Fido has come a long way from living outdoors and being “just a dog.” Today, nearly 90 million American households own a pet, and Forbes reports that 97% of pet owners consider their pets to be a part of their family. The growth in pet ownership, as well as in people’s deep affinity for their animals, has given rise to advanced and alternative treatment options for the four-legged family members.
Surgeries
Going well beyond the routine spay or neutering, veterinarians today can perform advanced orthopedic surgeries to repair such injuries as torn cranial cruciate ligaments (the equivalent of a human’s ACL), by cutting the bone and repositioning it with plates and screws. I know from personal experience that this is a major surgery, requiring months of rehabilitation, but it was able to restore mobility and eliminate pain in my dog.
Surgeons can also perform other orthopedic operations, such as repairs on slipped kneecaps, procedures to stabilize knees in smaller dogs that do not require a full reconstruction, and surgery for dogs with severe hip dysplasia.
Not only are the surgeries possible, but since COVID, more general practitioners have received advanced training to perform them. This greatly increases access to care and keeps those in the Dubuque area from having to travel repeatedly to Madison or Davenport for care.
“The amount of injuries that we can fix is constantly evolving, and there are new techniques that are becoming readily available,” said Dr. Mariah Crotty of Colonial Terrace Animal Hospital. “Before surgeries, people managed these injuries with pain medications, rest, activity restrictions, and joint supplements, but arthritis sets in a lot faster that way.”
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