Helping Your Dog Recover From TPLO Surgery
Surgery day and the recovery
Dropping your dog off and knowing that they are going to have major surgery is nerve wracking. Even though Mack had his two surgeries back-to-back, we were still as nervous for the second surgery as we had been for the first!
Some surgeons like to keep the dogs overnight (just make sure that an attendant will be there with them the whole time) while other surgeons, like Mack’s, like to have them go home the same day if there are no complications and the dog is up and moving around a little. For both of Mack’s surgeries, we were able to pick him up around 6-7pm and each time, he was walking on his own. After the second surgery, he seemed a little more cautious about using the surgery leg but we never ended up having to use a sling to help him get around. Dogs are incredibly resilient and sometimes we don’t give them enough credit.
One thing I wish we had spent more time discussing with the surgeon and/or the discharge team was about his medication and what the protocol would be if he seemed in pain, his incision wasn’t healing on schedule, if he needed any special food or joint supplements, and what his at-home physical therapy plan should look like. Once we were able to go get him, everything became a bit of a blur. Even though we were given excellent written instructions, I ended up calling the surgeon’s office and Mack’s regular vet a few times to get my questions/concerns addressed. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you are unsure of something.
Don’t worry if things don’t go 100% as planned
While we spent a lot of time making sure Mack was comfortable wearing his cone, especially while using the ramp to get in and out of the car, the one thing I was unprepared for was how mobile Mack would be when we picked him up from surgery. As I mentioned, he was walking pretty much on his own out of the surgeon’s office which definitely threw us for a little bit of surprise. So much so that as we were setting up his ramp, he decided to bypass it and jump right up into our SUV!
Of course, I started to panic that we just ruined everything (that feeling came up a few times during the first 7 weeks). We had a few other “oops ”moments with the ramp: he jumped on it so hard one time after an exciting physical therapy session that he knocked it right out of the car as he was still standing on it, and another time he was walking down it with a cone on and walked right off of the side because he smelled something good on the ground.
Another thing that was stressful, was taking him out on a leash to go to the bathroom. We have a big fenced yard, so Mack was not used to being leashed to do his business. When he gets over stimulated and frustrated, he will channel that into jumping and biting his leash. Of course, seeing your dog jump around just a few days after having surgery when you’ve been told they can’t even walk up stairs yet is not ideal. I was in near tears each time but his medical team always reassured me that until he showed signs that his legs were bothering him from these incidents, he was probably fine and we had nothing to worry about.
By the second surgery, I knew what to expect and didn’t have as many “oh no!” moments. And at the end of the day, he recovered beautifully and could resume regular activities a tiny bit ahead of schedule. Don’t panic if you can’t follow their recovery plan to a perfect T—you are doing the best you can!
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Don’t worry if things don’t go 100% as planned. Don’t panic if you can’t follow their recovery plan to a perfect T—you are doing the best you can!
Physical therapy exercises are important but don’t feel like you need to buy the expensive equipment
We ended up doing 12 sessions of physical therapy with Mack, which included hydrotherapy and cold laser therapy. I think this contributed to Mack’s overall recovery but his surgeon said it was 100% optional and he would heal just fine without it.
Even though we went to 12 sessions total between his two TPLOs, we did a lot of daily PT exercises at home. While I would have loved to afford all the fancy equipment his physical therapist had, I got creative creating our own equipment at home:
A traffic cone from the dollar store can be circularly walked around. You could actually use any object for this—we were using a fancy cone at PT and he generalizes objects fairly quickly so I opted for a $1 traffic cone.
FitPaws alternatives on Amazon like this peanut and this balance disk! Mack loves to work out, so we still use these a few times a week, but I’ve also seen people repurpose their couch cushions to practice balancing.
Facebook and Freecycle groups! I ended up getting a Bosu ball for free on my town’s Facebook group.
A typical day during Mack’s recovery
Given that Mack wasn’t even 2 years old yet and was living a very active lifestyle, I was initially worried how he would adjust to life in a small exercise pen for essentially 23+ hours a day. This type of schedule worked for us:
Half of Mack’s daily kibble was divided up into a variety of frozen food puzzle toys that he would get throughout the day (usually between 4-6 different ones throughout a day).
The other half of the kibble was split between breakfast and dinner. During those times we used the kibble to play brain games like using his snuffle mat and working on his trick training titles, practicing our cooperative care skills, using his nail scratch board since going to the groomers is a no-no, etc.
A few hours after breakfast we would work on some PT exercises (5-10 minutes) and then we’d do the same after dinner.
When my husband and I were watching TV at night, we would alternate laying in the exercise pen with Mack so he could have some company.
For the first two weeks, Mack was limited to only going outside for short bathroom breaks but once his stitches came out, his surgeon cleared us to start short walks for 5 minutes at a time around 2-3 times a day, increasing the length of time by 5 minutes at the end of each week if he was handling the current length. We had to give him a sedative a handful of times in the first two weeks, but once we started short walks, it really helped Mack expend his energy. We also started going to PT and he would sleep for hours after those sessions!
The best advice our vet gave us was don’t let the dog overdo it since some dogs will try to convince you they are fully healed and don't need to remain confined. That was 100% Mack within three days of his surgeries! If he needed a little extra help staying calm, we would use a prescribed sedative. Check with your vet and/or surgeon on what the best option is for your pup.
Life post-TPLO surgery
Before we knew it, we were six weeks post-surgery two and we were scheduled for his last x-ray appointment. Everything looked great to his surgeon, so Mack could resume all indoor activities (couch snuggles could resume after a long 14 weeks!) and work up to returning to all regular outdoor activities within a month’s time.
We went on our first short, socially-distanced walk with one of his doggie friends at the end of April. We felt ready to let Mack zoom around the backyard and ease back into daycare around mid-May. We felt ready for a 6+ mile hike in mid-July. We also started to take him to an indoor pool 1-2x per month to swim to keep his legs strong.
I’m so glad we made the decision to move forward getting these two surgeries—watching him living his best life running around our yard or out on a hike with his doggie friends makes all of the stress, anxiety, and cost worth it. He still has some days when you can tell he’s a little sore or stiff and eventually as he gets older, he may need more regular pain management help.
Also, keep in mind that every dog’s recovery will look different! And that’s okay—every dog is built differently, has different physical and enrichment needs, and has a different schedule and lifestyle.
If you have any questions, you can always reach us over on Instagram @hounddog_mack.
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Keep in mind that every dog’s recovery will look different! And that’s okay—every dog is built differently, has different physical and enrichment needs, and has a different schedule and lifestyle.