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Young Dave, a Labrador who is now two-years-old, was in such pain caused by hip dysplasia that a bilateral hip replacement at Linnaeus-owned Kentdale Referrals, was his best chance of living without being in agony.
Following two successful operations to replace both hips, carried out two months apart, Dave now has a great quality of life.
Dave’s owner, Fiona Durham from Cumbria, said: “Dave was only seven months old when we first realised there was a problem. He started screaming in pain after playing with another puppy and was in pain when playing fetch with a ball.
“We were shocked he had hip dysplasia and stunned by how severe his case was, especially as we had researched his family history before buying him and had been careful to not overexercise him as a puppy.
“We were also concerned about potential complications during each surgery and for the long recovery process. There was the extra worry about what would happen if either surgery was not successful due to the severity of the case.”
Hip dysplasia is a deformity of the hip that occurs during growth and leads to the development of arthritis.
Gemma Holloway, European specialist in small animal surgery at Kentdale Referrals, said: “Dave’s owner reported he had shown several episodes of crying out when playing and being lame on the right hind leg.
“We discussed with his owners the details of what was involved with total hip replacement surgery and felt Dave would benefit from surgery bilaterally, with the operations taking place eight weeks apart.”
The successful operations were the start of Dave’s road to recovery as he then began a physiotherapy programme, under the supervision of veterinary physiotherapist Emma Woof, to build the muscular support to his hips.
Fiona added: “Dave now has a great quality of life. He goes to daycare each week where he spends all day playing with other dogs. He also enjoys long hikes and runs on the beach, totally pain free.
“The care that Dave received was amazing. You can tell that each member of staff really loves animals, which made it easier to leave Dave there when he was being cared for.”
Gemma added: “I’m delighted with Dave’s progress and it’s fantastic to know he’s doing so well. He’s now a very active dog enjoying one to two hour walks on the average day, and up to 10 miles on some weekends.”
Kentdale Referrals is a specialist-led hospital offering expert services in diagnostic imaging, arthroscopy, anaesthesia, orthopaedic surgery, spinal surgery, soft tissue surgery and physiotherapy.
For more information on Kentdale Referrals, visit www.kentdalevets.co.uk or search for Kentdale Referrals on social media.