Hello, my name is Dr. Fiona Caldwell and I'm a practicing veterinarian at Idaho Veterinary Hospital. Today I want to answer some Facebook questions at home for you
The first question I have is, "Can I give my dog human glucosamine?" This is a great question. Glucosamine is a supplement that's meant to help with arthritis conditions in dogs. The dog-formulated and people-formulated glucosamines are basically the same, so the answer is yes, you can, but it's important that you contact your veterinarian to know what dose is appropriate for your dog before you just purchase it over-the-counter.
The next question is, "Can a TPLO fail after the bone has healed?" A TPLO is a specific type of surgery that's meant to correct a cruciate tear in a dog's knee, just like an ACL tear in a person.
TPLOs typically have a pretty good success rate. After the bone is healed, there's probably less incidence of failure versus when the bone is actually healing and the dog is a little bit more vulnerable at that time. But if your dog is acting differently after the surgery or starting to favor the leg, it could be a cause for concern and you should contact your veterinarian.
If you have a question for me, head to the Pets Best Facebook page and post your questions there.
www.petsbest.com