TPLO Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy

Anterior cruciate ligament (acl) ruptures and partial tears and severe strains are extremely common in the dog. One sign that is easily apparent besides your dog being lame, is that a dog with an injured acl cannot sit straight like the aussie in the tree. The acl injuries affect all sizes, shapes, breeds, and ages. Many surgeries have been tried in the past to correct this situation. The only surgery that Adobe now whole heartedly recommends is the TPLO. It was invented by a brilliant veterinarian named Barclay Slocum. It has been used on thousands and thousands of dogs worldwide. Adobe does 3-5 knees weekly using this surgery. We have done it on dogs ranging in weight from 10 lbs to 180 lbs and in age from 8 months to 14 years. This link takes you to Dr. Slocums explanation. This is a good web site. It is by the inventor of the procedure. It is technical and has good diagrams.

The surgery actually does nothing to the acl. The acl's function in the dog is to prevent the femur bone from sliding backwards down the slope of the top of the tibial bone. Dr. Slocum's genius was is showing that if the top of the tibia is not sloped, the dog does not need an acl. He was the first to describe the "anterior tibial thrust" which occurs every time the dog's leg comes down. The tibia attempts to push forward, but is held in place by the normal acl, just like a wagon is held on a hill by a rope.

People don't have an anterior tibial thrust. Our tibia has about a 6 degree angle to the "plateau" of the tibia People need an acl for all the diverse movements they do in sports. Dogs do not need an acl if the top of the tibia is at 6 degrees. Dogs do not do the twisting that people do and don't need the stability of the acl in the same way that people do.

Dogs have a much greater angle to their tibial plateau ranging from about 22 up till over 45 degrees. Most dogs are in the 28-35 degree category. The TPLO surgery cuts the top portion of the tibia and rotates the cut fragment, than a plate is placed and the dog recovers and mends the bone. With the new angle of approximately 6 degrees, the anterior tibial thrust is mitigated and your buddy is comfortable and can do literally anything on the operated leg.

At Adobe, we recommend a 12 week recovery. Your dog can be loose in the house but can only be outside on a leash. For the first 6 weeks, we allow only short walks, 3-5 minutes. After 6 weeks the walks can be lengthened to 3 miles. Most dogs are fully recovered in 12 weeks and can go back to normal activity. A few dogs need physical therapy. Infections may occur and are usually easily treated with antibiotics. A very few dogs will need the plate removed after the bone is healed. We have done more than 800 of these surgeries at Adobe and recommend them highly.

There are many beautiful descriptions on the web. We also can demonstrate the whole procedure using models. Some of our clients have stayed to watch the surgery.

Another good site is- Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy TPLO
I don't agree with many of the questions that are at the end. However, it is another very good discussion about the surgery.