JOINT SURGERY
Northwest Specialist Vet Provides Veterinary Joint Surgery Including Full Joint Replacements For Pets
JOINT SURGERY
Dr William McCartney, chief surgeon of Northwest Specialist Vet, was the first veterinary surgeon in Ireland to perform full joint replacements for dogs and cats. With this in mind, we specialist in advanced joint surgery services including full knee and hip replacements for your pets.
As well as replacements, we provide cranial cruciate ligament surgeries and surgical treatments for a range of joint issues e.g. elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia.
Northwest Specialist Vet Joint Surgery Services
Cranial Cruciate Ligament Surgery (CCL)
Injuries to the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) is a common orthopaedic issue that occurs in our canine patients. CCL injury can occur as an acute trauma or can also be the result of a degenerative process that can lead to early and progressive arthritis. CCL causes pain and lameness as well as an increased risk of injury to other structures of the knee. In dogs, the CCL cannot be repaired or reattached but it can be treated surgically to reduce symptoms. Surgical options for dogs with this injury are based on altering the biomechanics of the joint using the TPLO or TTA methods. As well as these treatment options, Northwest Specialist Vet uses arthroscopic surgery as a key investigative tool for cranial cruciate ligament issues due to its minimal disruption of the joint structure and rapid recovery time.Hip Surgery
The hip is a versatile joint that provides much of the power of the hind limb whilst having the biggest range of motion of any joint in the body. Unfortanatly hip dysplasia is common. Because of this, hip conditions, especially painful osteoarthritis, can be particularly difficult to adjust to. Northwest Specialist Vet offers treatment and surgery for a range of hip issues. The first route of treatment is to administer pain-relieving anti-inflammatories, which can be hugely successful in managing the pain, while then working with our specialist veterinary team to offer a treatment to solve the underlying condition. In cases where surgical intervention is necessary the animal can have either a triple pelvis osteotomy (if less than 12 months) for hip dysplasia, femoral head and neck excision or total hip replacement. We offer all of these specialist surgeries. Although these are large-scale, serious operations, they are generally extremely successful.Elbow Surgery
Canine elbow dysplasia is a main cause of canine forelimb lameness. Elbow dysplasia refers to a selection of diseases that include osteochondrosis (OCD), fragmented coronoid process (FCP) and united anconeal process (UAP). These issues are hereditary and have different pathophysiology, however all can lead to elbow arthrosis. As well as treating these issues with veterinary elbow surgery, we provide surgery for degenerative joint diseases to provide pain feee movement in the elbow. Surgery of traumatic luxation can involve the open reduction of the elbow luxation or elbow arthrodesis.
Northwest Specialist Vet also provides elbow surgery for general elbow and ulna deformities due to trauma or immature bone growth. If these conditions are left untreated, the elbow joint can become painful and can lead to degenerative joint disease. Surgery can include ulnar lengthening osteotomy, ulnar shortening osteotomy or radial lengthening.
Dr William McCartney of Northwest Specialist Vet was the first veterinary orthopaedic surgeon in Ireland to do total elbow replacements, PAUL procedure, sliding humeral osteotomy, arthroscopy, and arthroscopic surgery for medial compartment disease.