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TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy)

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A TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) is a surgery performed to help stabilize the knee joint after the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) is torn. During the procedure the tibial head is removed, rotated and repositioned using a plate that helps stabilize the bone until it heals. Healing time for a TPLO is generally 8- 16 weeks but this procedure has proven more successful in larger and more active canines.

How Your Dog Can Benefit from TPLO Surgery

Family Friends Veterinary Hospital is pleased to offer Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, or TPLO surgery, for your canine companions. This advanced orthopedic surgery can repair a full or partial tear, or a complete rupture, of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) in a dog’s knee.

When compared to other surgical techniques, a TPLO procedure offers many great benefits for your canine companion.

  1. Less Invasive than similar scalpel-based procedures
  2. Facilitates faster, more efficient healing and recovery
  3. May prevent the onset of arthritis
  4. Restores normal movement and function
Signs Your Dog May Need TPLO Surgery
  1. They sit with one hind leg out to the side
  2. They have difficulty walking, running, or rising from laying down
  3. They limp when walking or moving around
  4. They cannot bear any weight on their hind leg(s)

* Contact us today to schedule your pets surgical consultation

What Causes a Torn Cruciate Ligament In a Dog?/ Risk Factors for Tearing the CCL
  1. Most times, a dog’s ACL tears due to aging of the ligament and small repetitive injuries, unexpectedly tearing without an obvious cause.
  2. Injury to the CCL is most common in middle-aged (4-8 years old), overweight, larger breed dogs.
How to Help them Heal After TPLO Surgery
  1. Protect, clean and dress the surgical wounds
  2. Provide comfortable ground-level sleeping arrangements
  3. Limit physical activity for 8 weeks
  4. Place a ramp over smaller staircases
  5. Use a baby/puppy gate to block stairs
  6. Kennel them as much as possible to encourage strict rest

* Talk to your Family Friends veterinarian to learn more about the TPLO process and discharge information post-surgery.