Torn ACL?

1 / Your Dog’s Knee Works Differently Than a Human Knee

When you compare the bones side by side, the dog’s shin bone slopes downward more sharply than a human’s. That steeper slope changes how forces move through the knee.

Because the top of your dog’s shin bone is steeper, every step creates a forward sliding force inside the knee. Normally, a strong ligament acts like a seatbelt. It stops that forward movement and keeps the knee stable. In people, the flatter bone shape helps limit this problem.

2 / The Goal is NOT to “Repair the Ligament”

Because this forward sliding force comes from bone shape, simply resting the knee is usually not enough. Instead of repairing the damaged ligament, treatment focuses on changing how weight moves through the knee. By adjusting the angle at the top of the shin bone, the knee no longer wants to slide forward when your dog stands or walks. This allows the knee to feel stable again, even without a working ligament.

This surgery involves making a planned cut in the shin bone. It is a controlled and carefully designed bone cut. Think of it as a guided fracture, not an accident. The bone is cut in a precise location and position on purpose. Once the bone is in its new position, it is held securely so it can heal. The most important part of recovery is bone healing. As the bone heals, the knee becomes stable in its new alignment.

3 / A Planned Bone Cut That Heals Like a Fracture

4 / Why Specialist Assessment Matters for Complete Knee Stability

In some dogs, when the ligament tears, the shin bone does not only want to slide forward, it also wants to twist inward. This is because the cruciate ligament runs diagonally across the knee and normally helps control both movements.

TPLO does an excellent job controlling forward sliding, but it does NOT directly address rotational stability. If rotational instability is present and not addressed, some dogs can continue to have abnormal movement in the knee after surgery.

Ask us whether your dog may benefit from additional stability control.

5 / Why Specialist Surgical Technique Matters: Muscle-Sparing Approach

On the inside of the knee, the adductor and hamstring muscles form a natural support system. These act like a natural support strap for the joint. They help stabilize the knee in two key ways. One action helps control backward sliding of the tibia, and the other provides upward support to the joint. Together, they contribute to overall knee stability during movement.

Using a muscle-sparing technique, we preserve these structures are preserved whenever possible. This allows us to perform the TPLO accurately while maintaining the body’s natural stabilizing support.

In human knee surgery, preserving these structures has been associated with faster early recovery and improved bone healing. While long-term outcomes are similar, patients often regain function more quickly in the first few months when these tissues are left intact.

6 / Your Dog’s Step-by-Step Recovery Plan After Knee Surgery

Click to preview the full 12-week rehab plan schedule and checklists. A physical copy will be included in your dismissal instructions

The first 2 weeks focus on protection and comfort.

You will check the incision daily, use gentle massage and slow range-of-motion exercises, and allow short leash walks only for toileting.

Weeks 3 to 6 gradually reintroduce controlled activity.

Leash walks slowly increase in length. Strength and balance exercises are added to encourage your dog to use the surgical leg correctly. Movements stay slow and controlled, with no running, jumping, or off-leash activity .

Weeks 7 and 8 build coordination and strength.

Walking time increases, surfaces change, and exercises challenge balance in a safe way. Stairs are introduced carefully and for short periods only .

Weeks 9 to 12 depend on bone healing. X-rays guide the next step.

If the bone is not healed, activity stays limited until week 13
If healing is confirmed, trotting, hills, play-based exercises, and gradual return to normal activity begin in a controlled way .

7 / Your Role is Simple (Just Not Always Easy)

Incision-related (the skin and stitches outside)

Stopping your pet from licking the incision is the first and most important step to prevent a skin infection or wound-healing problem.

The simple, but not easy solution:

Keep the E-collar (cone) on at all times

If a skin infection is caught early, treatment usually means a long course of antibiotics and strict protection of the incision.

Treating a deep infection often approaches the original cost of the TPLO; culture-guided antibiotics for 6-8 weeks, additional rechecks and radiographs, and a second surgery to remove the plate and screws once the bone has healed. The reason for this is that bacteria still to metal and make a slimy shield called a biofilm. Think of it like tooth plaque that protects them, Metal doesn’t have a blood supply, so antibiotics can’t reach the bacteria. That means antibiotics only control the infection until the bone is healed

The simple, but not easy solution:

Check the skin incision at least once a day

Implant-related (metal plate and screws inside)

Remember that the TPLO is a bone repair, like fixing a broken bone, not a repair of the torn ligament. The plate and screws act like an internal scaffold while the bone heals, and if too much force goes through the leg too soon (specifically the first 6 weeks), that strong metal plate and screws can bend/break or pull loose.

Please watch the video below to see how a TPLO plate and screws ‘pull out’ of an apple. Bones are obviously stronger than apples, but the idea is the same.

The simple, but not easy solution:

No stairs, running, jumping, or off-leash play