We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy unless you have disabled them.
I have a 7 year old American Bulldog mix. 4 months ago he had TPLO surgery. Two months into the recovery he started
Expert's Assistant chat
Customer: I have a 7 year old American Bulldog mix. 4 months ago he had TPLO surgery. Two months into the recovery he started having a lot of pain, whining and crying near constantly. The vet said the plate (the dog was in between plate sizes, so the vet opted for the larger plate) was pinching into his joint capsule and causing him pain. Not being able to tolerate pain meds other than Tyl with codeine, at the end of the three-month healing period the plate was removed. Plate removal did little to improve his agony. The vet prescribed antibiotic and more pain meds, hypothesizing there may be infection in the dog's knee. At this point, the dog goes from constant crying when not on pain meds to sedation when on them. Without pain medication he is restless and wakes up every 1-3 hours throughout the night crying in agony. I have to pick up his hind quarters so he is able to shift around and adjust his positioning. A few days ago I took him, x-rays and medical records to a different vet. Immediately the vet pointed out the hellacious bone spur (over an inch long) protruding from the tibia into the knee/humerus (in addition to other smaller spurs and arthritis) - I have photos I can send to show. She referred me to an orthopedic vet to schedule surgery to have the spurs and arthritis removed - the ortho appointment is next week. The spurs are too far progressed to scope his knee so the ortho has to open the knee to clean out the joint. My concern is, after all that he's been through, will this surgery fix him or will it be the first round of subsequent surgeries to remove more spurs in the future? I know it sounds radical, but would removing his leg avail longer term quality of pain-free living for him? It's obviously been an expensive road and I will proceed with the spur removal surgery if it will provide the most successful result for pain-free living, but I do not want to put him through more pain, recovery and rehabilitation to then end up no better off that when he started.
Hello, welcome to JustAnswer! I am a licensed veterinarian, and I'll be happy to help you in any way I can. I would be happy to take a look at the x-ray images, if you are able to upload them or send a link to an online album where they're located.
Customer
Hello Drew,
Thank you for your initial response. I don't have a light box to view the x-ray, so there may be a cloud or two in the photos. :)
Customer
Here is the post TPLO, pre plate removal. Bone spurs roaring everywhere. :(
Thanks for the pictures. I agree, there is significant remodeling of the joint in the second view, indicative of degenerative joint disease / osteoarthritis. This is common any time there's instability in a joint, such as with a cruciate ligament rupture, but it does appear that there is considerably more change in the joint than I'd expect to see after a TPLO procedure.
I don't think I'd jump to amputation of this leg -- what I'd probably do is to suggest going ahead with the procedure to attempt to "clean out" the joint of bony spurs, and then to start treatment with Adequan and/or Cartrophen, along with oral Dasuquin supplementation, to see if a reasonable comfort level can be attained. Also, laser therapy and acupuncture may help improve comfort, in an effort to manage this issue without opting for amputation.
Customer
You're welcome. Thank you for reviewing them.
What is the probability of him being free from pain after the surgery? In "cleaning out" the joint, what is the likelihood of them reoccuring? Will he have these issues and have to take medication for the rest of his life?
The joint will never be a normal joint -- and may be prone to these spurs reoccurring -- which is why I'd hope the joint supplements and injections may prolong the period of time without pain.
The medications and supplements may need to be continued life-long, though in less frequent intervals in some cases with a good success rate.
One other consideration -- if this joint is to be surgically treated, I would suggest a biopsy of some of the most severely affected bony areas. I am a little worried about a possible bone cancer known as Osteosarcoma, which can sometimes occur secondary to implantation of bone plates or screws or pins.
Customer
Would osteosarcoma explain why he cries while just laying down, not moving (which he's doing right now in this photo)?
Members enjoy round-the-clock access to 12,000+ verified Experts, including doctors, lawyers, tech support, mechanics, vets, home repair pros, more.
Expert will respond in minutes
Expert will respond in minutes
After you reach out, we match you with an Expert who specializes in your situation. Talk, text, chat, whichever you prefer.
Save time & money
Save time & money
No scheduling hassles, missing time from work, or expensive consults.
A JustAnswer membership can save you significant time and money each month.
Sarahesq and 87 other Veterinarian specialists are ready to help you.
Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.
Here's what our customers are saying about us
I had no idea this service existed! I needed an appraisal for a mid-century vase. I had my answer within 5-10 minutes! Not only did I get the appraisal amount, but the appraiser included information about the artist and the piece. Thank you, LadyTanya, for responding so quickly!
— Kerri, USA
“I had a resolution within 15 minutes”
— Erin, JustAnswer customer
Here's what our customers are saying about us
I have asked several questions to different professionals. I have received well-explained, supported answers. I am very pleased with this resource and it is well worth the membership!
— Allison, USA
Here's what our customers are saying about us
I have been using various online services for a past 20 years, and I can't say that I had better experience ever before than I had with JustAnswer. Amazingly fast, detailed and knowledgeable answers solved all of questions I had, and some questions I didn't even know I had.
— Danny, USA
Here's what our customers are saying about us
I had no idea this service existed! I needed an appraisal for a mid-century vase. I had my answer within 5-10 minutes! Not only did I get the appraisal amount, but the appraiser included information about the artist and the piece. Thank you, LadyTanya, for responding so quickly!
— Kerri, USA
“I had a resolution within 15 minutes”
— Erin, JustAnswer customer
Here's what our customers are saying about us
I have asked several questions to different professionals. I have received well-explained, supported answers. I am very pleased with this resource and it is well worth the membership!
— Allison, USA
Here's what our customers are saying about us
I have been using various online services for a past 20 years, and I can't say that I had better experience ever before than I had with JustAnswer. Amazingly fast, detailed and knowledgeable answers solved all of questions I had, and some questions I didn't even know I had.
— Danny, USA
Here's what our customers are saying about us
I had no idea this service existed! I needed an appraisal for a mid-century vase. I had my answer within 5-10 minutes! Not only did I get the appraisal amount, but the appraiser included information about the artist and the piece. Thank you, LadyTanya, for responding so quickly!
— Kerri, USA
Why you’ll love JustAnswer
JustAnswer is the best way to get expertise on-demand from doctors, lawyers, vets, mechanics and more. Since 2003, we’ve helped more than 9 million people in 196 countries and have an A+ rating with BBB and a 9.6/10 rating with TrustPilot.
Highly rated, verified Experts
We pride ourselves in our 8-step verification process including license and credential checks. Vetted by us and rated by customers, like you.
Ask-a-doc Web sites: If you've got a quick question, you can try to get an answer from sites that say they have various specialists on hand to give quick answers... Justanswer.com.
JustAnswer.com...has seen a spike since October in legal questions from readers about layoffs, unemployment and severance.
Traffic on JustAnswer rose 14 percent...and had nearly 400,000 page views in 30 days...inquiries related to stress, high blood pressure, drinking and heart pain jumped 33 percent.
I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.
Web sites like justanswer.com/legal ...leave nothing to chance.
Tory Johnson, GMA Workplace Contributor, discusses work-from-home jobs, such as JustAnswer in which verified Experts answer people’s questions.