The Story of Wally
The Story of Wally!
Wally is a 7 Year old Black Lab that suddenly ruptured his right ACL ligament. He was unwilling to bear any weight on that right rear leg, unless he was on good footing such as carpet or grass. We often see this in dogs who have ruptured their knee ligament. They can use the leg at times, but usually are ‘toe-touching’ and will pull the leg up on slick footing. Our sense is that they lose confidence that the leg can successfully carry any weight on tile, hardwood or linoleum floors.
X-rays revealed an effusion in the right knee (the increased gray cloudiness that the arrow is pointing at in this picture.)
When compared to the Left Knee, we can definitely see the difference!
Post-Op Film— We have “Leveled the Tibial Plateau!”
When sedated, we were also able to palpate ‘instability’ in the knee. When the top of the tibia can be pushed forward relative to the knee joint, this is the classic finding of a ruptured ACL. In other words, of the ACL ligament is working and intact, the tibia cannot be pushed forward . . . we call this forward sliding of the tibia “Drawer Sign” and it is considered to be the diagnostic test that proves when a dog has a ruptured ACL.
Given Wally’s size and energy level (He’s a VERY happy and energetic dog, we decided that the TPLO surgery was the best choice for him. This surgery yields fantastic results in large breed dogs with a faster return to function and less future arthritis than many other techniques.
The surgery works by rotating the top of the Tibia (what is called the Tibial Plateau) so that it is Level and the femur above cannot slide backward anymore. Very precise measurements are taken (down to fractions of a millimeter) in order to rotate the Tibial Plateau just the right amount!
In this image, you can see the arc of the cut line in the bone (cutting the bone is called an ‘Osteotomy’) and the rotation that was achieved to Level the Tibial Plateau.
This surgery was performed on November 28, 2023. Wally has had a nice recovery and is doing well. For this first month, he is not allowed to do any running or jumping and we discourage a lot of stair climbing. He is allowed to go for walks and he does not have to be kept confined in a crate the whole time!