The most common orthopaedic surgery in Australian dogs, and the one with the widest price spread. Here is what the operation actually is, what it should cost, when it is genuinely needed, and what recovery really looks like.
The real price spread city by city, and why quotes vary by thousands
When cruciate surgery is genuinely needed and when conservative management is defensible
What normal looks like at each stage, and the signs that are not normal
What can go wrong, how often it does, and what failure actually means
The cranial cruciate ligament stabilises the knee. In dogs it usually does not snap in one dramatic moment the way a footballer's ACL does. It frays and weakens over months, which is why many dogs have an on and off limp before the day it suddenly gets worse. Once the ligament fails, the shin bone slides forward under the thigh bone with every step, the knee becomes unstable and painful, and arthritis starts building.
Send what your vet said and quoted. A veterinary surgeon reads it and comes back to you with what they can do and what it would cost, before you pay anything. A written second opinion is from $250.
No, and any clinic that presents it that way is skipping the conversation you deserve. There are three surgical techniques in common Australian use: TPLO, TTA and the lateral suture. Which one is right depends mostly on your dog's size, age and activity, and partly on what your surgeon does well. For large and active dogs TPLO has the strongest evidence behind it. For small dogs the picture is genuinely more nuanced.
Conservative management, meaning strict rest, weight control and physiotherapy without surgery, is sometimes defensible in small dogs and is usually a poor bet in large ones. The honest answer is case by case, which is exactly why a second opinion on your dog's imaging is worth more than any general article, including this one.
Send the case, hear back from a surgeon with what they can do and what it costs, and only pay if you go ahead.
Age by itself is rarely the deciding factor; overall health and quality of life are. A healthy 10 year old with a ruptured cruciate can do very well after surgery, while a dog with serious heart or kidney disease may be better served another way. This is a case for individual assessment, not a rule of thumb.
Small dogs sometimes reach a comfortable, if imperfect, result without surgery. Large dogs usually stay lame and develop arthritis faster. Living with it is a real decision some owners make, but it should be an informed one, not a default.
Location, what is bundled into the price, who does the operation and where. A specialist referral hospital with board specialists, dedicated anaesthetists and overnight ICU costs more to run than a high volume dedicated TPLO clinic. Both can be good. The quote should tell you what you are paying for.
True failures are uncommon but real: infection, implant problems or a fracture of the healing bone. Most are fixable, some need revision surgery. Ask any quoting clinic what their revision policy is; some offer a surgical guarantee period.