Edith, a 1 year old cat, can now reach her full potential following a total hip replacement operation. After noticing that Edith wasn’t jumping very well, her owner brought her in to see us.
Our vet, Dr John Mather, tells us her story “Edith came in to see us after her owner noticed she was reluctant to jump and had to pull herself up with her front legs. When we examined her we found that her hips were painful. X-rays showed that Edith had hip dysplasia, a condition that can also affect dogs and humans. Instead of a nice ball and socket joint, the socket part is too shallow and the ball part therefore loose. The looseness can be painful in itself and over time leads to arthritis of the hip joint.
Edith’s hip x-ray before the op
“We started Edith on pain killers, but especially given her young age we wanted to be able to offer a better long term solution. One option is to surgically remove the ball part of the joint, a salvage procedure to remove the source of pain. A better option, however, is to replace the joint with an artificial one. This removes the source of pain and also allows for a more natural range of movement.
“Edith’s owner was keen to do the very best for her, and with the benefit of pet insurance, was able to proceed with the option of a total hip replacement on the most severely affected side. The operation took 4 hours, during which I was assisted by 3 other team members. My team and I underwent rigorous training during 2018 in order to be able to perform this surgical procedure successfully.
“We were really happy with how the operation went and after an initial period of rest and physiotherapy are thrilled that Edith has a new lease of life. We are pleased to be able to offer this procedure to dogs and cats in Torbay, without the need for referral further away”.
Edith’s x-ray showing the new hip
Since she has had the hip replacement, Edith’s owner reports that for the first time in her short life she has actually managed to act like a cat. She has gone from not being able to jump onto a sofa, to climbing a tree!
Dr Mather is certified to perform the Biomedtrix Total Hip Replacement procedure in dogs and cats and is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery.