What Is TPLO Surgery — and Why It Could Be the Best Decision You Make for Your Dog
If your dog has been limping, struggling to climb stairs, or suddenly can’t put weight on a back leg, there’s a good chance their knee is to blame. One of the most common orthopedic injuries in dogs is a torn cranial cruciate ligament — and for many dogs, TPLO surgery is the gold standard path back to a pain-free, active life.
At Maple Ridge Animal Hospital in Hickory Flats, GA, Dr. Holly Marrinson performs TPLO surgery right here in our community, giving local families access to advanced orthopedic care without the stress of a long drive to a specialty referral center.
Understanding the CCL: Your Dog’s Version of the ACL
The cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) — called the ACL or anterior cruciate ligament in people — is one of the primary stabilizers of the knee joint. It prevents sliding, hyperextension, and rotation of the knee.
Rupturing the CCL is one of the most common causes of lameness in the rear legs of dogs. Unlike ACL tears in humans, which typically happen during a single athletic moment, ligament tears in dogs are different — the ligament starts to degrade and becomes weak over time.
Some breeds are predisposed to ligament damage, including Labradors, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, West Highland White Terriers, and Newfoundlands, and dogs with excessive body weight are at an even higher risk. Unfortunately, CCL injuries affect both legs 50 percent of the time.
Signs Your Dog May Have a CCL Injury
Many dog owners first notice something is off when their pet starts favoring a leg after a walk, or suddenly yelps getting up from a rest. Common signs include:
- Limping or lameness in a rear leg, especially after exercise
- Reluctance to jump, run, or go up stairs
- Sitting with the affected leg kicked out to the side
- A noticeable “thickening” around the knee joint over time
- In some cases, an audible pop or click if the meniscus is also involved
When the CCL is torn or injured, the shin bone (tibia) slides forward with respect to the thigh bone (femur), causing instability that damages the cartilage and surrounding bones and leads to osteoarthritis. The longer a CCL injury goes untreated, the more joint damage accumulates — which is why prompt evaluation matters.
What Is TPLO Surgery?
TPLO stands for Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy. Rather than simply replacing the torn ligament, TPLO takes a smarter approach by changing the biomechanics of the knee itself.
The TPLO aims to create joint stability by changing the angle of the surface of the tibia (the tibial plateau) through a controlled cut, or osteotomy, on the top of the tibia bone, which is then rotated.
A helpful way to think about it: if a car is parked on a hill, the parking brake (the cruciate ligament) must be applied to prevent the car (femur) from rolling down the hill (tibia). If the car is parked on a flat surface, the parking brake is not needed — and that is essentially what TPLO accomplishes. It results in joint stability even in the absence of the ligament.
To stabilize the tibia while it heals, a plate and screws specially designed for this purpose are placed on the bone. Source: University of Missouri
Why TPLO Is the Preferred Choice
There is no single best surgery for cruciate tears, but most surgeons — and veterinary journals and research studies — agree that TPLO is the best surgery for dogs. Source: MedVet
Unlike traditional ligament repair techniques, TPLO surgery permanently alters the biomechanics of the knee to prevent excessive motion and pain, providing a permanent solution without reliance on artificial ligament replacements, which carry a higher risk of failure.
The TPLO procedure was found to be widely applicable to dogs ranging from small breed to large and giant breed, and does not appear to have some of the limitations that exist with alternative surgical options
What Recovery Looks Like
One of the most reassuring things about TPLO is how quickly most dogs begin to rebound. About half of all canine patients begin walking on their injured leg within 24 hours of surgery. By ten weeks, most dogs do not have an appreciable limp or gait abnormality, and within six months, most dogs can resume full physical activity. Source: VCA Animal Hospitals
Dogs undergoing the TPLO technique are expected to be able to run, jump, and play again after healing has been confirmed. University of Missouri Post-operative physical therapy and strict rest in the early weeks are key to a smooth recovery — your care team at Maple Ridge will walk you through every step.
Close-to-Home Surgical Care With Dr. Marrinson
For Woodstock and Hickory Flat families, having a surgeon of Dr. Marrinson’s caliber right in the community is a genuine advantage. With over 20 years of veterinary experience, a decade as a primary surgeon at a major specialty center, and advanced training in orthopedic and soft tissue procedures, Dr. Marrinson brings referral-level surgical expertise to a practice built around lasting relationships with local families.
TPLO is one of the most technically demanding procedures in small animal surgery — and it’s one that Dr. Marrinson performs with the precision, experience, and personal attention that your dog deserves.
If your dog is limping, struggling to get around, or has been diagnosed with a CCL tear, don’t wait for the joint damage to compound. Reach out to Maple Ridge Animal Hospital today to schedule a surgical consultation and find out if TPLO is the right next step.