TPLO Surgery - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

pfisteaj · 05-20-2014, 12:18 PM

Sorry for my duplicate responses. I tried to post and it would not go through, but now I guess it went through 3 times.

I will let everyone know how things turn out. Hopefully in our favor!

ladyjane · 05-20-2014, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfisteaj

Thank you to everyone that responded. Your input was much appreciated. My little girl goes into surgery tomorrow for plate/pins removal. Hopefully everything goes well and this resolves her lameness in the leg.

Best wishes! I will look forward to hearing how things are going...do hope this fixes her issue.

pfisteaj · 05-20-2014, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Best wishes! I will look forward to hearing how things are going...do hope this fixes her issue.

I sure hope so too! Out of curiosity, what has been the prices for others who had plate/pin removal. Our surgeon quoted me $1500, which seems steep, but maybe this is average. I was just surprised after the original surgery cost so much!

ladyjane · 05-20-2014, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfisteaj

I sure hope so too! Out of curiosity, what has been the prices for others who had plate/pin removal. Our surgeon quoted me $1500, which seems steep, but maybe this is average. I was just surprised after the original surgery cost so much!

Honestly, I do not recall, but I would think it might be up there due to the fact they still use the OR and also the cost of anesthesia is high.

katy-yorkie · 05-20-2014, 03:19 PM

Buster goes to the surgeon tomorrow to have his sutures removed, his implant/hardware/pins removal was two weeks ago today. So far, so good. He will go back in four weeks for X-rays to make sure everything is ok.

The cost to remove Buster's pins was $440.00. However, I have spent a small fortune on his legs...I think the surgeon felt sorry for me...

ladyjane · 05-20-2014, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katy-yorkie

Buster goes to the surgeon tomorrow to have his sutures removed, his implant/hardware/pins removal was two weeks ago today. So far, so good. He will go back in four weeks for X-rays to make sure everything is ok.

The cost to remove Buster's pins was $440.00. However, I have spent a small fortune on his legs...I think the surgeon felt sorry for me...

Oh, I had an appt tomorrow and cancelled it this afternoon. I probably would have seen you! I am going next week instead. I want Jax to have a few more days before going back.

That probably was discounted....Dr. Beale is great like that!

katy-yorkie · 05-20-2014, 04:22 PM

awww, hope Jax is feeling better. Buster will see Dr. Beale tomorrow which it sounds like most people don't do to remove sutures, but after all he's been through I want Dr. Beale to look at him.

Dr. Beale is very kind hearted.

Ellie May · 05-20-2014, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

I've had surgery to repair the ACL (CCL in dogs) three times on Yorkies, and each of the three vets elected not to try the TPLO on dogs that small. Two of the vets were board certified surgeons. Instead, they decided to use monofilament and go with the more primitive procedure.

The recovery was quick and complete all three times. I suspect one surgery about 5 years ago is loosening a bit on Eddie, but he's shown no pain or limping.

I've heard nothing but good things about TPLO on larger dogs. If the vet would have said that's what he wanted to do, I'd have been delighted.

In a perfect world you'd get a second opinion from a board certified surgeon. One surgery should have solved the problem. Then again, I'm no expert. This may be very common.

I have to concur with you on this one (this time only

). There are many surgeons (including board certified) who are not comfortable doing a TPLO on a small dog. Some like it and have success and that's great. A lot are against it. I personally would opt for the MRIT for my small pups.

OP: I bet your pup will be just fine after pin removal. And I agree that $1500 is steep for this considering the TPLO itself is not cheap.

ladyjane · 05-21-2014, 05:57 AM

I personally would always go to a surgeon who is skilled in both MRIT and TPLO. I would really not expect a surgeon who is not proficient in TPLO in small dogs to say it might be better for my small dog. Both procedures are good. I believe it all depends on each individual dog as opposed to SIZE of the dog. The surgeon I use does TPLO in cats....successfully I might add.

OP as to your question about cost, I would suggest you contact the surgeon and ask why it is the amount that it is. Maybe there are ways to cut the cost a bit. Just a suggestion.

pfisteaj · 05-21-2014, 08:44 AM

Well I got news that she is out of surgery and doing well. I get to pick her up this evening. The orthopedic surgeon said that he does not believe there was any infection, but we are waiting on cultures. She actually had one broken pin, which may have been causing discomfort. Her bone is 100% healed and everything in the leg felt very stable. He was concerned that she had some bloody fluid in the knee joint, but thinks it might be from trauma or irritation of the pin? He does believe that his joint flush will take care of the issue though.

Hopefully she walks better now!

pstinard · 05-21-2014, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfisteaj

Well I got news that she is out of surgery and doing well. I get to pick her up this evening. The orthopedic surgeon said that he does not believe there was any infection, but we are waiting on cultures. She actually had one broken pin, which may have been causing discomfort. Her bone is 100% healed and everything in the leg felt very stable. He was concerned that she had some bloody fluid in the knee joint, but thinks it might be from trauma or irritation of the pin? He does believe that his joint flush will take care of the issue though.

Hopefully she walks better now!

Glad to hear that her surgery went well! My Bella is having a pin removed from her knee tomorrow. Bella's pin was backing out of the bone and causing discomfort and fluid buildup too.

pfisteaj · 05-21-2014, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstinard

Glad to hear that her surgery went well! My Bella is having a pin removed from her knee tomorrow. Bella's pin was backing out of the bone and causing discomfort and fluid buildup too.

I hope things go well for Bella! Her situation sounds similar to Pixie.

Well Pixie is home resting now. She ate and drank water for me, which I'm happy about. She is on strict crate rest for 2 weeks until her staples are removed, so bathroom breaks outside only. I took her out into the grass to go to the bathroom after we got home and she was holding her leg up, but the surgeon said to expect this for the first week. I'm really hoping she shows some improvement!

katy-yorkie · 05-21-2014, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfisteaj

I hope things go well for Bella! Her situation sounds similar to Pixie.

Well Pixie is home resting now. She ate and drank water for me, which I'm happy about. She is on strict crate rest for 2 weeks until her staples are removed, so bathroom breaks outside only. I took her out into the grass to go to the bathroom after we got home and she was holding her leg up, but the surgeon said to expect this for the first week. I'm really hoping she shows some improvement!

Glad Pixie is home and resting. She should start putting weight on her leg soon. So far I'm impressed with how much Buster has improved in the last two weeks. He had his sutures removed today and the surgeon was happy with his improvement as well. We will keep Pixie in our prayers.

pfisteaj · 05-25-2014, 12:00 PM

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update.

Pixie is 4 days post surgery and we have seen a big improvement. She has been walking on her leg almost all the time! She even has her spunk back! Hope this continues and she does better every day!

ladyjane · 05-26-2014, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfisteaj

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update.

Pixie is 4 days post surgery and we have seen a big improvement. She has been walking on her leg almost all the time! She even has her spunk back! Hope this continues and she does better every day!

Wonderful news! Thank you for updating.

05-20-2014, 03:19 PM	#20
katy-yorkie Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Katy, Texas USA Posts: 1,458	Buster goes to the surgeon tomorrow to have his sutures removed, his implant/hardware/pins removal was two weeks ago today. So far, so good. He will go back in four weeks for X-rays to make sure everything is ok. The cost to remove Buster's pins was $440.00. However, I have spent a small fortune on his legs...I think the surgeon felt sorry for me... __________________ Jeanie, mom to Buster and Maggie

05-20-2014, 04:22 PM	#22
katy-yorkie Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Katy, Texas USA Posts: 1,458	awww, hope Jax is feeling better. Buster will see Dr. Beale tomorrow which it sounds like most people don't do to remove sutures, but after all he's been through I want Dr. Beale to look at him. Dr. Beale is very kind hearted. __________________ Jeanie, mom to Buster and Maggie

05-21-2014, 05:57 AM	#24
ladyjane Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 27,490	I personally would always go to a surgeon who is skilled in both MRIT and TPLO. I would really not expect a surgeon who is not proficient in TPLO in small dogs to say it might be better for my small dog. Both procedures are good. I believe it all depends on each individual dog as opposed to SIZE of the dog. The surgeon I use does TPLO in cats....successfully I might add. OP as to your question about cost, I would suggest you contact the surgeon and ask why it is the amount that it is. Maybe there are ways to cut the cost a bit. Just a suggestion. __________________ CLOUD NINE BEDS--YORKIE HAVEN RESCUE MY ETSY SHOP

05-20-2014, 12:18 PM	#16
pfisteaj Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2014 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 12	Sorry for my duplicate responses. I tried to post and it would not go through, but now I guess it went through 3 times. I will let everyone know how things turn out. Hopefully in our favor!

05-21-2014, 08:44 AM	#25
pfisteaj Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2014 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 12	Well I got news that she is out of surgery and doing well. I get to pick her up this evening. The orthopedic surgeon said that he does not believe there was any infection, but we are waiting on cultures. She actually had one broken pin, which may have been causing discomfort. Her bone is 100% healed and everything in the leg felt very stable. He was concerned that she had some bloody fluid in the knee joint, but thinks it might be from trauma or irritation of the pin? He does believe that his joint flush will take care of the issue though. Hopefully she walks better now!

05-25-2014, 12:00 PM	#29
pfisteaj Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2014 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 12	Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. Pixie is 4 days post surgery and we have seen a big improvement. She has been walking on her leg almost all the time! She even has her spunk back! Hope this continues and she does better every day!