TPLO Surgery

I have an 8 year old lab. When she was 2 she had a partial acl tear on her left rear leg. Dr. Bettenhausen in Bismarck performed the TPLO surgery in October, so she missed the rest of that hunting season. The cost was about $2600 at the time. I followed the confinement and rehab instructions as much as humanly possible (dogs are tough to slow down when they think they are 100% sooner than they really are) and she was back at 100% by about May. It may have been sooner but the gradual increase in excercise is a little tougher in winter so I took it slow. He did say that it would be highly likely that the other leg would suffer the same injury at some point just because of overcompensation. For that reason, I took out a pet insurance policy, which didn't cover the other leg for a full year but she made it through that grace period just fine...and 5 more years after. Cost was about $40 a month for the policy but a lot of other vet bills were partially covered along the way (pain meds, vaccinations, exams, etc.). I started wondering if I was wasting my money but last year the vet's prediction became reality when she started up with the same tell-tale limp on the right rear leg. After confirming the tear, Dr. Bettenhausen performed the TTA surgery (a newer, slightly different procedure from what I understand) in Septeber and she missed another hunting season. This mild winter has really helped the rehab process. Watching her move, you would never know that my dog had an injury on either side, but I know once the warmer weather hits and we can get out swimming and having long walks it will take awhile before she's truly back at 100% again. She's getting older too and I know her hunting days are numbered but I'm glad I went through this surgery both times for her. The TTA surgery was about $2300. My insurance covered $1500 of it, so after 5 years of paying about $40 a month I am pretty much at the break even point with my pet insurance. It did what I wanted...took the sting out of a big unexpected bill. Actually, I think I'm still down about $400 overall but for 5+ years of coverage I'm very happy about that.

Take the rehab process slow. Keep your dog confined exactly how they suggest. Ask tons of questions. Know going into this surgery you are going to probably be doing it again a few years (hopefully) down the road. You may want to consider pet insurance if you don't like the big bill for this surgery. Good luck.

By the way, I still give my dog a Rimadyl the day before, day of, and day after most hunts. She shows no signs of limping or pain, but hell they only live a dozen years or so, so I figure not worth them being uncomfortable.