We routinely perform surgery to repair fractured bones, and joint surgery for conditions such as cruciate repair ( knee ligament repair), in both dogs and cats.
One of our Pet of the Month features illustrates what what our skilled surgeons can do. Many other vet surgeries are unable to perform these type of procedures :
- Bruno was hit by a car and was carried into our surgery, he was seen immediately by vet Matthew Wilson. He was in shock and unable to use his frontleg. Bruno was treated for shock with intravenous fluids, and given strong pain killers. We took x-rays of his chest and abdomen to check for internal injuries or bleeding, but luckily there were none.
- It was clear from examination that Bruno had fractured his frontleg. His x-rays of the leg revealed that both bones (radius and ulna) below his elbow had been broken. Repairing this type of injury requires specialist equipment, and experience. He had a wound on his leg which was cleaned and our head nurse Lynne Virgo placed a splinted dressing on his front-leg to provide protection and support.
Bruno was then transferred to our Ealing surgery, where he was given a painkilling intravenous infusion through the night to make him more comfortable, overseen by our vet on duty.
- Special implants were ordered to repair Bruno’s fracture, and a few days later vet Anthony Young performed surgery to repair the broken bones, using a metal plate and screws. Although this was a major operation, Bruno was up and around the following day, and already starting to use his newly repaired leg.
- Bruno’s metal plate and screws will likely stay in place for the rest of his life, but once the bone had healed ( which took around 8 weeks) he was able to go back to enjoying his normal levels of exercise.
