TPLO Surgery in Merritt Island

Unfortunately, we commonly see cruciate ligament injuries and tears (equivalent to an ACL tear in humans) in our furry friends. Here at Island Animal Hospital, we hope to bridge the gap between general practice and specialty, by providing more opportunities for those dogs. Dr. Chelsea Brady has taken multiple courses taught by accomplished boarded surgeons to learn a surgery that can dramatically improve the affected dog’s quality of life.

Lame Dog
Bear 2
Bear (2)
Bear (2)

"When I learned my 2 year old Rottweiler, named Bear, injured his knee so badly he would need surgery I was devastated. Thankfully I found an amazing veterinarian team at the Island Animal hospital (Merritt Island location). Dr. Brady did an amazing job explaining all the risks and opportunities related to having my pup undergo the TPLO surgery. Post surgery, he is doing amazing. He plays and walks around as though he’s never been injured. I truly have so much respect and faith in Dr. Brady’s amazing skills."

 

-Jake

Understanding CCL Tears

When a dog tears their cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), surgical correction is the treatment of choice. Surgery provides the best possible return to function and can delay onset of osteoarthritis in the joint.

In contrast to humans, the CCL tear in the dog happens slowly over time due to a process of degeneration of the ligament, as opposed to the more common traumatic tear in humans. This is a result of the anatomy in the dog knee; gravity is causing constant strain on the CCL with every step our dogs take. While some breeds are predisposed to tearing their CCL, it can happen in any size or breed.

Why Choose TPLO Surgery?

While there are multiple surgical corrections available for torn CCLs, the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) has been shown to be a consistently reliable technique. In humans, surgical correction focuses on replacing the ligament that has been torn. In dogs, our aim is to correct the anatomic deformity of the knee that led to the tear.

With this surgery, we eliminate the gravitational stress on the cranial cruciate ligament by rotating the tibial plateau. This prevents the femur, or thigh bone, from being constantly pulled downwards. By removing that strain and altering this anatomic problem, dogs can resume normal activity, once healed.

TPLO cartoon image dog anatomy
TPLO cartoon image cut

Offering TPLO at Island Animal Hospital

We are excited to offer this surgery to our clientele. If your dog has been diagnosed with a cranial cruciate ligament rupture, or if you suspect this may be the cause of your dog’s lameness, please call to schedule a consult with Dr. Brady at our Merritt Island location: 321-453-2430.