot of work will tell.

So I hope what i said does not worry you but instead help you with what to decide to do right the first time. GOOD LUCK HOPE ALL GOES WELL. MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR PET! I have a 4year old Schutzhund competition German Shepherd. What technique is suggested by anyone who has a high drive, active dog????? Looks like we have a partial tear. She has tears in both back legs and we went to Cornell yesterday.

They gave us the two invasive options plus the one where they tie it. She used to be VERY active… walking, running, swimming every day, but now she is sadly almost lame. We would like to make a decision and have the surgery performed next week. I have been doing alot of reading and talking to vets and it has been stressfull. I came across a tightrope CCL operation that caught my eye.

It seems like there have been some great results. Has anybody had this type of surgery on there dog? I have a 7 year old pit bull. She blew out her right leg two years ago and we decided on Conservative Management.

It is no less of a time and maybe longer for recovery. Well, as the Vets tell you, if they blow out one, they most likely will blow out the other one.

From just the breed or due to the favoring of the good leg in the mean time. My dilemia is not the cost, we as dog owners will gladly spend the money on our dogs over our children, at least that is the way I feel. Do I get the TTA is my choice, but more are certified with the TPLO.

I just do not like the whole TPLO procedure, changing a dogs gate and bone alignment. I would think evolution and nature got it right. So while TTA is a bit less expensive, that is not my concern. It has a little less recovery time, is not quite as invasive.

I work as a veterinary technician for a board certified small animal surgeon, Dr. Terry Dew, at Azzore Veterinary Specialists in Russellville, Arkansas. Dew recommends either an External Fascial Strip or TTA procedure for CCL injuries. Some questions you may want to consider as you do your research should include not only what procedure do they recommend, but how many have they done and what have they seen in terms of long term results.

Dew has done literally thousands of these procedures……. I love the results we see………the proof is in the happy clients! While the recovery process took about 6 weeks, she healed very well, and was able to resume her crazy, hyper, wild routine. Just recently she has began to limp and show discomfort when she plays too hard, but that usually only lasts a day and then she is back to normal.

X-rays showed that this is just normal arthritis, which is to be expected after a surgery. Of course her high level of activity and excitement has now lead to a partial tear in her left rear cruciate ligament. The surgeon who performed her first surgery, Dr. After researching a bit myself today, it seems as though the TTA is the better surgery, and is actually the one with quicker recovery.

I am now considering taking my dog to Buffalo to have the surgery performed, since Dr. Fingeroth did such a good job with the first one. Has anyone else heard or been told that TPLO results in a quicker recovery? I am researching knee surgery options for my dog, Roxy. She is a very active, 6 year old, athletic, 44lb medium sized mutt.

She is not overweight at all. I found this site very helpful: It explains and shows pics of both the different types of surgeries and why the TPLO is more invasive.

I am definitely leaning towards the TTA because it is much less invasive. Best of luck to you and your pup too. Thanks to all who have published here. The whole family are committed to keeping her quiet and making her rehab perfect so fingers crossed for my girl.

Hi i was wondering how your dog was doing after her tta surgery. Hi Kerry, I had my dog undergo TTA in both stifles about 15 months ago. He is a 80 lb, 4 YO German Shorthair Pointer. He is doing great. Ocasional arthritis in one knee as expected, but even that seems to be less and less as time goes by. Otherwise he is just like he was when he was a pup. Of course every dog is different, but for us, TTA was a miracle. My six year old 63 lb Golden Retriever blew out her knee chasing a ball.

Affiliated Veterinary Specialists AVS of Jacksonville, Florida. Watching her happy to snag balls again, priceless. She had the TPLO and it went smoothly. Now we have insurance. She was up on 3 legs the next day, in two weeks, she had all but forgotten about it and the hardest part was to keep her from doing too much for so long.

Hi, anyone have experience with a dog with BOTH rear legs having a torn ACL? How did you get your dog in and out to the bathroom etc? My dog weighs about 80 lbs so carrying him is not really an option. HI all My lab Female 80 had her first tplo with epidural 2 years ago, was told by the surgeron that usually within two years the other knee goes. She blew the other knee about 2yr and 5months after the last surgery, by running a lot when it was already torn. I am know looking into the TTA instead.

The vet surgeon told me that the TTA has as not as a good rap because when it first came out it was not as good,BUT it has advanced with changes and he recommends a TTA. My most concern is she is an active lab, when it is time to play she plays until she falls asleep. BYT she did great after her tplo rehab was not fun for either of us but I work in the medical field and that helped quite a bit. Our Zeke had a difficult time walking to go pottie too but he is a trooper and managed to shuffle to and from outside.

We had to lift him up and down our steps. I recommend getting your dog on an anti-inflammatory asap while you decide what route to take. I was very torn between Tightrope and TPLO. I knew that the TPLO would hold up with his weight and active lifestyle but it was so invasive that I originally went with the new Tightrope option until he tore his other leg a week later. The vet recommended that he definitely have the TPLO since both rear legs were lame.

He was up walking on all 4 legs after surgery. It has been a chore to keep him calm and still! He just wants to run, run, run! Zeke seems to be doing well but only time will tell if we made the right decision. Now, we have to do this all over again for the left knee. I am considering Tightrope for the other leg since he has been on a strict diet and lost some weight. We will have to see how the remainder of his recovery goes for his first surgery. I took my boxer to see the surgeon today and he told me about the TPLO and TTA.

His surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday and the doctor told me to decide. Can someone please point me in the right direction? My baby is VERY active so I want him to have the best possible. This website has put me more at ease; however, my husband and I like all of you are struggling with what to do for our nearly 3 year old golden retriever who has an apparent ligament injury.

He is EXTREMELY active. I have read a lot about the conservative approach and the success that it has had for many dogs.

I am scared that WE would be making the wrong choice for our dog by doing this…not allowing him to have any activity for up to 8 weeks and then determine whether surgery is the option only to spend another 8 weeks post surgery.

It seems like sooo much to put our dog through. I am terrified of the surgery option and the dangers it has for our dog. We have considered insurance for years and made a bad choice not getting it.

Do you know if insurance can still be bought just in case the OTHER leg goes out in a few years? Will it still cover that even though it is a pre-existing injury but the opposite leg? He tore his CCL this spring, and after conservative treatment and no improvements, I finally dove in and chose TPLO. He is a LEAN MACHINE — a killer Agility dog with Excellent level Titles, and Obedience Titled dog, with his Canine Good Citizen Cert.

This has devastated me — broken my heart. His surgery was June 16, He came out like a champ, still so fit and ready to heal. His initial check-ups were poster child TPLO success.

I am now faced with yet ANOTHER surgery just to remove the plate and screws his body obviously cannot tolerate. They are causing him tremendous pain and he no longer uses his leg at all and the gorgeous muscle is gone in that leg. Worse yet, his hind leg structure is too straight, so we all know the other leg will come as well, hopefully later rather than sooner.

Anyone out there have anything to share about the REMOVAL of the TPLO hardware and that recovery experience? As a human surgeon who frequently discusses different surgical options with my own often times incredibly stressed patients, here are some thoughts on TPLO vs TTA.

While TPLO recovery can be longer, this does not necessarily correlate with an increased complication rate. Both surgeries are relatively new and thus long-term data on outcomes is sparse, however the science behind both of these repairs is very good.

There is some conflicting data on the complication rates in doing simultaneous bilateral TPLO vs doing staged TPLO one side at a timewith the most recent data demonstrating no increase in complications with the simultaneous surgery. Milo will be evaluated next week with surgery planned for the following day. Instead of flying up the stairs like a bullet, there were a few times when he seemed hesitant to go up them at all.

His leg not being tucked in under him when he sat. He lives to jump up into the back of the Grand Cherokee; he actually levitates. Once or twice, I lifted him in. No limping or anything obviously injury related. They were so subtle, I thought some of them were behavioral — when hesitant on the stairs, he looked like he knew he did something wrong and was going to be reprimanded. And these signs would start and then stop long enough not to raise suspicion that it was something else.

I know what an ACL tear is — I had one but I never knew it was so common in dogs. Vet wasnt sure, suspected a tear, and put him on the DL for 10 days with metacam but it didnt improve. Nikki had TTA surgery 2 weeks later.

This guy has done hundreds of TTAs and TPLOs. He was putting some weight on it almost immediately. I was glad it was TTA not TPLO because as my vet said, TPLO is more like carpentry than sugery. More invasive and longer to heal. But, every expert has a different opinion. I was told the surgeon doesnt decide until he opens the knee. Nikki is almost 5 weeks post op now. At the 3rd week exam, the surgeon said all was well. I was relieved because even though the house had been prepared and locked down, he managed to get up the stairs X3 and down X2.

I have been religious with his regimen of PT exercises and the ice. One week post op, I was doing the bending the knee forward and back exercise and suddenly, I could feel his knee clicking. Rather willy-nilly I rushed him 60 miles back to the surgeon who didnt feel any clicking and was unimpressed.

I felt silly but relieved. On walks he looks completely normal except for the one shaved leg and a square on his side where the pain med patch went. Dogs dont complain so it is hard to judge how its doing. Still wont put his full weight on it when standing still. He cheats on the exercises intended to shift his weight onto the surgical leg.

Intermittently he toe touches and lifts it off the floor. Its true the recovery is harder on you than the dog. I seriously considered living down there for 6 weeks or so, but that was too depressing so I carry him up and down. And up and down. Without seeing my feet. All 28 of em. The real and not cheap PT starts next week. The question now is water treadmill or pool. Nikki doesnt do water. He certainly didnt like the introduction to the treadmill. So far, so good.

I made a commitment that I would do whatever to takes to stack the deck in his favor. This is great information and commentary. Has anyone had a senior dog do this and how quick is the recovery for an older large dog?

My dog 4 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever tore her ACL and partially tore her Meniscus in her right knee last January. We elected to do the TTA surgery and had wonderful success with it. It was a very stressful time, but she recovered quite well and the pain meds seemed to keep her quite comfortable.

If you live in or near Virginia, consider Dr. Godine at Ruckersville Animal Hospital. Unfortunately, she has begun limping on the other side now and our vet thinks she has started to tear the other ACL. I am pregnant with my first baby due in March and would really like to get the dog fully recovered before we take on our new challenge.

However, due to her age I would just keep her medicated and quiet. My other dog Casey tore her cruciate and she is 10 too, so we decided against the TTA. Her injury has stabilized some and seems to get around okay with pain meds. However, Dakota see below is 5 years old and had the TTA. I live in Georgia and she had her surgery in the Dallas area. She is doing SO great. The surgeon is SO proud of her. We are at Week 3 now and my only problem is keeping her quiet!

Definitely recommend the TTA. Oh she is a 70lb Rotti Mix. Beverly, would you mind giving me the name of the doctor in Dallas you used? I am in Austin too and my 80lb, super active lab just tore his CCL. However, I have been reading so much and am now thinking that I might want to look into the TTA option. Have you talked to any other reputable TTA surgeons in the area? Would you also mind forwarding me the info for the vet in Dallas that Beverly recommended?

I have two wonderful herding dogs, brother and sister, 8 yrs. Perhaps they share a genetic predisposition. The male, pounder had a TPLO five years ago and a TTA one and half years ago.

He has had no trouble with either leg since the surgeries. The female 70 lbs. She has not had complications, but she does limp a bit occasionally after vigorous exercise. We have found that to be the case. I would suggest, as someone did above, that you follow precisely the directions for post-operative care, and opt for the TTA.

It is less invasive, painful, and expensive. We wound up having two operations on one dog, and were concerned going with the less expensive option, but were forced to by our budget at that time. We have not regretted that choice. In fact, when his sister developed the same condition, and then had bladder stones which required another operation! We are in NYC and northwestern Connecticut, so if you need advice on doctors, we may be able to help.

Best of luck to you! I left a post on this site mid last year just before Roxy, my 2 year old Labradoodle had her TTA. Just to let you know, it went fantastically! She was touching down the same night, albeit tentatively. She had about 10 physio sessions afterwards with a qualified physiotherapist, as opposed to a trained vet nurse — and that really helped. The only ongoing effects are that she paces rather than walks like a dogs normally do, but that is probably just habit.

She also sits with one leg out…again, possibly habit. It has gone so well and I remember how terrible I felt when the operation was due, and how much help this site gave, so I want to encourage those of you out there in the same postion.

The question of conservative care versus surgical treatment is genereally viewed by human surgeons as a resolved isssue. When an effective conservative treatment is available the physician is obligated to try conservative treatment initially. If conservative treatment does not resolve the problem,in this case CCL tear, then surgery remains a viable option. I would suggest a Canine Cruciate Brace, specifically the A-TraC Dynamic Brace.

This brace prevents the abnormal movement at the Stifle joint while allowing for normal movement. Physical therapy is great to promote muscle strength and enhANCE blood flow but does not prevent re-injury which is the key to potential healing.

There are no risks with brace therapy and surgery can always be attempted if your dog does not benefit. Brace therapy also allows your dog to be more active than if surgery is chosen. This is really a no brainer and falls more in line with the treatment humans receive. I think everyone has to determine what is best for them and for their dog taking into consideration age, quality of living and available funds.

For us, surgery made the only sense. And when I look at Savannah sometimes I feel like we could do a VISA commercial. She wanted to run again 3 days after the surgery — on 3 legs.

I had to hold her back. Was very worried about her tearing her other knee. We have a Border Collie that has torn the CCL in both of her knees. They told us to crate her and not allow her to walk or run, that it was the only way to protect her. She is a very sweet and happy girl with lots of energy but trying to keep her down was more than she or we could take. She was soooooooooooo depressed, never smiled and barely even lifted her head off the floor. They told us not to take it off no matter what.

She would learn to walk in it and go potty too. I had taken a 33 gallon garbage bag and spread it out on the floor of the hallway where we had her fenced into, had layered it with newspaper and puppy pads. When we got up the next morning, she had peed sooo much that it saturated everything so much that when we opened the bathroom door the pee had even gone into and covered the floor there too.

We no longer try to keep her down or confined. We hope someday to have the money to have the surgery but for now. She is happy and smiles all the time. Regarding the issue with the Border Collie. The A-TraC Brace is extremely successful from all the feed back I have read. No medical treatment or device is always effective and not every dog will benefit from it or even take to it. If you ask your surgeon about the success rate and complication rate of surgery you will find that they will not guarantee the results and will admit when pushed of the significant complication rate including risk of anesthetic death and amputation.

Common sense is a commodity that is as important in treating a dog as it a human. Most people would call their doctor if they could not urinate or defecate for a week. We used the technical support option offered with the brace and it was very helpful. Every dog is different and can react differently to treatment.

I have a Border Collie that has used the A-TraC Brace for his ACL injury. In his case he feels so secure in the A-TraC Brace that he actually goes to get it when we take it off. Even though he has healed and can run normally without the brace we have him play Frisbee with the brace on just for extra protection. I believe conservative treatment should be the first choice in humans as well as our best freinds.

Surgery is always an option just not the first. For some reason this treatment tenent has been lost in the veterinary community. Also,instructions can not cover every eventuality and common sense needs to be executed where appropriate.

This brace was a miracle for my dog but obviously no treatment surgical or conservative is viable for every dog but there are far fewer risks with brace treatment than surgical treatment. I am certainly not dissing the brace, we bought it because we saw soooo many success stories on the brace.

I should have called the vet we got it through to see if there were any other options or if they had any suggestions of how to help her use the brace. Sadie walks and runs all the time, she has learned how to do it without pain. She is an amazing girl and a blessing. I went thru hundreds of dollars and 3 -4 vet opinions.

Could not believe the success!!!!! YEs, there was slow recovery. I have little moneyso hit savings to give her the best. As soon as the snow goes she will get the TTA!!! I am not messing around. The recovery is slow but manageable. Yes, I have another dog also, so have to keep managing their dynamics. We had tplo surgrey for Blaze and he is doing great its been hard keeping him from doing the things he loves but I hope its all been worth it Blaze goes to the vets on Tuesday for his check up I hope he gets the all clear.

There is only one thing I have noticed that when he walks fast I think his hips are cracking has anyone had anything like this happen to their pet?

Today Nikki is days post op. He still occasionally toe touches, doc said sometimes it never stops. Doc said some dogs continue to sit that way because it felt better when it hurt before surgery and now they continue to do it. Day doc said I could take the mattress off the floor and put it back up on the platform, 21 inches.

DayDoc said he can run off leash. He may be ready, but I cant wrap my brain around the concept yet, it will be sometime before I can. The physical therapy was grueling, for me that is. For the first 2 weeks, it was stretching, bending and massage and ice for 20 minutes out of the hour.

Then starting week three, ten different exercises, with all the repetitions, held for so many seconds, times a day. It seemed like there was no time for anything else. By the time one round was done and I did one or two things, it was time for the next one.

At first, it was three 20 minute walks every day. Doc kept increasing it until it was three 60 minute walks every day. I walked him so much, I got an injury — I pulled a hamstring. He flys up the stairs and jumps onto the bed.

I still cringe every time. Still going to the pool once a week. So far, so good, he said keeping his fingers crossed. I live in MAss. After much serching and thought I had a TTA done. I listened to all the argument s both pro and con, and the TTA was perfect. Now the other Cruciate has gone, and she will have the TTA for the other leg. Recovery for all is very painful that first week.

They cry and are stoic, but then it is a management matter. She had 6 stairs to go up and down, It worked like a charm. I will answer any questions I can, NAncy F. Hi, I live in columbus, ohio and just got back from the vet hospital with my 7 year old yellow lab bear to confirm my fears, he has a partially torn CCL.

Surgery went well, other than our dog looked like something from a horror movie with all those staples. Oh and lets not forget the nice parting gift that they tell you. Fast forward back to today. Before heading in to the consultation appointment I had done my research. Read much that says TTA is less invasive, less expensive, quicker recovering. This all seemed good and seemed like the route I wanted to go.

However, after meeting with my surgeon pretty much everything turned out to be not true according to him. First off, he said TPLO is not necessarily more invasive. And finally, the kicker, both procedures cost the same! This was the biggest dissapointment for me. So he suggested sticking with the TPLO for us. Mainly because our dog had such great success with it before. Today he completely checked over the leg that had the TPLO and he said there was no swelling or fluid anywhere which most dogs eventually show signs of.

Good thing he is so cute…. Today is postop day Four days ago, I let Nicky off leash. I was watching him as closely as he watches a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. For no scientific reason, I did it in three sessions, 3, 6 and 9 minutes, back on leash in between. Towards the end of the last session, I saw him actually hold the surgical leg up and hop because he wouldnt let it touch the ground. Well, that was the end of that for the moment.

I called the surgeon the next day and he said its not uncommon for the dog to be a little sore at this point which didnt sound right because he moves faster than that keeping the soup bone away from Java in the living room.

He said to keep him on leash for another week and observe him closely. Nothing to report since, all systems nominal, will advise…. You can see the TPLO and the TTA procedures on youtube. The TTA vid gives a much better picture of that procedure than the TPLO vid.

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE SIGHT OF BLOOD OR BONES BEING DRILLED AND SAWED, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. Bryan, Have been reading your posts and my female golden had TTA surgery on March She still has her 22 staples and seems to be getting around very well. So far I have been very pleased with the result. Her recovery will be complicated by the fact that I have another male golden retriever and I am having problems keeping them from playing.

Did you know prior to the procedure recovery was going to involve physical therapy? Susan, my jaw dropped when I read your post. At least your dog didnt take out his staples by himself!

I was like a drill sergeant with it all. Yes, it was difficult with the two dogs. I took mine with me when I left the house and confined one of them when he couldnt come. Always felt bad about that. I listened for any sounds of commotion and yelled a stop command immediately before I even got to the room they were in to calm things down. If he got too spunky feeding time I put him on the very short leash attached to dinning room table. I dont know your situation, but dont let her get around whatever you block the stairs with.

One jump up on the couch could be a disaster. I walked him without the other dog. My jaw dropped when I read your post. At least your dog didnt take out his own staples! I took him with me when I left the house and confined one of them when he couldnt come.

Again, I really am shocked no one said anything to you about PT. I was given instructions on exercises, first 2 weeks, then the next 3 weeks. I started the stretching and PROM the 2nd or 3rd day post op. Passive Range Of Movement The pool 5 weeks post op is pretty expensive so I started with 2X a week, then just one.

I think its very worth it early, when theres exercise without weight on the leg. Pain management, icing the area, ROM range of motion exercises, deep tissue massage and if you can get it physical therapy. Believe me it has been a challenge. I walked them one at a time… and believe me you do a lot of leashed walking. No leash free activities as it is so easy for them to forget themselves.

A simple soft tissue injury can set them back weeks in their recovery. Raven is active but more sensible and reasonable. We did weekly cold laser treatments and an underwater treadmill at the PT center. And walked and walked! Somewhere around 4 months, she was approved for trotting. So we walked and trotted.

At 6 months she can run. But it truly took that long. The swimming Bryan mentioned, is excellent. Any under water activity works so well. My boy Stetson is brilliant but far more impulsive, sustained some soft tissue injuries despite what I could do to prevent him from it.

He was leashed or tethered when he sustained them and i was right there with him. Tho tethered for a potty break,Stets went ballistic! It set him back 8 weeks… no lie! It IS all about the recovery, Susan. Do all you can to prevent the stairs before your dog is ready.