Is my puppy's limping normal 3 weeks after leg fracture surgery?

Poor Lily! Obviously she is in pain if she is limping more, and given that it looks like her knee wings outward when she walks, I would make an appointment with the vet for tomorrow morning to have her seen. It can take up to eight weeks or longer to fully heal from a TPLO, and she had surgery about three weeks ago. Being knocked down could be enough to disturb the healing process and potentially disrupt the plates in her joints. She likely needs an x-ray to make sure everything is ok, but it's not an emergency. Rest her tonight, do not take her for a walk. Only take her into your yard to potty on a leash, and bring her right back in when she's done. Have her seen by the vet who did the surgery tomorrow. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Maya. She will need to see her veterinarian again or you may consider seeking a second opinion. I am concerned that the fracture did not heal properly. She will likely need x-rays to determine how the leg has healed and then I suspect she will require further treatment. In the meantime, keep her very quiet to avoid any further trauma to the limb. I hope this information helps!

Koby is a cutie! Ideally he just sprained his forelimb/only has a soft tissue injury and will respond well to a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (recent blood work showing normal liver values is usually recommended before prescribing NSAIDs such as carprofen/Rimadyl) for a few days along with activity restriction for a week. This conservative therapy may be chosen as long as the limb does not appear swollen, acutely painful, etc. on physical exam/palpation. Re-x raying that limb would be ideal to determine if there has been migration of the pins/a new fracture etc. but could potentially wait if he is putting weight on the limb/it does not appear swollen/ and he responds well to the pain medication. As he has pins in his limb, he will be more prone to arthritis as the years go by and would likely benefit from being on a joint supplement such as VetriScience Mobility Flex or Vetriflex for life. Best of luck!

This could be just a flareup of arthritis in the knee which is very common in dogs with the surgery. Depending on what was done sometimes there could be a meniscus injury after the surgery. Some surgeons do a "preventative" meniscus surgery at the same time others do not. Rarely it could indicate an issue with the implant placed during the procedure. I would follow your veterinarian's advice and if she becomes worse have her seen sooner. Sometimes x-rays of the knee or needed other times we can figure out what's going on with just an orthopedic exam.

It could be that the ligament is simply weak because Journey hasn't been using that leg for the past six weeks. Given that it's only been one day since the splint has been taken off, it will take time for the muscles and ligaments in her leg to strengthen back up. I would continue to monitor Journey for now, and hopefully she will begin to use the leg better over time. Should she still have issues with it in another week, or she starts limping or stops using the leg, then I would have her seen by a vet.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Muneca is limping. Based off the radiograph, it looks like her fibula, the smaller bone in her lower leg, may be fractured. It is difficult to know for sure without an orthogonal view, but that may be the reason for her limping. I recommend restricting her activity to cage rest and leash walks only, do not let her run or play for at least 4 weeks to allow time for the bone to heal. I recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian who can perform bloodwork and see if it is safe to prescribe her anti-inflammatory pain medications to help her feel more comfortable. NEVER give human pain medications to dogs as they can be markedly toxic. I hope this is helpful!

I suspect that lump is related to the plate removal but I do recommend to call your veterinarian. They may want to see her before three days. Sometimes pets don’t realize that the previously broken leg is fixed. Sometimes there is still residual pain. I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian if physical therapy would benefit Kenya. This will help to retrain her brain to use the leg as well as improve the musculature which will make it more stable. I hope this helps and best of luck.