Exact Answer: 1-2 Weeks
TPLO is also known as Tibial Levelling Osteotomy is a type of surgical procedure that is used to treat rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament in the knee joints of the dogs. Well, this surgery is performed on most dogs and after surgery, it is best not to walk your dog around for at least a couple of weeks.
Start walking your dog slowly after a couple of weeks and then gradually you can increase the pace. The time limit of walking should be at least five minutes within the few weeks after surgery and after completing 8 more weeks you can walk your dog around for half an hour or more.
How Long After TPLO Can Dog Walk?
| After TPLO surgery | Prevent running, jumping, and other such kinds of activities for a couple of weeks. |
| After a couple of weeks | You should make your dog walk for at least half an hour or more than that. |
It is best to take care of your dog at home and being an owner you should understand the pain and trouble that your dog is going through. In case you notice that your dog is not being able to recover itself on time then you should talk to the doctor immediately and detect what is going wrong.
Prepare your home with all the necessary things after completing the surgery so that your pet can recover quickly. Teach your family members some strengthening exercise so that whenever you are not at home during exercising time then they could help your pet do that.
Make sure your house floor is not slippery because there could be a chance that your dog could trip and fall. Use carpets, mats, and other such kinds of materials so that to prevent slipping. It is best post-surgery you should spend most of the time with your pet and make sure that things are ok with your pet.
There would be some symptoms that will show post-surgery like swellings around the incision area for at least five to seven days. A small amount of blood being discharged from the incision area, some kind of discomfort, complications in bowel movement, and many other such kinds of symptoms. Remember that the above symptoms are normal symptoms and you should not worry about them.
Why Does It Take That Long After TPLO Surgery To Walk?
The healing process can take up to a couple of weeks and it is normal that a dog can only start walking after completing 1-2 weeks rest. The symptoms that show post-surgery take some time to recover and this is why dogs can take up a few weeks before they start walking again.
However, there are some abnormal symptoms too post-surgery. Swelling happens beyond a week or more, bruising other than the incision site, a large amount of blood discharge, discomfort not being calmed down by your pet, no bowel movements for a week, and other such kinds of symptoms. Make sure you visit the doctor if you notice these kinds of symptoms.
The veterinarian doctor who has conducted the surgery would recommend you some precautions that you have to make sure that your dog has to take care of. Some common things like preventing the incision area from licking and other such kinds of things.
You should be able to keep direct supervision of your dog at least for a few weeks before the area is dried up and has healed itself. If you want you can wear a protective collar on your dog’s neck so that he cannot lick the area or do some other things that can prevent the incision area from healing.
Conclusion
In the end, your dog has to heal quickly and has to start walking and running normally. If your dog cannot walk properly then there are a lot of problems as an owner that you have to face. Your dog has to keep eating and drinking so that he/she can keep bowel movements running every day.
Bowel movements of your dog should not stop and make sure it does not happen. Your pet might be on certain pain medications which will prevent your dog from eating like he used to do before. But, it is important that you take care of it.
References
It’s not easy, but we’ll do this for our furry friends.
Wishing you and your dog a smooth recovery!
Of course, our dogs are worth it.
I’ll make sure to keep my home non-slippery for my dog.
This is really informative, thank you!
The post definitely clarifies the recovery process for your dog after the surgery.
I agree, a lot of important information here.
Interesting, I’ll make sure to look out for those symptoms when my dog goes through the surgery.
Definitely, it’s important to be aware of that.
Good to know, good luck with your dog!
This post mentions a lot of important details.
It’s very informative.
A few weeks seem like a long time for a dog to recover, I didn’t realize that.
It seems like a long process, especially making sure your dog doesn’t lick the incision.
It is important that we take care of our dogs.
Yes, that’s definitely a challenge.
Good tips for taking care of your dog after surgery.
These are really helpful!
I’m glad I found this information, it’s a long recovery process for the dog.