Amber is a 3 year old Labrador and works as a security dog. She first presented to us after suffering an injury to her right hind leg, she was unable to place any weight on the limb.
Xrays were performed which revealed she had suffered a significant injury to her tarsal joint (ankle joint in humans). The injury was found to have collapsed the joint, which we suspect was due to tendon/ligament instability. An arthrodesis was recommended as a surgical treatment option.
The arthrodesis fuses the joint using an orthopaedic plate and screws.
Surgery was perfomed at our Meopham Hospital by Dr Martin Hobbs & Dr Rupert Davenport, after surgery Amber was transferred to our ward under the care of our nurses. She was kept up to date with fluid therapy and pain relief post-operatively, as well as lots of TLC from the team.
By the very next day Amber was able to wander around and even wagged her tail and by 3 days post op she was ready to be discharged home for continued care. She will remain restricted until her post op Xrays after 1 month but we are pleased to report she is progressing as we would expect so far.
