Quote: aimee pochron

Not sure if his comfort or discomfort was due to the degree of injury or the method used.

As I understand it, CCL tears are actually quite painless - it may hurt a bit when it blows out, but afterward, the knee just feels very unstable. The same is true in humans - I have a friend who just tore hers (ACL) and she had zero pain, only weakness and instability (she also had surgery to repair the ligament and is nearly back to her previous marathon-level activity). Some dogs go months and even years on blown knees because they never indicate pain and their unperceptive owners either just don't notice the limping, or think it's not serious enough for a vet exam.

If Oscar did turn out to actually have a torn CCL, we were prepared to do either a TPLO or TTA - I didn't feel like conservative management would work well for him, and he was only 2 (and later 3) at the time... the recovery was going to be mighty rough, but I didn't want him to be lame for the rest of his long life. Again, it's a very personal decision.

 Quote: aimee pochron

This topic can be a bit controversial, but at the time surgeons were quick to recc surgery and now the trend seems to be rest and time.

One thing to remember also about the TPLO specifically is that it is a patented procedure - you have to buy trademarked surgical tools and equipment, and undergo special training as a surgeon, in order to be approved to do the procedure - it's quite an investment, and you bet a lot of surgeons who decide to practice it are going to try to recoup their costs by offering it as the best solution for ligament tears. I'm not bashing all vets who do TPLOs, but we saw one (the initial pro who made the misdiagnosis) who was so scalpel happy he wanted to book Oscar for a TPLO without even having done conclusive x-rays! Hence the second and third opinions...

~Natalya

Thanks for the replys. At this point, the limp is very minor and she only favors the opposite leg when standing still.

When running (which I try to limit, but with a lab, its not easy) or walking, she doesn't favor one leg over the other and the limp is barely noticable once she's warmed up and moving about.

I am still concerned about what will happen 5 years from now. But, as that web site says, it doesn't seem to be an emergency that requires immediate surgery.