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 veterinarian in blue scrubs examines a German Shepherd in a clinic; a large breed is the dog most likely to arrive with a bad hip and a bad knee on the same films

surgery

Hip Replacement and TPLO in the Same Dog: Same Day or One After the Other? What Has Been Studied, What Has Not, and the One Rule Surgeons Do Give

Is it safe to have a total hip replacement and a TPLO at the same time? No study covers that pairing. Here is the closest evidence, the one stifle-first rule that exists, and what to ask your surgeon.

16 min read

A Rottweiler lying flat on a wooden floor indoors, head up and watching — a large dog in the weeks at home after hip surgery, when the question of whether the other hip gets done, and when, is decided by how this recovery goes

surgery

Both Hips at Once, or One at a Time? What the Bilateral Series Show for Hip Replacement, Pelvic Osteotomy and FHO, and Why 'We'll See' Is Usually the Real Plan

Single-session vs staged surgery for two bad hips: why hip replacement is done one side at a time, why pelvic osteotomy is routinely both at once, what the bilateral FHO series shows, and what decides the second hip.

31 min read

A young German Shepherd with upright ears and an orange harness lying in the grass, looking up — the age at which a loose-hipped dog who missed the JPS window can still be a candidate for a pelvic osteotomy, often with no limp at all

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DPO or TPO for the Puppy Who Missed the JPS Window: What the 8-to-10-Month Deadline Buys, and What It Does Not

Double vs triple pelvic osteotomy for a loose-hipped puppy past JPS age: what one cut changes, what the complication series show, why clear films are not a clear joint, and what neither operation stops.

35 min read

A young Labrador puppy with a blue collar sitting on grass, the age at which hip laxity can be found by hand before any sign of trouble shows

surgery

JPS at 15 Weeks: The Only Hip Dysplasia Surgery That Has to Happen Before Anything Looks Wrong

JPS works best at 12 to 16 weeks, less at 18 to 20, and inconsistently past that. Who qualifies by distraction index, what the trials found, what the consult leaves out, and the one lever with no deadline.

30 min read

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

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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

surgery

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 the Consult Will Not Answer Unless You Ask

A first orthopedic visit can run 1.5 to 2 hours, most of it records, history and examination. Seven questions put the rest on the decision: ASA grade, who operates, who monitors, how complications are counted.

31 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

surgery

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 toe-touch within days of FHO and reach their final level of use in one to four months; some take a year. A limp at week three is normal. Which way it is moving is what matters.

27 min read

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

surgery

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

surgery

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.

30 min read