Outcome and owner assessment after single-session bilateral tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in 127 dogs

To retrospectively evaluate complication rates following bilateral tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) as well as owner assessment of outcomes and post-operative management.

Medical records of dogs presenting with bilateral cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease that underwent single-session bilateral TPLO from 2015 to 2019 in 1 referral practice were retrospectively reviewed. A non-validated questionnaire was sent to the owners to assess their ability to cope during the rehabilitation period, as well as procedure outcome.

In total, 127 dogs were included for analysis. The overall complication rate was 16.5% (minor complication rate 9.4% and major complication rate 10.2%). Of the 50 owners that answered the questionnaire, 31 (62%) did not need to use sling support at home at any time and 10 (20%) used sling support for < 1 wk. Furthermore, only 1 owner indicated that they would not choose to do a bilateral TPLO surgery again.

Bilateral single-session TPLO surgery performed by an experienced surgeon had a similar outcome and complication rate to that of unilateral TPLO surgery. Most owners reported that postoperative care of their dog was not difficult.