Knee Replacement – Dog’s Dodgy Knee
According to a report in the Daily Mail, a pair of doting dog
owners recently decided to splash out on knee replacement surgery
for their beloved beaded collie, Grace.
As the saying goes, ‘dogs are a man’s best friend’ and this
would certainly appear to be the case for Julie and John Parker who
decided to give the bearded collie, Grace, a knee replacement
operation after the dog’s life was made a misery from joint pain.
It is fairly unusual for dogs to undergo knee replacement
procedures but the operation in humans is becoming increasingly
regular as people aim to eradicate the pain and immobility that is
associated with osteoarthritis and other knee complaints.
Knee Replacement – New Lease of Life
The problem of Grace’s dodgy knee had made her incapable of
walking and she was suffering from severe arthritis in her knee.
According to the report in the Daily Mail, however, a successful
knee replacement operation has given Grace, the bearded collie, a
spring in her step as she is no longer hindered by the pain in her
knee. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the vet who carried out the
operation, Malcolm McKee, stated, “There were some nervous moments
and there were times when there could have been problems. But, I'm
glad to say everything went according to plan. Before she was very
immobile and in a lot of pain, but this should now give her five or
seven years of good quality life.” So, Grace, after some pioneering
knee replacement surgery, can look forward to a much more active
life than would previously have been the case.
Knee Replacement – Learning on the Job
Whilst knee replacement procedures are commonplace for humans,
they are decidedly less frequent in the canine world. According to
the report in the Daily Mail, the veterinary surgeons that
performed Grace’s knee replacement operation had to use all their
initiative due to the irregularity of the procedure. Speaking to
the Daily Mail, one of the surgeons who assisted in the operation,
Toby Gemmill, stated, “These techniques are extremely new and this
sort of surgery has only been carried out 14 times in total. The
problem Grace had before was that she had worn a lot of the
cartilage between the femur and tibia away so it was bone rubbing
against bone. Now, there is a metal against plastic articulation
which will remove the pain and help her move much more freely.”
Knee replacement operations are obviously in their infancy for
canines but thousands of humans each year utilise the procedures to
eradicate the pain associated with conditions such as
osteoarthritis.