Orthopedic Pet Surgery

Cruciate, patella luxation, and hip surgery

Our trained veterinary surgeons perform a variety of pet orthopedic surgeries. Orthopedic surgery focuses on surgical procedures involving your pet’s bones and joints. With the help of our diagnostic lab and digital X-ray equipment, we are able to diagnose your pet’s condition and offer state-of-the-art surgical procedures, holistic treatments, and follow-up care to improve the quality of your pet’s life.

Conditions that can be treated with orthopedic surgery include:

Canine Hip Dysplasia
Degenerative Joint Disease
Cranial Cruciate Ligament, CCL (Injury or Rupture)
- One of the most common canine orthopedic disorders we treat is Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) injury or rupture. The CCL is one of the major knee stabilizers in dogs and cats and is commonly equated to the ACL in humans. Just like humans, surgical intervention may be needed if your pet injures or ruptures its CCL, so your pet can return to normal activity.
- The CCL is a strong, dense structure that connects the ends of two bones across a joint. Their main function is to stabilize the joint. The CCL plays a critical role in stabilizing the stifle (knee) against front-to-back forces, preventing internal rotation of the tibia bone, and limiting hyperextension of the stifle. Once the cruciate ligament is torn, the femur slides down the sloped top portion of the tibia (the tibial plateau), creating instability in the knee joint and pain.
- Signs of cruciate injury include:
  - Stiffness in the rear leg after resting for a period of time
  - Varying degrees of lameness (limping or hobbling)
  - Non-weight bearing on the rear leg
  - A clicking noise is heard when your pet walks on that limb or when the leg is flexed.
Patella Luxation (Dislocated Knee)
Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO)
Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL)
Medial Patella Luxation (MPL)
Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO)

Any pet that undergoes orthopedic surgery will require at least two weeks of restricted exercise and constant monitoring. It’s important to understand that almost all orthopedic surgeries come with a lengthy recovery time and, depending on how well your pet is doing towards the end of its recovery, we may recommend canine rehabilitation.

Schedule an appointment by calling us at (407) 897-8555 or request online to learn more about orthopedic surgery.