TPLO experience questions
Hey everyone, my 5yo GSD x Aussie mix has a partial tear of his right ccl that was diagnosed in March. We discovered his tear after some pretty bad limping after a frisbee sesh and got x-rays and mri to confirm. As any shepherd is, he is super high energy, we used to play a toooon of frisbee and go on hikes together but obviously have had to stop a lot of that. He has also been on a diet since then as well and has lost about 10 pounds.
He hasn’t had a episode of bad limping since then but he seems pretty stiff and has an odd gait after running… can’t stop the zoomies :/
At this point scheduling surgery is basically down to choice. The vet recommends it eventually but didn’t push for it to be done asap and basically told us to call to schedule when we’re ready. I can’t decide if we should go through with it now, before he tears completely, or wait a bit longer. Was anyone else in this position with a partial tear? I am terrified of getting him surgery but I feel awful that I can’t let him just be a dog and I miss our adventures.
Those of you that have gone through TPLO with your dogs, are they able to return to normal pre-injury activity eventually? I think his frisbee days are over regardless due to the high impact mid-air catching, but I would like to return to long walks and hikes without being worried about him completely blowing his knee out with one misstep.
Please let me know any long term success stories! I am a nurse so my mind races with potential complications whenever I think about it and just want the best QOL for him.
