<15 kg: £3,850 incl. VAT
15-40kg: £4,100 incl. VAT
40-55kg: £4,400 incl. VAT
>55kg: £4,800 incl. VAT (Additional fees may apply to some giant breed dogs)
NEW! Postoperative infection guarantee: We are running a trial on infection rates after TPLO surgery. If your dogs qualifies for the trial and you agree to it being enrolled then we will provide FREE treatment of any postoperative infection that might develop after TPLO surgery.
These fees assume a healthy pet with a routine cruciate ligament rupture; we reserve the right to charge additional fees if other health concerns warrant adiditional investigations/care. Brachycephalic breeds (such as Bulldogs and Pugs) will also incur additional fees due to the added complexity of their anaesthesia (click here for further information on brachycephalic anaesthesia).
STOP! Before you choose another centre for your pet's surgery, please check the following:
1. Do they have experienced Specialist surgeons who have performed hundreds of these surgeries? (lots of less experienced non-specialist surgeons will offer these treatments; how do you know if they are a specialist or not? -click here)
2. Will they have a Specialist anaesthesia team making your pet's anaesthetic and time after surgery as safe and as comfortable as possible? (You will not find a Specialist anaesthesia team at your local GP practice or at some referral centres)
3. Do they have a vet and nursing team looking after your pet the night after surgery, with the surgeon on-call and available if necessary? (Some practices do not have over-night staff, and some will drive your pet to another centre after surgery because of this)
4. Is the surgeon available at any time for advice or assistance if you have any concerns after surgery? (Some GP practices will use a travelling surgeon, who goes from practice-to-practice, and thus will not always be available if there are any problems with your pet's surgery).
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then please consider referral to a centre such as Anderson Moores, which can offer all of this and more.
Background There are two cruciate ligaments in the knee (or ‘stifle’ as we call it in dogs). Cruciate disease (affecting the cranial -or anterior- cruciate ligament) is one of the most common orthopaedic conditions seen in dogs. In people cruciate ligament (or ‘ACL’) ruptures are typically seen as acute sporting injuries, in footballers and skiers for example. In dogs it is a little different. In most dogs the condition is a more chronic degenerative condition. The ligament degenerates and gets weaker over time and at some point it will start to tear. The signs associated with the initial stages of the condition can be subtle and may be missed –signs such as stiffness on rising from rest and mild, occasional lameness. As the ligament continues to tear the signs may become more obvious but it is not uncommon for owners to first realise their dog has a problem when the already weakened ligament finally tears completely, often during relatively normal activity. At this stage the stifle will be unstable –the two bones of the stifle (the tibia and femur) will rock back and forth during walking. This instability will often lead to the menisci (cartilage ‘shock absorbers’ of the knee) being torn, which can cause significant lameness and discomfort unless treated appropriately.
Diagnosis The diagnosis is often made on palpation/manipulation of the stifle, although in some dogs this may require sedation. X-rays will show signs of osteoarthritis (OA or ‘arthritis’). Early cases may be less easy to diagnose, sometimes requiring exploratory surgery/arthroscopy to visually examine the cruciate ligament.
Treatment Some small dogs (less than 15kg) may do ok with a period of rest and antiinflammatories alone, although surgery is generally considered to offer a quicker and more reliable recovery. In some small dogs (especially terriers such as the West Highland White Terrier) the shape of their knee can mean that they are very unlikely to get better without surgery. Larger dogs are also unlikely to do well without surgery and so surgery is always advised. Surgery involves examination of the menisci, so that any torn pieces can be removed, and stabilisation of the joint. Numerous stabilisation techniques have been described. A restraining suture can be placed around the outside of the joint to try to replicate the function of the torn ligament (known as extracapsular or lateral retinacular suture stabilisation) but these sutures frequently stretch or break, with recurrent instability. Tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA, also referred to as MMP) is another option although published studies and our experience suggest that this technique is not as robust or as effective as our prefered technique, TPLO. At Anderson Moores we recommend Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) for almost all dogs (and often cats too). TPLO changes the geometry of the tibia to counteract the forces that are responsible for the instability. TPLO provides a robust repair which is very reliable and results in a consistently early and good return to limb function. TPLO is however a very technical procedure and in the wrong hands complications can be serious. At Anderson Moores our specialist surgeons perform hundreds of these procedures every year and the risk of complications is very low. Published research studies from the University of Cornell confirm that TPLO returns dogs to better limb function than suture stabilisation in the short and medium term and in a 2016 study it is reported that TPLO is superior to TTA (Krotscheck et al Veterinary Surgery 2016: TPLO returned dogs to normal function by 6-12 months whereas TTA did not).
We have seen a number of catastrophic complications following the performance of some TTA/MMP -type surgeries by non-specialist veterinary surgeons and we would urge owners to be cautious in choosing their surgeon. Always ask your surgeon what level of orthopaedic expertise they have, what procedure they are going to perform, how many of these procedures they have performed and what complications they have encountered. And remember you can always ask your first opinion vet for a referral to a Specialist surgeon who performs hundreds of these surgeries every year safely and with great success rates.
'Evidence most strongly supports the TPLO as a procedure that allows a dog with naturally occurring unilateral cruciate disease to return to normal clinical function.' Bergh MS & others (2014) Systematic Review of Surgical Treatments for Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease in Dogs. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 50:5
Preoperative x-ray showing the tibial plateau angle (TPA), x-rays following TPLO, TPLO cartoon
Extracapsular suture – Key Points:
TTA– Key Points:
TPLO – Key Points:
Further information on TPLO is available here: www..TPLOanswers.com
Why choose Anderson Moores?
Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA)
Downloads
Sample discharge instructions for TPLO or TTA surgery (pdf)
James' overview of cruciate disease, published in 'Dogs Monthly' April 2012 (thanks to Dogs Monthly for allowing this to be posted here www.dogsmonthly.co.uk)
"Dear Andy, Thank you for your skill, care and attention to Bryn. We are pleased to report that Bryn is exercising really well, no limping and extremely happy. We will always be grateful to you. Wendy & Bill R."
"Dear Andy,It's just six months since Spingo's TPLO so I thought I'd send you an update. Thanks to your skill's he has made a perfect recovery with not a sign of any problems. I'm so pleased we where referred to you as you've made a total change to Spingo's life, he's happier in himself and running about great. At the end of the season he did half a day and we both enjoyed it, it's good having him back working. A BIG THANKS! Kind Regards Maxwell"