In October of 2017 our German Shepherd, Braum, tore his cruciate
ligament while playing with another dog at our local dog park. We
scheduled an appointment with the Animal Clinic, specifically Dr. Bales,
to have him evaluated and discuss options. Braum was only 3 years old so
we were looking at a long-lasting treatment option to get him back on
his feet and to his normal activity levels. Dr. Bales suggested a
tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy, or TPLO, surgery. It would require a
decent amount of post-surgery recovery time, but after he should be able
to return to his normal activity levels in full. When considering our
choices, we chose to go with Animal Clinic to have the surgery done due
to the lower cost, and the personal service Braum would receive from the
staff we had gotten to know through regular visits. The Animal Clinic
took excellent care of Braum; the surgery and repair went well. They
even decorated his cast. Upon pickup we were amazed that he was already
putting some weight on the leg! Dr. Bales did a great job following up
with us over the next several weeks as he recovered. It went well and he
was back to his normal activity by December. As is the case with many
large breed dogs that suffer from a cruciate ligament tear, the other
knee often becomes unstable, even with a superb TPLO fix like Dr. Bales
performed. In June 2018 Braum suffered a cruciate tear on his other
knee. This time the decision was easy to make; we scheduled a cursory
appointment for evaluation and after he was scheduled to undergo his
second TPLO procedure.
At 5 years old, watching Braum run through the dog park playing with our
other dog, you wouldn’t know that he has had 2 TPLO surgeries. He
doesn’t show any sign of lingering pain or stiffness. I attribute his
recovery fully to Dr. Bales and the amazing team at the Animal Clinic
and Hospital.