Hi Cissy and family!

My front amp Izzy - who was nearly twelve when she lost her leg to OSA - celebrated her one year "ampuversary" with a CCL repair. At the time, she was roughly 60 lbs and we discovered the issue because one day, much like your pup, she just couldn't walk. She had some "floppy foot" going on as I like to call it, so at first, we thought maybe it was neurological. She also would kick out the affected leg when trying to walk so I wasn't really sure what was going on.

After the family vet had to look at her we took her over to the Specialty Hospital where her oncology team and listed the expertise of their surgeon who confirmed that it was, in fact, a CCL rupture.

Initially, she recommended a tplo as that really is the gold standard surgery for that type of injury. It makes the knee much more stable and, from what I understand, is an easier recovery than just a regular old repair. That said, Izzy was already an old dog and wasn't super active. The tplo surgery was also far more expensive then doing the "low rent" repair. After talking it over multiple times with the surgeon, she agreed to do the basic repair surgery which, in a younger or more active dog, would have higher risk of failure than the tplo. She did warn me that the recovery would be more difficult, which seems completely counter-intuitive, but proved true. Izzy had an easier time with her amputation then with the knee repair and supposedly, the TPLO would have been a smoother recovery.

Cissy can still enjoy life on three legs, even with a knee repair, but she will need help with walking and going potty in the interim. I would recommend getting a sling that might be a little less intrusive than the towel. Now, Izzy was able to get from point A to point B just fine but obviously, couldn't stand or squat to urinate. Her solution was to go *very fast* because, when you're running, your feet barely touch the ground anyhow. My funny old girl managed to run to her dinner bowl every night using only two legs! That said, I still insisted she allow me to help her so we put a stop to all that running once we had a diagnosis. Dogs who injure the CCL in one leg often windup with the same issue in the other so I was just trying to minimize the wear and tear.

I'm happy to discuss further if you wish or answer any questions you have. I don't know how old Cissy is but that might impact which repair you should choose. The tplo is supposed to be a fairly straightforward recovery but Cissy will definitely need some help for a little while.

We are here to help! Wishing you and your pup the best!

Amy & my big, beautiful bulldog in the sky, Izzy

Any news on Cissy? There may be another thread going - I didn't search so I do apologize if there is!