DogOrthopedic

Pillar · Surgery

Orthopedic surgery, demystified.

What TPLO, FHO, and total hip replacement actually involve, what recovery looks like week by week, and the gear that makes both easier on dog and owner.

A dog in a clean clinical setting after orthopedic surgery, bandaged and resting calmly
Photo: Gustavo Fring / Pexels

Latest guides

A German Shepherd lies on the floor at home while a person rests a hand on his coat — the breed and the posture at the center of the hip dysplasia insurance question

surgery

Does Pet Insurance Cover Hip Dysplasia? One Disease, Three Filing Systems

We pulled the actual policy documents. The same hips are an ordinary illness at one insurer, a named exclusion needing a paid rider at another, a 6- or 12-month clock at a third — and one uninsurable past a birthday.

20 min read

A woman on a sofa reading on her laptop while her Siberian Husky rests beside her — the policy-wording homework that decides what a knee claim pays, done before the knee goes

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Is Pet Insurance Worth It for a Big Dog's Knees? Read the Bilateral Clause First

We pulled the actual policy documents. The knee waiting period runs 14 days to 6 months by brand, one knee's history can delete the other knee's coverage, and one state form caps year-one cruciate claims at $200.

19 min read

A veterinarian talking a dog's owner through the plan in a consult room while holding her small dog — the appointment where the written estimate is handed over and the questions in this article get asked.

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How Much Does a TPLO Cost, and What Is Inside the Estimate?

No US survey has ever measured what a TPLO costs. Here is what the two published price studies found, what the line items on an orthopedic invoice actually are, and the checklist to hold two estimates against.

23 min read

A veterinarian in scrubs examining a German Shepherd's hind leg in a clinic, the exam that decides whether a knee needs an osteotomy at all

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TPLO vs TTA: The Decision Your Surgeon Already Made

TPLO vs TTA for a torn cruciate: what each osteotomy does, what the comparative literature actually found, and why the choice is usually made before you walk in — plus the questions that do change the outcome.

21 min read

A dog owner and a veterinarian in conversation across the exam table while the dog stands between them — the consultation where the decision, not just the diagnosis, gets made

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What Should I Ask the Veterinary Orthopedic Surgeon? Seven Questions for a Fifteen-Minute Consult

The consult is fifteen minutes and most of it goes to the procedure. Seven questions put it on the decision: ASA grade, who operates, who monitors, complication rates, and what saying no actually means.

21 min read

A large older dog lying on a wooden floor at home, head down and watching the camera — the position an owner weighing orthopedic surgery sees every evening

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Is My Dog Too Old for Orthopedic Surgery?

Age is a stand-in for the things that actually decide this. Here is what the anaesthetic risk really is by age and health status, and the four separate questions hiding inside "he's too old."

28 min read

A dog walking on a loose leash beside its owner on a boardwalk — short, controlled leash walks are the core of FHO rehabilitation, not an activity to be earned later

surgery

FHO Surgery Recovery in Dogs: A Realistic Timeline

Most dogs put weight on the leg within days of FHO surgery and reach function in three to four months — crate rest is what ruins it. The realistic timeline, and how serious an FHO really is.

14 min read

A dog standing at the bottom of an indoor staircase — the daily obstacle every post-TPLO household has to manage

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Stairs After TPLO: None for Two Weeks, Sling-Assisted Through Week 8

Stairs after TPLO, week by week: none for weeks 0–2, sling-assisted and only-if-unavoidable through week 8, gradual return after recheck X-rays confirm healing.

20 min read

A veterinarian reviewing radiographs — the starting point for deciding between knee and hip orthopedic surgery

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TPLO vs Total Hip Replacement: Different Joints, Different Surgeries

TPLO vs total hip replacement: one repairs a torn knee ligament, the other replaces the hip joint with an implant. What the published outcome data actually say, and which conversation your dog is in.

23 min read

A dog with a bandaged hind leg resting on a blanket during the early weeks of TPLO surgery recovery

surgery

TPLO Surgery Recovery: A Week-by-Week Guide

Tibial-Plateau-Leveling Osteotomy is the gold-standard repair for canine cruciate disease. Here's what to expect, week by week, and the gear that makes recovery survivable.

29 min read