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ZORA 2023 TPLO Surgery for 2020 Rear Amputee

IT CAN BE DONE !! Successfully !!
TPLO surgery for a rear legged tripod.

Zora was adopted in March 2020 as a 7 month old from a wonderful pitbull rescue in Catasaqua, PA, just weeks after a traumatic event required her surrender, rescue and rear leg amputation. Zora, herself, turned out to be a full-blooded Fox Red English Labrador.

This Blog will be Zora’s Thank You to a great community and she will share the trials and triumphs of her TPLO surgery. We expect it to be a bit longer healing process than a 4-legger but we are optimistic.

After 3 years of being a wild Labrador girl who earned Obedience Level 3; Advanced Level 3 Mantrailing; and
2022 registered Pet Therapy Dog certificates, Zora partially tore the CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) in her ‘only’ Rear leg ( as a high percentage of Labrador Retrievers do at some point in their lives. ). I was hoping this would happen much later in her life, if at all. Surgery was performed January 26, 2023.

I have been a grateful Member of Tripawds for many years beginning in 2012 with Victoriana (Sweetie Pie), followed by Merit in 2015, both retired greyhound race dogs. Zora is #3 amputee.

Follow along as we recover, heal and get back to being an enthusiastic Sniffer of Life
~Zora and Christine

2/4/2023

Day 9 – Post-Surgery. It is a very cold day in the Northeast USA. How about 8 degrees overnight ? Not the best time of the year for 5 minutes of sunshine outdoors for potty business. Being a typical dog, Zora has her favorite poo and pee spots. It is quite annoying to her that she is relegated to indoor ‘taking care of business’ . A major issue is that she squats to do either activity, and in normal times travels in a bit of a circle as she shifts her weight and angle 😉 . A secondary issue is that most dogs do not want to mess in the house. Quite the mental conundrum for her.

Today is the first day for the Help ‘Em Up harness with the Amputee Anti-Rotation strap. This harness will better balance weight distribution while supporting her squatting business. We waited until the leg healed a bit to use this. Though Zora says she is ready to zoom outside, she is restricted to minimal movement with a harness supported walk from room to room. A crate for sleeping and an X-Pen for daytime lounging. We are going slower than normal TPLO patients because there is only one leg to work with, therefore, only one shot of getting it right.

The incision looks great, healing and dry and Zora is eating well.

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Author: Christine

12/2023: Single rear leg, operation 1/29/23 to repair CCL knee injury. Plate and 8 rods added to rear leg. Zora is now a bionic Supergirl. She passed Level 3 Mantrailing (for scenting dogs) and Pet Therapy Dog testing. 3/2020: Updated w new Tripod, Zora adopted 1 week after amputation for traumatic injury. 7 months old. A 3-legged English Labrador, "Fox Red" color. # Sweetie Pie RIP osteosarcoma November 2018. Pie is a schoolgirl ! She is taking Odor Recognition and obedience classes. She will get evaluated as a registered pet therapy dog around April 2013 and then get a job as a READing Paws dog (listener) at local libraries and will also visit rehab or nursing homes. Miss Pie is quite the social butterfly. Victoriana "Pie", as in Sweetie Pie, retired from greyhound racing (June 2012) - due to breaking her leg in a race. Pie ran in over 100 races and won 1st & 2nd more than 20% of her races. The break was repaired, but neglect at the track allowed a severe infection to set in. Second Chance Greyhounds in Georgia, took her in and saved her life. I am the very greytful beneficiary of that awesome group. I had another greyhound with osteosarcoma, who could not be saved and this is my very small way of keeping Luna's memory alive.

2 thoughts on “ZORA 2023 TPLO Surgery for 2020 Rear Amputee”

  1. Oh my gosh! It’s so nice to see you again. I’m really sorry abut Pie 🙁 What a life you gave her! She was so lucky to have you for a parent.

    Thank you for returning to share Zora’s story. A TPLO surgery in a Tripawd happens quite a bit around here, but each and every time a dog needs one, people turn to us for comfort with examples of successful outcomes. So THANK YOU! We are adding your blog to our Tripawds Remaining Leg Surgery posts, specifically the article Remaining Limb Surgery Recovery for Tripawds.

    1. Jerry ! What a great website for us Tripawds parents, you have helped me many times over the years, both for Sweetie Pie and Merit. Both live very nice lives for multiple years on three perfectly fine legs ! Pie was a VERY POPULAR R.E.A.D. dog for two libraries for several years and the kids loved her. They were alway astonished to discover she only had 3 legs, when we responded that they only had 2 – they giggled.
      I looked high and low on this site prior to surgery for specific instances, didn’t find those at the time, but did get ready for surgery purchasing some updated Gear listed here on the site, specifically the Help ‘Em Up harness. I now see there ARE quite a few posts on this subject. See you soon, we will be updating Zora’s 2023 progress. ~Christine and Zora.

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Zora a 2020 Rear Leg Tripawd and 2023 TPLO Surgery is brought to you by Tripawds.
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