Surgery rescheduled

So as if I'm not enough of a nervous wreck, they rescheduled surgery for tomorrow. He needs to be there by 6am and will be the first surgery of the day. I told him that he'll be getting surgery and that we're going to fix his tiny little leg and he laid his gigantic head on me as if to say, "OK, mama." My little boy is the cutest little thing in the world. I can't wait until he's all better and can enjoy all his favorite things.

So what exactly is TPLO surgery, you ask? TPLO is an advanced technique for repair of the torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL - the same as the ACL in humans). Rupture of the cruciate ligament is the most common orthopedic injury of dogs of all breeds and especially large breeds such as Labrador Retrievers and Rottweilers.

The knee (stifle joint) of the dog is similar to a human's knee. Located inside the joint of the knee is the cranial cruciate ligament, which is responsible for maintaining stability of the joint, preventing backward sliding of the femur on the tibia. When the ligament ruptures,the joint becomes unstable and the femur slides backwards and forwards on the tibia, creating what is called "drawer motion". This causes debilitating long-term lameness and accelerated formation of degenerative joint disease.

The vet will make a curved cut along the top of the tibia bone (called an osteotomy), which includes the tibial plateau. The cut piece of bone is then rotated so that the tibial plateau is leveled. When the angle is adjusted to the correct degree, the vet will screw in a stainless steel plate to hold the bone in its new place so that it can heal correctly. Here are some illustrations, showing the metal plate that will be screwed into his leg. Most dogs will get back normal, or near normal weight-bearing function within 4 months.