Hi everyone, have any of you with Johnson american Bulldog had both knees needing TPLO. Surgery for cruciate ligament, and hip dysplasia. He has a body type like mastiff he is 17 months old. There is no doubt that’s what’s wrong with him. Have any of you had those surgeries not 1 but all of them done to your large dog. He is in pain. The vets said oh yes he’ll be fine but it’s not as an effective surgery for that large of a dog. Best on dogs under 45 lbs. what are any of your ideas on how you would handle and why. I can’t think of a better place than on a site of dog lovers. Thank you in advance for your input
Was that just one vets opinion? If so I would suggest getting a second opinion and ask to be referred to a canine orthopaedic specialist.
No personal experience, but my nephew's dog had hip replacement when he was 11 years old. He was a very big Labrador with more of a large Rottie build. He was absolutely fine after the op and recuperation period. It gave him 4 more years of quality life and it wasn't that that finally got to him, but chronic arthritis in his other limbs
So sorry to hear that your AB is going to need so much surgery at such a young stage in life. I presume that you have insurance, as it is going to be an expensive process, also the recovery periods will not be easy to manage with such a young, heavy dog. I will echo @Malka 's advice, and would recommend that you are guided by the opinion of a referral vet. specialist.
There is an forum / yahoogroup called " Ortho Dogs" which focuses on surgical methods ( TPLO, TTA, etc) and subsequent recovery In case you are interested https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/orthodogs/info
