Bone Surgery, Cruciate Repairs & Knee Rebuilds:
Orthopaedic surgery encompasses any surgery that is related to bones or joints. It includes procedures such as fracture repairs, ligament repairs and knee surgery to name a few.
Our veterinarians’ high level of experience and our practice’s fully equipped surgical suite allows us to perform orthopaedic surgical procedures that your pet may require and we provide FREE second opinions if you require further advice.
At Central Vets our state of the art digital imaging suite enables perfect X-rays to be taken allowing the veterinary surgeons to assess any skeletal problems with your pet.
We also have a dedicated orthopaedic surgeons and surgical equipment for dealing with fractures and our prices are competitive.
Knee Orthopaedic Surgery
Central Vets & Pets offers full knee rebuild surgery for your pet.
Cruciate Injuries:
Dogs of all sizes can damage their cruciate ligaments within their knees, with the anterior cruciate (ACL) being the most common ligament to fail, either from a traumatic experience or from natural wear and tear due to walking forces passing through the angle of the knee. This ligament is also referred to as the Cranial Cruciate Ligament or CCL.
Partial or full rupture of the ACL results in initial acute lameness followed by a period of near normality, when walking, and then on going lameness that deteriorates over time to the development of severe arthritis within the knee joint.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis of ACL rupture is routinely undertaken at Central Vets using our digitalised radiographic suite, with knee joint manipulations done whilst your pet is undergoing a full general anaesthetic.
At the end of this procedure a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation of your animals knee will be provided, with the best options available to repair the damage and have your pet walking again.
TPLO Procedure:
Central Vets has invested significantly in equipment and staff training to provide you with an experienced team of surgeons that routinely performs the TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy) operation for repairing your pets knee.
This technique is regarded worldwide as the best option for repairing ruptured ACLs in dogs with Central Vets & Pets providing this at a realistic and affordable fixed price.
Fabella Tie or Extracapsular Ligation procedure
This procedure also successfully stabalises the knee joint after an ACL tear. It is not as effective as the TPLO procedure but does provide a cheaper and alternative rebuild option that allows them to start walking again.
MPL Procedure:
In some dogs, the patella or knee cap can dislocate to the inside of the knee. This is called a medial Patella Luxation or MPL.
It often occurs in smaller breeds and can result in lameness, with the development of arthritis of the knee joint later in life. This can be prevented by undertaking an MPL operation which are routinely undertaken at Central Vets, again at very affordable prices.
Radiography and Orthopaedics:
Central Vets has invested in a state of the art digital imaging radiographic suite enabling the most precise x-rays to be generated for viewing both skeletal and soft tissue images of your pet.
Radiographs are a very important tool to help us diagnose diseases in animals, particularly for conditions involving bones, the chest or abdomen.
Cruciate repairs in knee joints are routinely performed at Central Vets, with special procedures such as TPLO's performed to get your pet walking again.
What happens to my pet when it is booked in for radiographs?
Once a decision has been made that radiographs are necessary, it is a simple process for this diagnostic test to be performed.
Patients being admitted for radiographs (x-rays) will need to be booked in for the day as in-patients. Unlike humans, who can be told to stand or sit still, animals generally like to move around during the process making it difficult to get a good x-ray, therefore we ask that you with- hold all food from your pet on the day they are due to be radiographed as it is likely they will require some form of sedation.
Once radiographs have been taken, you have an opportunity to view the images and discuss any further treatments that may be required with our in house veterinary surgeons.
Our aim at Central Vets is to provide excellent affordable veterinary care for your pets and also provide access to the most modern veterinary facilities available in New Zealand.
We do not charge for second opinions, so if you are requiring orthopaedic work why don't you let the vets at Central Vets assess your problem and see if we can help you and your pet. Again, we do affordable orthopaedics and can view x-rays taken by other clinics to provide a second opinion.
How are radiographs made?
Taking a radiograph is very similar to taking a photo, except we use x-rays instead of light rays. The usefulness of radiography as a diagnostic tool is based upon the ability of x-rays to penetrate matter.
Different tissues in the body absorb x-rays to differing degrees.
Of all the tissues in the body, bone absorbs the most x-rays. This is the reason that bone appears white on a radiograph. Soft tissues, such as lungs or organs, absorb some but not all of the x-rays, so soft tissues appear on a radiograph in different shades of grey and as air has no density it appears black, with all of the x-rays passing through it and exposing the plate behind.
Central Vets provides FREE dental quotes, so if you are worried about whether your pet needs a dental and what it might cost, come on in and speak with one of our veterinary surgeons and get a free, no obligation quote.