Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy - TPLO A Good Choice
Written by Dr. Degner. You can trust him.
The answer is no, they do not need to be removed right now. Some leave them forever. At just a month out, I'd be surprised if the majority considered removing them already. They are probably still needed.
Unless the family member has a license to practice vet med, I wouldn't worry about what they think...