Southpaw Veterinary Orthopaedic Centre

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Southpaw Veterinary Orthopaedic Centre

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A family run, independent veterinary referral service dedicated to the investigation and treatment of musculoskeletal trauma, injury and disease in dogs and cats.

16/07/2025

Cranial cruciate ligament rupture is the most common orthopaedic problem in dogs and this causes instability of the stifle (knee) joint. Affected dogs will have hind limb lameness and stiffness. Sometimes the signs will appear suddenly, but in other cases they develop more gradually. The ligament ruptures due to a degenerative change in most cases and although traumatic rupture can occur, this is uncommon. Both partial and full ruptures can be seen.

In the majority of cases surgical management is recommended and would be expected to give the best outcome. Tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) is the surgery we carry out most frequently and evidence shows this technique gives the best results. The surgery involves cutting and repositioning the top of the tibia (shin bone) to alter the way the forces go through the stifle (knee) joint resulting in joint stability. A period of rest and exercise restriction is required after the surgery to allow the bone to heal in its new postion. Lead walks can be started at two weeks post surgery. Radiographs are taken at six weeks to ensure the bone is healing as expected.

The outcome is expected to be good following TPLO surgery with over 90% of dogs returning to normal activity without requiring ongoing medication.

If you have a patient, or a pet, who has a cranial cruciate ligament rupture please get in touch to see if we can help.

07/07/2025

Meet the lovely Miss Lady, another of our awesome patients who we have had the pleasure of treating.

She was run over by a car resulting in multiple pelvic and hind limb injuries including a bilateral sacroiliac luxation, a fractured acetabulum (hip socket) and a fractured femur. These were all repaired surgically using screws, pins and plates.

Despite being physically small she has a massive resilience and her happy personality was never dampened throughout her recovery. Miss Lady went on to make a full recovery and was soon back to her normal tricks.

24/06/2025

Hip dysplasia (HD) is a developmental disease which results in laxity in the hip joints. This laxity can cause pain and lameness during the growth phase with signs often becoming apparent from six months of age. This tends to persist until skeletal maturity at around eighteen months of age. Due to the abnormal formation of the joints secondary osteoarthritis will develop, usually from twelve months onwards. This can also cause lameness and pain.

Investigation of a patient with hip dysplasia includes examination, radiographs, joint fluid analysis and, in some cases CT.

Treatment of HD can either be conservative or surgical. Conservative management includes weight and exercise control, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and analgesia. Surgical managements include total hip replacement (THR) or femoral head and neck excision (FHNE). THR offers the best solution for optimum hip function.

If you have a patient, or a pet, who is affected with hip dysplasia and would like to discuss the options to manage this condition please contact us.

$Meet outstanding Oliver who was malciously shot by a airgun pellet, resulting in a comminuted fracture of the femur. A ...$

18/06/2025

Meet outstanding Oliver who was malciously shot by a airgun pellet, resulting in a comminuted fracture of the femur. A comminuted fracture is when there are more than two fragments of bone.

He underwent surgery to remove the pellet and the broken bone was repaired with an interlocking nail (Biomedtrix I-Loc). Interlocking nails provide rigid fixation and can resist bending forces in all directions allowing early weight bearing on the limb.

Oliver is recovering well following his ordeal and is expected to make a full recovery.

11/06/2025

Fractures usually occur following some kind of trauma incident such as a road traffic accident or a fall and can affect any bone. Multiple factors are taken into consideration when deciding on the best way to treat a fracture and include the age of patient, which bone is broken, the pattern of fracture and post operative care.

The first step in planning a fracture repair is getting high quality images and we have DR radiography and CT to enable us to do this. There are multiple fixation systems available including pins, wires, plates, external fixators and interlocking nails. We stock all of these implants enabling us to fix any type of broken bone.

If you have a patient, or a pet, who has suffered a fracture please get in touch to see if we can help.

05/06/2025

Snoopy, a labrador retriever, was one of the amazing dogs we have treated here at Southpaw. He was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia based on physical examination, a CT scan and joint fluid analysis. The CT scan identified a fragmented medial coronoid process which is the most common finding in labradors with elbow dysplasia. Arthroscopy was carried out to assess the cartilage and remove the fragment. Following this, the lameness improved and Snoopy was much happier.

If you have a patient, or a pet, affected by elbow dysplasia please get in touch to see if we can help.

28/05/2025

Forelimb lameness can be caused by a wide range of problems affecting the bones or soft tissues (muscle, tendon, ligaments). They can be challenging cases to localise and diagnose. Underlying causes include acute trauma, chronic strains and developmental conditions such as elbow dysplasia. At Southpaw we have a range of diagnostic techniques available to enable us to identify the cause of a forelimb lameness. Once a diagnosis has been reached appropriate treatment can be instigated.

If you have a patient, or a pet, affected by a forelimb lameness please get in touch to see if we can help.

22/05/2025

Mollie was one of the fabulous patients we have treated here at Southpaw. She was the victim of a suspected road traffic accident (RTA) resulting in a fractured pelvis. The ilial wing fracture on the right side was treated with a special anatomical plate that is designed to fit the shape of the pelvis. This is called a Feline Lateral Iliac Plate (FLIP) and it makes surgery quicker and more predictable. Mollie went on to make a full recovery.

We have a wide range of implants allowing us to treat all types of fracture. If one of your patients or your pet has suffered a fracture please get in touch to see if we can help.

14/05/2025

A whirlwind two days in Vienna attending the Movora Total Joint Symposium. Excellent lectures and discussions getting all the latest information on the available joint replacement systems for dogs and cats. It is always good to catch up with friends and colleagues from across the world both professionally and socially.

We offer total hip replacement at Southpaw so please contact us if you think one of your patients or your pet may benefit from this procedure.

07/05/2025

A joint dislocation, or luxation, is when the bones in a joint are forcibly separated leaving them in abnormal alignment.

In some cases the normal joint alignment can be restored with manual (closed) reduction but other cases require surgical (open) reduction. Implants are required in some cases to stabilise the joint and prevent redislocation.

The most commonly dislocated joint is the hip but any joint can be affected.

28/04/2025

At Southpaw we offer a full range of orthopaedic investigation and treatment. Our diagnostic
facilities include radiography, CT, arthroscopy and in-house synovial fluid analysis. In addition to trauma cases, common surgical procedures include treatment of cruciate disease, patellar luxation
(including DFO, PGR), elbow dysplasia (arthroscopy, PAUL, CUE), hip dysplasia (including total
hip replacement), shoulder injuries, and angular limb deformity correction.

Please do get in touch if we can be of any help!

22/08/2023

Aren't cats amazing! 🐈

Below are radiographs from a cat who fell from a two storey height which resulted in her dislocating her elbow. The only injury she sustained from such a height!

Bruce relocated the elbow and secured it back in place using a secure suture line skillfully placed through the bones and around the joint.

She was back to her cheeky self 6 weeks later!

Address

Cirencester

Telephone

+441285704170

Website

http://www.southpawvets.co.uk/

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