Meet Lucy, a playful 6-year old mix. She was referred to Miami Veterinary Specialists for a consultation with one of our surgeons for her left hind lameness. Lucy has a history of intermittent limping which persisted for one month. According to her owners, Lucy still wanted to run and play, but after exertion, the lameness became more noticeable.

She was seen by Dr. Christopher Potanas, one our veterinary surgeons. During her physical examination, Lucy was diagnosed with a ruptured left cranial cruciate ligament. The cranial cruciate ligament is one of the most important stabilizers inside the canine knee joint, the middle joint in the back leg.

Dr. Potanas went over the best available options for Lucy with her owners. Because of her size and activity level, surgical stabilization was recommended. It was decided that a TPLO was the best surgical plan to correct Lucy’s lameness. A TPLO is a surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint after ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament.

After a successful surgery, Lucy already seems to be on a successful path to recovery. Just one day after the surgery, she was able to go back home to her family. It will approximately take 8 weeks before Lucy can run and play again without any problem. Be patient Lucy!