Canine TTA Surgery

It started a while back, we noticed that our herding dog, Chip, was favouring his left hind leg. We chalked it up to arthritis. My husband often grumbled at me when I'd leave him outside and he'd choose to lie down for a rest on the cement patio, saying I was helping to make it worse. Then a couple weeks ago instead of just favouring the leg he stopped using it entirely and became 3 legged. "Maybe we should take him to the vet?" we'd say, and let it go a bit longer. But a week ago we did, and of course, as expected (don't we always prepare ourselves to expect the worst?) Chip needed an operation - a $2800 operation!!! Just about have to sell the farm to make the farm dog well! But Chip is a valuable asset on the farm; we cannot do the livestock work without him; and he's loved. So we said okay.

      The success of this operation is largely dependant upon his care for many weeks after it. The operation is called TTA and you can find a good explanation of it on the net at: Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) Surgery for Dogs ... www.topdoghealth.com.  It's a little like a human getting a knee replacement. The dog, and master, must follow a regimented programme of rehabilitation consisting of gradually longer sessions of slow controlled on-short leash walks, cold pacs, hot pacs, massage, and physiotherapy - 3 times per day. In between these sessions he must remain inactive. He must not walk on slippery surfaces. At the end of 12 weeks of this rather time consuming and careful treatment programme he should be 100% well.

So our maniacally active, jumping, enthusiastic, running, playing Border Collie has to be kept still, walk very slowly on a short leash, cannot jump up, cannot run, cannot do much of anything he is accustomed to doing! Between his therapy sessions he has to stay in a dog crate. Otherwise he'd be jumping. You can ask any of our friends how Chip likes to play! We've completed week one and he's doing pretty well, getting used to the regime that's been imposed upon him even though he really doesn't understand why. He's on painkillers and antibiotics. When those run out, and as he feels better and better, it'll be harder and harder to keep him at a slow walk - but that's what's needed to gently and slowly strengthen the leg and keep him from ripping all that beautiful surgical work to shreds.

We start lambing in April. Hopefully Chip will be able to work by then.  In the meantime our guardian dog, Josie, will be having pups. We'll be preparing the barn and med kit for lambing and feeding the ewes grain. Spring will begin to seem possible once again. The geese will return to honk and scrap for territory while sitting on the still iced-over lake; I'll be planning the garden to be planted on the May long weekend; little lambs will be playing king on the mountain; the summer birds will return... and we will have a healthy 4 legged dog. Ahh, I can hardly wait.