Goldendoodle Bowser was first seen at VREC for right pelvic limb lameness. Less than a month later, he returned for similar issues happening on the left side.
After an evaluation by our surgery department, our staff discovered Bowser was suffering from two cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) problems: a full rupture on the left and a partial rupture on the right. Correcting Bowser’s CCLs would require a bilaterial tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery.
A dog’s CCL is comparable to a human’s ACL. When a dog tears their CCL, the femur bone slides/rubs on the back of the tibia. This rubbing causes a good deal of pain and inflammation. TPLO surgery corrects the issue by completely altering the dynamics of the knee. This surgery involves cutting the tibial bone and rotating it in such a way that the femur can no longer slide backward. By doing so, this eliminates the need for the ligament entirely and returns stability to the joint immediately.
Once qualified for the Angel Fund, Bowser had bilaterial TPLO surgery performed. He recovered in the hospital post-operatively before being discharged to a happy family.