Meet Elmo, a nine-year-old Labradoodle who was referred to Kentdale as an emergency on New Year’s Eve 2020.
Elmo was showing signs of being in a lot of pain and was unable to walk on both back legs. Following examination with Veterinary Surgeon Joe Higgins a series of Xrays where undertaken which identified that Elmo had ruptured both cruciate ligaments in his knee joints.
The rupture of the cranial ligament causes the knee to become unstable and so when weight is applied the shin bone (tiba) moves forward relative to the thigh bone (femur). This results in the feeling that the knee is giving-way and can cause the patient to appear severely lame. It was decided that bilateral Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) surgery was required to reshape the knee joints, level the slope of the shin bones to prevent the femurs from sliding down this slope when weight is applied through the knees.
Surgery went very well and the next day Elmo was much brighter, happier and a lot more comfortable weight bearing through both legs. As such, we were able to discharge Elmo the day after surgery. His owners have done a fantastic job with his aftercare at home to ensure the best possible recovery.
Six weeks after discharge Elmo came back to see us for a check-up, and x-rays showed that the bones are healing very nicely, and he is doing very well in his recovery. Well done Elmo!
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