TPLO Recovery: Limiting Activty in an Active Dog

Maggie had been limping for several days when Art and I drove her to the animal clinic in Winnie, Texas.  At first we weren't terribly concerned.  Our two labs spent lots of time running on the beach and it wasn't uncommon for one of them to get a bruised pad or some other small injury which quickly healed on its own.  This was different.  That leg really seemed to be hurting her.  After a surprisingly brief examination, the vet informed us that Maggie had blown out her anterior cruciate ligament and needed knee surgery to repair the damage.  We were told that without the TPLO surgery, permanent lameness would likely occur even though from time to time her leg might seem to improve.  While we didn't doubt the vet's diagnosis, Art still researched the condition on the Internet and I got some invaluable advice from my online pals at ChatEVO, folks whose dogs had already undergone the surgery.  We learned that the most daunting part of the experience was the long recovery period, during which Maggie's activity would be severely limited.  This would prove especially difficult for us since our beach house was suspended on pylons and could only be reached by some very steep stairs.  Figuring out how to get our 110lb lab up and down those stairs for potty breaks without re-injuring that knee presented a challenge.

I put together a video documenting Maggie's recuperation, with tips for facilitating the recovery process.  Maybe it will be helpful to people who are considering TPLO surgery for their dogs.  (The video runs about 4 minutes.)

Comments

[Bethany]

I'm glad Maggie had such loving and supportive parents. You can see how happy she is, even right after the surgery while she must have been quite uncomfortable. It was great to see her zooming around the beach after her recovery, keeping up with your other lab.