Full healing time is ~6 months.. The first 8 weeks we had to keep him confined to the living room, and usually on a leash so we could keep him under control. We also crated him if we needed to leave. No stairs for 3 months. This was a big problem for us, as our bedroom is upstairs, so we moved to sleeping on the couch and floor with him.

There are THOUSANDS of stories of people having MAJOR problems from TPLO surgeries, but these are people who don't follow instructions. With this type of surgery, the dogs feel so much better in a short time that they often overdo it too soon. That is why it is so important to follow all directions post-op. Also, we saw a lot of pictures of dogs with HUGE scars all over from the surgery... not the case. Eli's scaring is SO minimal. Another thing to remember with TPLO is that the dog will try to overcompensate for the injury and often injures the other leg as well. Our vet estimates 45-65% of dogs who damage one knee will damage the other. Just something to keep in mind. Makes you really want to follow the directions post-op so you dont end up out of $5k instead of $2500.

Glad I could help! PTer's have helped me a lot, so I'm glad I can offer advice! =)

(Eli is a big dog, lol... for a Boxer. He's 70lbs now.. had him in the low 60's after his TPLO. Everyone says woof woof, thank you for the compliments!)