Expert TPLO Surgery for Dogs

Unlike mobile surgeons who visit general vet clinics, SurgiPet is a dedicated surgical center. Here, you’ll personally meet your pet’s surgeon from consultation through every follow-up, whereas mobile surgeons often aren’t available for direct communication.

SurgiPet provides advanced equipment (like 4K arthroscopy, LigaSure, C-arm, and titanium implants) not usually accessible with mobile services. A board-certified anesthesiologist ensures your pet’s safety, answering all your questions.

Additionally, post-surgery support is available 7-days a week. If complications like incision licking or accidental injury occur, your surgeon is always just a phone call away.

• It stabilizes the knee joint in a very efficient, optimal manner
• It offers faster recovery compared to other surgical treatments
• It has a well-documented and proven high success rate of above 90%
• It is considered a gold standard treatment in all but the smallest dogs
• It gives the best prospect of your pet’s return to high performance
• It helps to slow down the progression of arthritis, improving long-term outcome

TPLO surgery is not emergency surgery. However, it is best to perform TPLO surgery within days of injury to avoid muscle weakness. Following an ACL injury, your dog will tend to favor the injured leg.

This will fairly quickly cause the thigh muscles to get weaker and smaller because they’re not being used as much as they should be.

Following TPLO surgery, the weak muscles often slow down healing and recovery and make it harder for the dog to return to full mobility and agility. Therefore, it is important to schedule the surgery promptly.

A successful recovery will return your dog’s leg to full function. Statistically, following TPLO surgery, over 90% of the dogs regain regular or near-regular leg use. In the remaining 10% of dogs, concurrent arthritis in the other joints or advanced knee arthritis affects leg function.

However, these dogs still benefit from the surgery as it helps restore the knee’s function and alleviates pain. Similarly, TPLO surgery frequently improves comfort and mobility in dogs that were previously operated on using another technique.

There isn’t strong evidence showing the most optimal type of surgery in toy breeds of dogs weighing less than 4-5kg (10-11 pounds). Since their tibia (the bone below the knee) is very small, the TPLO surgery is technically challenging. Some studies also suggested a higher risk of complications related to TPLO surgery in very small dogs.

Therefore, a preferred technique to repair torn CCL ligament in very small patients is lateral suture stabilization (LSS) using TightRope system. In toy breeds of dogs, it provides similar outcomes to TPLO surgery without higher risk of complications.

The first part of the surgery uses arthroscopy, a minimally invasive technique that allows the surgeon to see the entire inside of the knee joint through a small incision.

This provides a clear, magnified view and allows for evaluation of the ACL ligament and both menisci - two cushion-like structures inside the knee. If a meniscus is torn, arthroscopy enables removal of the damaged tissue with minimal disruption to the rest of the joint.

The second part of the procedure involves making a specialized cut in the top of the tibia. A titanium plate and screws are used to hold the bone in its new position, restoring function and preventing further injury to the joint.

TPLO surgery recovery is generally fast. About half of the dogs will start cautiously walking on the operated leg within 48 hours after the surgery. Five days after the surgery, most dogs will put some weight on the operated leg. By 2 weeks, the amount of weight placed on the leg notably increases.

Eight weeks following TPLO surgery, recheck x-rays are taken to assess bone healing. At this time, most dogs have mild to no limping, so easy exercise in the form of lead walks is started and gradually increased each week.

Four months after surgery, most exercise restrictions can be removed. Regular working tasks (tracking, agility, search & rescue, etc.) can begin 5 months after TPLO surgery.

More detailed information about recovery can be found in our TPLO Recovery Week by Week.

TPLO surgery in dogs often costs $8,000–$10,000 at large hospitals in Southern California. At SurgiPet, our flat fee covers all standard surgical costs - consults, anesthesia, board-certified anesthesiologist’s fees, OR, surgeon’s fee - plus extras often billed separately elsewhere, including:

• Pain meds, sedatives, antibiotics, anti-nausea meds (for the first 2 weeks)
• Support sling to help your dog walk during early recovery
• All rechecks & X-rays for 4 months (sedation is also included if needed)
• Pre-op bloodwork and chest films (if needed)
• Use of C-arm system (live x-rays during the procedure)

Not included: medications beyond two weeks (sedatives), surgical complications, physical therapy, or rechecks beyond 4 months.

TPLO surgery pricing at SurgiPet (2025):

• For dogs weighing below 101 pounds (45 kg), the cost is $4,850
• For dogs weighing 101 to 120 pounds (46 to 55 kg), the cost is $5,150
• For dogs weighing over 120 pounds (over 55 kg), the cost is $6,250

You’ll meet with both the surgeon and anesthesiologist in person to review the plan and ask any final questions. Your dog’s surgery is performed in a modern OR using Arthrex’s 4K SynergyUHD4™ arthroscopy system for exceptional joint visualization and C-arm imaging to guide implant placement.

An anesthesiologist monitors your pet throughout, using advanced equipment and multimodal pain control. After surgery, your pet recovers in a quiet area under direct supervision. Most dogs are ready to go home by the evening - fully awake, comfortable, and sent home with meds, a support sling, and clear, personalized care instructions.