A little worried. TPLO

As the thread title says, Bruno had his TPLO op on 17th April, and has been on complete cage rest ever since. I am getting a little concerned as he really is not weight bearing very much on his leg, and I would have expected to see that by now, I called the vet re something else the other day and mentioned it, and he said if no real signs of improvement by Monday I should call him back..

Just worried that this major op has not worked and fear that if it hasn't then we have put him further back in recovery and potentially worst case scenario he could possibly end up needing his leg amputated given his age and the plate put in which would be unlikely to be able to be redone...

Can anyone give me any indication in an older dog who has had the op how long before they were properly weight bearing on it?

thanks

Sorry I cannot answer your question Dani but I hope he makes an improvement soon.

Yes he should be weight bearing by now or at least pretty much so.
How much did they say he's allowed out the crate? Is he allowed for short lead walks? My dog was allowed out from the start for short lead walks.
If there is a problem please don't worry i'm sure all will be fine he won't need an amputation.

I don't have the answer, but wonder if it IS because he is an older dog, and after cage rest his leg has seized up a little? I do hope that he starts putting his weight on it very soon so that you can stop worrying. Fingers tightly crossed here.

hi no he was to have crate rest for 4 weeks and them short lead walks after this. Currently he is only out for toileting and at night I let him out as kids in bed and no risk of him being stood on or tripped over etc.
Ok
thanks ladies, I do hope that it's just his old bones! I did wonder if he just isn't confident to weight bear on it as had such a long time of it being sore and compensating on his other leg has just become habit too?

I would try not worrying for now Dani - older dogs do take longer to heal, and I think it took Rocky a while to start using his after the op.

When is his follow-up appointment? They should check it then and hopefully be able to put your mind at rest.

I agree with Bitkin. Poppy, my 8 year old Dalmatian, had TPLO done last August. She was slightly weightbearing and using the leg straight away. I was told that cage rest wasn't needed so much in an older, calmer dog as long as she was confined to a room and kept quiet and rested. He did say that he felt cage rest was too restrictive and could cause muscle wastage. She was allowed in the garden to toilet on a lead and she could potter about for a couple of minutes at a time. Then after 2 weeks she could potter for 5 to 10 minutes but only in the garden and on her lead. By the time she went back for her 6 week check she was hardly limping at all.
Different vets seem to give different advice. I hope he soon starts to use his leg.

Older bones take longer to heal, honey. Try not to fret.

Big love for Bruno (and you)

x0x

Hi, did your vet speak to you about liaising with an ACPAT physio?

Cage rest is often not recommended now IME as it prevents the dog putting weight on the limb, this then means that ligaments and tendons contract which then mean the leg is even less likely to bear weight.

Generally speaking very small room rest is more often advised.

I would speak to your vet and ask him about what, if anything, he has planned for the rehabilitation of your dog.

I do hope everything's OK. When Saba had her TPLO last year, her specialist wanted her to exercise straight away, just to avoid anything explosive (i.e. running and jumping). She was putting the leg down after a couple of days, and then regularly weight bearing after a week or so. She still had to be reminded to use it, as she could get about quicker on three legs. It took a few months before the muscles were as good as the other leg.

Hopefully it is just a case of taking longer to rebuild the muscles, given Bruno's age and the much more conservative exercise regime you have been given.

Fingers crossed for you.