Hi
I hope someone may have undergone a similar experience and advice, I am so worried...
I have a six-year-old chocolate Lab called Coco. Last year she had TLPO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) on her left hind leg and a second operation six weeks after for a meniscal tear due to lameness. In April this year she had TLPO on her right but, due to a fracture on her tibial crest, a pin and tension bands were also put in place:
Week 1 - Coco had a slight limp and toe tapping, which I expected
Weeks 2 and 3 - she seemed to use her leg very well, foot on the ground and weight bearing
Week 4 - leg in the air, and would not put her foot down
Week 4 - leg in the air, and would not put her foot down
I went back to the surgeon/vets and she was prescribed with clindacyl 150mg, marbocyl 20mg and carp reive 50 mg. Whilst she has improved to some extent in the fact that she walks on her leg some of the time, the majority of the time she still holds her leg in the air. She also does not use her leg to get up from a lying position. It seems like her leg is not strong enough. She is happy in her self, what is going wrong here?
Please, if you can offer any advice I would be eternally grateful.
Sue and Coco, by email
Alison Logan, vet, advises...
I can understand why you are concerned about Coco. Having
had a TPLO on her left hindlimb last year, you are expecting a similar time
course for recovery following the TPLO on her right hindlimb this year.
It is worth remembering, however, that there was a
complication for the TPLO this time round with there being a tibial crest
fracture so she has the additional metalwork. There is therefore more healing
to occur.
When you returned to your vet, Coco was given a course of
two antibiotics which would have been aimed at any infection occurring, and a
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (carprofen). It would have been useful to have
known how long it is since the surgery, because it can take several weeks for
healing to occur, and also how long since you returned to your vet and how long
the courses of antibiotics and NSAID were. However, whether or not Coco is
still taking the antibiotics and NSAID, I do think you should go back to your
vet. It does sound as if she is still experiencing pain and, if she is not
receiving any analgesia, it may simply be a matter of being dispensed more
carprofen, perhaps with physiotherapy or swimming therapy, for example, to
strengthen the muscles. If, however, there are underlying problems then follow-up
radiography and other investigations may be needed.
It is very hard for us when owners do not come back despite
being concerned about their dog’s progress because we can only assume that
there has been a full recovery.
