You might be watching a football game and see a player go down after a tackle, grabbing one of their legs. The announcer may say something about it seeming to be an ACL injury. That means that something happened to the anterior cruciate ligament. Dogs can suffer the same injury, but the ligament is known as the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). This affects the stability of the affected leg. If this happens to your dog, and you live in Williamsburg, you can bring them to Middle Plantation Animal Hospital to see a vet, where they may recommend TPLO surgery.
Explaining TPLO Surgery
TPLO stands for tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. What happens is that the pet surgeon will cut open the area, move the angle of the shin bone by cutting it, and then rotate it to a new spot and secure it with a plate and screws.
The Surgery
When you bring your dog to the animal hospital, it will be prepped for surgery. This means it will be put under anesthesia. The surgery itself is not a long one, lasting between 45 minutes to an hour. You will also have to wait for it to fully wake up from the anesthesia.
Recovery
Your dog is going to have to rest a lot after the surgery. Its physical activities will be restricted for a while. You need to make sure they don't strain at the leash when going to the bathroom. There are going to be sutures, so it's going to need to wear a cone until the sutures come off, which could be 10 days to two weeks later.
As time goes by, your dog will be able to slowly increase its physical activities. You may even bring it to a rehab center or animal clinic where it can do hydrotherapy, depending on what your vet tells you. Just pay attention to how your dog is doing. See if there are any issues with the surgery site. Contact the vet if you notice bleeding or discharge when it should be healed.
The best thing about the advances in surgical technology is that the plates and screws will make things a lot more comfortable for your dog than if it had a different type of surgery. That's because there's a lot more support offered. TPLO is an excellent option for a CCL injury. Before you know it, your dog will be back out playing like it did before.
Contact Middle Plantation Animal Hospital in Williamsburg, VA
All of us at Middle Plantation Animal Hospital want to see any injured dogs from Williamsburg get their full range of motion back. Are you looking for a veterinarian near you? Contact us for an appointment with our veterinarian today if you are worried about your canine companion.