Veterinarian Dr. Ahalt saw a dog and diagnosed him with a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) in March 2018 and recommend that the dog have surgery by a board certified veterinary surgeon coming to Jefferson Veterinary Hospital to perform a tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy, commonly known as a TPLO, rather than the traditional cruciate surgery due to the dogs’ size. Dr. Ahalt has found that dogs over 40lbs have an easier recovery from TPLO surgery, rather than the traditional surgery, which for that size of dog is likely to result in the affected knee being re-injured. Dr. Ahalt still performs cruciate surgeries on smaller dogs, who have a lesser likelihood of causing injury to the repaired joint. After much debate and research the owner chose to have the TPLO surgery performed at Jefferson Veterinary Hospital by a board certified veterinary surgeon approximately 1 year after the initial diagnosis. The owner also elected to have the dog undergo stem cell therapy in both the affected joint and the joint in the opposite leg, which had started to develop arthritis. The surgery was a success and the owners were wonderful at keeping the dog quiet and calm during the recovery period at home and the dog made a full recovery .