Pet Orthopaedic Solutions
TPLO/Luxating Patella pre operative notes
Pet Orthopaedic Solutions is a visiting referral orthopaedic company that travels to individual veterinary
practices upon request. Fergus Ryan MVB CertSAS MRCVS is the veterinary surgeon within this company and
Rebecca Ainsley RVN is the qualified nurse. Using pet Orthopaedic Solutions reduces the stress of travelling
and allows your pet to stay in the care of your usual trusted veterinary practice, bringing with it a high quality
service. Fergus holds a RCVS certificate in small animal surgery and has experience working in referral practice.
On the morning of surgery Fergus will carry out the morning admission appointment allowing you to ask any
questions and in this admission he will go through in detail all about the surgery and aftercare required. Fergus
will also carry out an examination on your pet before admitting them for surgery.
Following TPLO surgery or Patella surgery your pet may be discharged with a large dressing covering the
operated leg. This dressing is to be removed 24 hours after surgery by your vet. This dressing must not get
wet, soiled or slip down the leg, if it does it should be removed at home or by your vet. It may be that
following Orthopaedic Surgery that your pet is kept in the practice hospital for 24 hours after surgery. This
would be discussed for each individual case and decided on the day of surgery.
It is very important that your pet does not interfere with the surgical site. A ‘white plaster’ known as a
Primapore dressing will be covering your pets wound immediately post op, this reduces the risk of bacteria
entering the wound for the first few days after surgery. This should be changed every 1 to 2 days, your pet will
be sent home with 3 to 4 spare plasters, once these have all been used the wound no longer needs to be
covered. Ideally the wound should be covered for the first 3 days. It is very important that the surgical site is
examined daily, for any signs of swelling, discharge, bleeding or for any missing sutures. A buster collar
should be used at all times to prevent your pet from licking the wound, biting it or removing the sutures. If
your pet licks the wound, this can cause a wound infection. The buster collar can be removed for short breaks
and for eating and drinking as long as your pet is watched and the wound is not interfered with. Cryothearpy
(cold therapy) is a great way to help reduce swelling and reduce pain; this should be applied 2 to 3 times a day
for 10 minutes to the surgical site for the first 2 days, after this, it is no longer required. A bag of frozen peas
wrapped in a tea towel can be used for this.
After TPLO or patella surgery it is very important that your pet has strict rest for 4 weeks, after this your pet
can have short lead walks for 5 to 10 minutes, 3 times a day until the final follow up appointment, this is
roughly 6 to 7 weeks post surgery. This appointment will be carried out at your normal practice by Pet
Orthopaedic Solutions, at this appointment your pet will be sedated and have a final set of radiographs. Your
pet should be starved for at least 8 hours before this appointment. This final appointment is to ensure that the
leg is/has healed to plan and the implant and screws look ok. It is vitally important that your pet does not
jump or go up stairs for 4 weeks following surgery. Strict rest is defined as cage rest or confined to a single
small room in the house, with frequent toilet breaks on the lead only.
Fergus will give you a telephone consultation immediately post op to let you know how the surgery went.
Following this, all further post operative checks will be carried out by your veterinary practice, until the final
post operative check 6 week or 7 weeks after surgery. In between this time Pet Orthopaedic Solutions can be
contacted at any time to discuss your pets recovery.