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7. Can our clients read about this on the internet? Yes, there are many sources for your clients to educate themselves about this procedure. It therefore behooves us to educate ourselves so we are equipped to handle their questions.
8. Is it a more involved surgery? Yes, the procedure takes three to four times longer to perform than the commonly used lateral stabilization technique and requires an osteotomy.
9. Is the leg placed in a bandage or cast? No.
10. What are the restrictions postoperatively and how does the patient feel? Exercise is restricted two weeks longer than the normal six weeks we use now. By the time sutures are removed, most of the patients are feeling dramatically better than before the surgery and are using the leg very well.
11. How long do they stay in the hospital? Just overnight.
12. Can they return to full activity once they have healed? Yes, there are no restrictions on exercise.
13. Are all dogs candidates? There are some dogs who are not candidates. Occasionally the tibial plateau normally slopes too far caudally and cannot be leveled. This is determined radiographically prior to surgery. Dogs with very crooked tibias, like Bulldogs and Bassets are most likely not going to be candidates. Dogs with severe varus and valgus deformities of the femur and tibia, as well as dogs with concurrent MPL's, may not be candidates.
14. Does this procedure cost more than other cruciate surgeries and, if so, why? Yes it does. A complete radiographic study of the tibia and femur are necessary on every dog along with analysis of the degree of rotation required. This requires anesthesia.  This surgery cannot be performed without this special study. The instrument set costs $7,000 and the procedure takes three to four times longer to perform. Each plate with screws adds additional expense.
15. Is this surgery more painful? Clinically the TPLO patient does not appear to be any more painful than those who receive the lateral stabilization technique. We are very aggressive with pain control on all cruciate surgeries. Each patient receives morphine or a morphine derivative and an epidural of morphine and marcaine preoperatively. Each patient's joint is injected with marcaine at the completion of the procedure, and each patient receives a Duragesic Patch or comparable post operative medication. The overnight doctors monitor pain control and adjust it when needed. If needed, analgesics are dispensed for home use.
16. Does this procedure make the cranial drawer sign go away? No, the classical drawer sign does not go away with this surgery, however; the stifle is dynamically stable.


For more information on the TPLO procedure, please contact the SouthPaws Surgery Department at
(703) 451-0909.

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Kappa Phi honor societies.  In 1995 she received the Joseph M. Pitt Memorial Fund Award for the person who demonstrates enthusiasm for the veterinary profession and the East Alabama Veterinary Medical Association Leadership Award.  In 1996 she received the American College of Veterinary Surgeon's Award for Academic and Clinical Proficiency in Surgery and the Student Government Association's Outstanding Veterinary Student Award.  As a senior she was selected to serve as a student resident for the college's small animal clinic.  This would be her first insight into emergency medicine and what was waiting in New York City.  She graduated magna cum laude from Auburn University in 1996.

After four years in Auburn, She completed a general internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City followed by a surgical internship at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center in Texas.

Dr. Snakard remained in Texas to enter a residency in small animal surgery at Texas A&M University.  In addition to her conventional training in soft tissue, orthopedic and neurosurgery, her residency program enabled her to become proficient in laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery.  She believes that minimally invasive surgery is the future of veterinary surgery.  Her residency training was completed in June of 2001.
Although she enjoys all aspects of veterinary surgery, her special interests are minimally invasive thoracic and abdominal surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery and surgical oncology.  When not at work she enjoys the great outdoors, the arts and quality time with her family and friends. 
Her research focused on a minimally invasive therapy for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia.  Working closely with a biotech company, she was involved with a NIH funded project which tested a new laser catheter that could be used in a non-invasive fashion to ablate areas of the heart muscle responsible for initiating the arrhythmia. Her paper, "Cooled-tip Diode Laser Catheter for Improved Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia," will be published in The Journal of Investigative Surgery this fall.

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An important point to remember is that each dog is an individual and may respond in a different manner to different situations. If a bite occurs unexpectedly, the owner should try to note as many of the details about what occurred before the bite as possible. This information will be useful to help desensitize a dog to that situation. A dog behaving in an aggressive manner should not be punished. The dog may intensify its response to the individual punishing it, worsening the situation. The owner should discuss
the problem with their veterinarian.